Looking Back at September and Forward for Fall
September was all about FIRE: Financial Independence and Retiring Early in The Community! Last month, members participated in two #AskMoneyMuse Q&A events, enjoyed a Lounge & Learn event with A Purple Life, and got together for a Sip & Share. With reading Work Optional and goal-setting the next quarter, September was full of financial growth for everyone.
To kick off the month, members shared their August money wins, and we couldn’t be prouder of everyone! Members are taking advantage of geographic arbitrage by subletting their apartment, adding $1000 to their vanguard account, and setting up monthly contributions to their IRA. For one member, she found out she was getting paid less than her male counterparts, advocated for herself, and got a 13% raise at work! It’s great to see everyone using what they’ve learned to accomplish their financial goals and celebrate each other’s wins.
During the Lounge & Learn with A Purple Life, Purple shared her financial journey. She chose her FIRE number using cfiresim, budgets using youneedabudget, and moved towards a more frugal lifestyle. In addition to sharing the tools she used to help her retire this year at the age of 30, she also gave some helpful tips that moved up her retirement date. For example, Purple job hopped regularly and relocated for work in order to increase her salary with each job change. She described some areas of life that she cut spending on, like doing her own hair, negotiating with Airbnbs, and walking to keep transportation costs low. One takeaway is that Purple experiences everything life has to offer without fully “buying” in. She lives in many places but uses lower Airbnb costs, she travels but uses travel hacking, and she spends time with animals by pet sitting instead of adopting her own pet.
Wrapping up the month with our September Sip & Share, Stephanie shared three paths of FIRE, including increasing income, decreasing spending, and incorporating fun FIRE hacks. The hack members of The Community loved most? Stephanie’s side hustle during her time at SpaceX where she wrote online dating profiles for her fellow nerds. These ideas inspired The Community to share their past and future paths to FIRE, from adopting a timeless wardrobe to getting into some side hustles. The event finished off with a little goal-setting and a lot of dancing!
Looking forward to next quarter, The Community will be exploring the themes of value-based spending, side hustles, and real estate investing! We’re also lucky enough to be featuring the following amazing guest speakers: Carmen Perez of Make Real Cents, Julie Berninger of Millennial Boss, and Richelle Oullette of Mortgage Maven! Our upcoming Fall Kickoff and New Member Welcome Party is October 6th!! Doors open to new members on September 30th. Learn more about the community on our website (https://themoneymuse.co/thecommunity) or JOIN US NOW!