What unique things have you done to get ahead financially?

[Anonymous]

We have young kids, UMC income and had a hard time saving and not blowing it on who random things. We ended up buying a second home to force ourselves to save money. It goes into the equity and we use it 2 months a year. The area is appreciating and we also short term rent it. I know it’s not considered a good strategy by most since money in the bank with compound interest seems to fare better but it’s worked well for us since we NEVER were able to save that much in cash anyways.

[Anonymous]

We did not buy a second home and we worked hard to pay off our mortgage.

[Anonymous]

I taught and lived at a boarding school for a few years in my twenties. I ended up with a nice nest egg from having no expenses at all since I had free room and board and no utilities to pay.

[Anonymous]

We always have a business going -- first it was consulting, then freelance writing, now long term rentals. You can write off a ton of expenses if you own a business.

Real estate has worked for us. We have 5 rentals now, no mortgages. Worked hard to get here, but we're late 50s and the passive income will be pretty sweet in retirement.

[Anonymous]

If you can figure out how to purchase and maintain 2 homes, but you can’t figure out how to stop blowing cash on takeout and custom Etsy wreath for every holiday, you need a therapist not some budgeting tips. What is the hole in your life you are trying to fill with things?

How did we get ahead? We lived with roommates in low cost of living cities until we got married and moved to DC. We saved money for a down payment so our mortgage was low enough we didn’t have a cash flow crunch in the day care years.

How do I save money now? I never buy anything from targeted ads, email sales, or impulse purchases in the store. I have a Pinterest board called “thinks I want” and when I buy them or receive them as gifts, I move them to a board called “things I have”. When it’s a big shopping day like Amazon Day or Black Friday, I check if things in my list are on sale. When I feel like shopping, I look at my board of things I have or I “heart” things on Rent the Runway. I use RTR monthly for seasonal, colorful, and special occasion clothes. It fulfills the thrill of getting new things on a regular basis for a set budgeted amount. My “real” clothes are all basics and neutrals from places like Quince and Everlane.

[Anonymous]

Big picture:
-Home mortgage qualified for on just one salary, (my) lower salary, 10 years ago.

-Just one kid (not entirely by choice)



Small picture - many things, some of which I no longer do based on where I am now with time and money, some of which I still do:

-Pre-kid, I took a relatively inconvenient transit route to work rather than drive, for the Transit Reimbursement

-Use rags rather than paper towels/disinfectant wipes for all except the grossest cleaning

-Make my own cleaning supplies such as laundry detergent, spray cleaner, shower cleaner, etc

-Run plastic shower curtain in the washer rather than throw it out and replace with a new one

-Make an effort to sell certain items online versus just donate (I don't do this any more - it is a lot of work)

-Used to have a side hustle as a mystery shopper, and got meals reimbursed and some grocery shopping reimbursed and made a small amount of money too.

-Used to, if a potluck, make something I had on hand such as a box of corn muffins. Now, I will bring something healthy that I make for the event.

-Still don't want to pay a lot for lodging that is not my home. And if me alone, I like street food, food trucks, etc. Love to travel but I like budget travel.

[Anonymous]

I've always had a money-loving heart. I never spent money unnecessarily. Had roommates until I married. Bought groceries and cooked, didn't travel to expensive places, saved early and often.

Married and age 50. NW north of $7M. Never had a super high HHI income--we are at our peak now ~$330k/year combined.

[Anonymous]

The most unique thing I did was have one kid and no pets. Got everything I wanted and got rich, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big picture:
-Home mortgage qualified for on just one salary, (my) lower salary, 10 years ago.

-Just one kid (not entirely by choice)



Small picture - many things, some of which I no longer do based on where I am now with time and money, some of which I still do:

-Pre-kid, I took a relatively inconvenient transit route to work rather than drive, for the Transit Reimbursement

-Use rags rather than paper towels/disinfectant wipes for all except the grossest cleaning

-Make my own cleaning supplies such as laundry detergent, spray cleaner, shower cleaner, etc

-Run plastic shower curtain in the washer rather than throw it out and replace with a new one

-Make an effort to sell certain items online versus just donate (I don't do this any more - it is a lot of work)

-Used to have a side hustle as a mystery shopper, and got meals reimbursed and some grocery shopping reimbursed and made a small amount of money too.

-Used to, if a potluck, make something I had on hand such as a box of corn muffins. Now, I will bring something healthy that I make for the event.

-Still don't want to pay a lot for lodging that is not my home. And if me alone, I like street food, food trucks, etc. Love to travel but I like budget travel.

Also, I don't think its unique, but I have savings allocated automatically. And I set all the bills I can to autopay too.

[Anonymous]

Bought Apple stock in my 20s.
Then Amazon in my 30s.
Then Nvidia in my 40s.

Since I could only invest very little, because I had a very meager salary, I haven't earned a ton yet... but I will probably retire with a "good-enough" nest egg.

[Anonymous]

We spend less than we make. A lot less. The end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bought Apple stock in my 20s.
Then Amazon in my 30s.
Then Nvidia in my 40s.

Since I could only invest very little, because I had a very meager salary, I haven't earned a ton yet... but I will probably retire with a "good-enough" nest egg.

What are you buying now, perchance?

[Anonymous]

Got married at 26 and we always lived well below our means and invested a lot and pretty intelligently. Nothing unique! Thirty years later we have a very high NW, well into eight figures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always had a money-loving heart. I never spent money unnecessarily. Had roommates until I married. Bought groceries and cooked, didn't travel to expensive places, saved early and often.

Married and age 50. NW north of $7M. Never had a super high HHI income--we are at our peak now ~$330k/year combined.

That is a super high HHI income. I want to call you a moron but I realize that won’t really help anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We always have a business going -- first it was consulting, then freelance writing, now long term rentals. You can write off a ton of expenses if you own a business.

Real estate has worked for us. We have 5 rentals now, no mortgages. Worked hard to get here, but we're late 50s and the passive income will be pretty sweet in retirement.

What can you write off for long term rentals? Just repairs for the unit(s), right? I have one rental, and after factoring in depreciation, property taxes for a secondary property, and minor repairs ($1-3k per year), there's not much of a profit. I think of selling it often.