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Month: August 2014

Cash or Comfort?

Cash or Comfort?

A common theme running through most personal finance and early retirement advice is the concept of Delayed Gratification. This is where we actively choose to make a sacrifice today in order to obtain the same or greater returns later on. Saving money for a rainy day is the most obvious example of this; choosing to purchase a few less pairs of shoes each month so that you have enough money to fix the boiler when it blows up on a…

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August 2014 Income/Expenses

August 2014 Income/Expenses

It’s payday tomorrow which means time for the monthly report! This is my 2nd monthly report and so the first chance I’ve had to actually calculate any differences. Another awesome month and I’ve been working hard to build relationships with others online on a similar journey as me. A big shout out to all of my regular readers, especially those who have taken the time to comment and share their views on the articles. A special thanks to Wade, Jason,…

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Already finished my Christmas shopping

Already finished my Christmas shopping

It’s almost the end of August and only 121 days to Christmas which means I’ve already finished my Christmas shopping! I’m not a big fan of the over-commercialised Christmas we have in this country. I much prefer spending time with people and doing activites together instead of briefly seeing each-other purely to swap gifts neither of us particularly require and are likely to just end up creating more waste. However I do appreciate that some friends and family will still…

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How I saved £1500 and a month of my life

How I saved £1500 and a month of my life

Regular readers of this blog and my comments on other blogs will be aware of my love for the ultimate quick and cheap commuter motorbike I use everyday. When I first moved with with my partner and moved out of the city center, it imposed upon me a necessary commute for the first time in my life. The key considerations were cost and time involved, with enjoyability a close 2nd. I’ve previously discussed the negative impacts of a long and…

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Destroying the world 1 Happy Meal at a time

Destroying the world 1 Happy Meal at a time

Fast food; destroyer of both health and wealth for many decades…  and yet recently I’ve started to notice the amount of waste generated by these diabetes producing establishments as well. This isn’t just waste in the form of over-excessive packaging (Why does everything need it’s own individual box when you’re eating inside?) but all the crappy plastic toys given out with Happy Meals. We recently babysat my partner’s 2-year old niece and she brought with her the remains of a…

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Reminders of why we aim for finance Independence

Reminders of why we aim for finance Independence

Last week I had a very strong reminder of why I’m aiming for financial independence and looking to do it as soon as possible. My company announced that it intended to make several hundred roles redundant in cost cutting exercises. Fortunately the cuts are not in my department and so I won’t be affected at this stage, however many of those who are affected will have been with the company for several decades. It’s these people in their late 40s/50s…

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The True Cost of Commuting

The True Cost of Commuting

At some stage in our lives, almost all of us will have to earn an income away from the confines of our home and so have to endure some form of commuting. Typically the costs associated with commuting have been restricted to purely financial with some arguing that an increased commute can actually be financially beneficial. This weekend, The Guardian ran an article on the costs of commuting relative to the difference in house prices. The results were pretty predictable…

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Coffee Craze

Coffee Craze

There’s been a real buzz around the office recently fueled by the caffeine high as co-workers everywhere lead themselves towards 40 years of work in order to fund inflated lifestyles… and I think I may have found the culprit. A couple of weeks ago, I walked into the downstairs reception and was greeted by the horror that was this early retirement killer: That’s right; no longer will we be forced to endure sunlight and the general public in order to…

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August Challenges

August Challenges

Inspired by my new friend TheFireStarter, I’ve decided to take a crack at setting some monthly challenges which will all help towards achieving greater goals. There was a great TED Talk on the psychology of habits and how if you do someone for 30 days, it can easily become a habit which you continue forever. I’m normally pretty good with these as every year I complete the Dryathlon for Cancer Research UK as well as setting other challenges like running…

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