muadib

Did a San Antonio meet up ever happen?

Hello Devout_Haruhiist! I use to be broke! I was so far behind in my student loan that they called my mom, my aunt, and my grandmother! Well, I got an earful from my mom and I lied to her and said it was some sort of mistake. I finally got my stuff together and years later, yes it WILL take time, I am doing very well. I have an emergency fund that will hold my family for 8 months. My investments are doing very well and I have peace in my life. I also have a nice car, paid for, and this is a far cry from where I was when I was broke. I was living in a one-room apt, sleeping on a futon. Just my credit card debt was 45K ALL above 18%! I credit my turn around to Dave Ramsey. I can find you free resources online so you don't have to pay for the information. If you ever need anything else, budgeting tips..etc...etc.. let me know I am here to help. Check out this guy! https://youtu.be/o_8ebac0ZWc?t=4592

The key is taking baby steps. If you concentrate all your efforts on one thing you can get it done. Remember building wealth is a marathon and not a sprint. Also, you have to build a strong financial foundation before you invest. It took me years to get to when I am but NOW I am wiser with money plus if you have no payments you can invest HUGE chunks of money at a time. My emergency fund is 10 of thousands of dollars! That money protects my family and as Warren Buffett said.."large cash reserves is like a moat that protects the castle". Jean, I used to be so broke I had to roll pennies for gas. Now I am doing very well! Here is a link to the guy I listen to. He changed my life! Some people disagree with Dave Ramsey but we don't take financial advice from broke people.

Hello Jean, I love your post. Many people fail to realize how important finances are. If you need some advice or encouragement let me know. I went thru some financial hard time now I am ROCK`IN. They announced layoffs at my work and it really did not affect me because I have CASH in the bank. Let me know if I can help! Mike

AWESOME!

I was 247 in Jan and NOW I am 226! I just changed how much I eat. I made healthy breakfasts and skipped lunch. I also hit my financial goals of have server thousands in the bank as an emergency fund!

This is from his 2010 Letter to Shareholders. "Over a period of a good many years I have known a great many people who at some time or another have suffered in various ways simply because they did not have ready cash. I have known people who have had to sacrifice some of their holdings in order to have money that was necessary to have at that time. For a good many years your grandfather kept a certain amount of money where he could put his hands on it in very short notice. For a number of years I have made it a point to keep a reserve, should some occasion come where I would need money quickly, without disturbing the money that I have in my business. There have been a couple of occasions when I found it very convenient to go to this fund. Thus, I feel that everyone should have a reserve. I hope it never happens to you, but the chances are that some day you will need money, and need it badly, and with this thought in view, I started a fund by placing $200 in an envelope, with your name on it, when you were married. Each year I added something to it, until there is now $1000 in the fund. Ten years have elapsed since you were married, and this fund is now completed. It is my wish that you place this envelope in your safety deposit box, and keep it for the purpose that it was created for. Should the time come when you need part, I would suggest you use that you use as little as possible, and replace it as soon as possible. You might feel that this should be invested and bring you an income. Forget it – the mental satisfaction of having $1000 laid away where you can put your hands on it it, is worth more than what interest it might bring, especially if you have the investment in something that you could not realize on quickly."

Looks like NF has a finance section! Good!

Guys, Personal finance is so important but people only worry about their money when it's gone. I would like to start a Financial Fitness thread to help anyone who has financial questions. I have spent a good part of my adult life studying personal finance and I find myself answering questions for friends at work. Right now i can live for 6 months without a job fi were laid off and my 401k is up 72% for the past 9 years. I keep a tight budget on a two column spreadsheet and I coupon every week. I don't do extreme couponing but I save 15 to 25 percent on my purchases. I am not a financial advisor but I have been broke and man it feels good having money in the bank Mike

Very nice to meet you! I struggle with some of the same things you do you lets encourage each other to do better. Mike

If you guys ever want to meet up let me know. I know of a great game store and the owner just joined nerdfitness.

Hello, I have been lurking for about 2 years and now I am all in. If you need a sidekick I am your man!

Hey guys! I was looking for some San Antonio people! Is anyone still around?

My motivation to workout has dropped off. My weight has skyrocketed and I feel like i am on an island. I was looking for like-minded people to workout with and encourage me.

If anyone wants to meet up in the next two weeks let me know. Mike

Hey guys! I am glad to see some other people from San Antonio. I am looking to start over and i need some help.

I have been doing Kenpo Karate for 12 years. We have a physical fitness test that we do every year. 50 Pushups in 90 seconds, 50 sit ups in 90 seconds, 1 mile run (the time requirement varies by age - i haev to do it in 9:30) and a 10 min Horse stance. Last week i did all 50 push ups in 60 seconds. I decided to see how many I could do in 90 seconds..so this week i did 62 in 90 seconds! In 12 years i have NEVER completed the pushups..this year i crushed it!

TeppuM, I was in the same place a couple of years ago. Mine was so bad that the creditors were calling my work and my relatives. Nothing more embarrassing that having your Grandmother call you mom about your student load debt. I was going to do credit consolation and I got a nudge from the universe. I was half listening to Dave Ramsey, a buddy of mine loaned the tape, and while I was on the phone setting up my credit counseling appointment Dave said this…”If you go to credit counseling you are working on the symptom and NOT the problem. It’s like trying to build muscle by having someone else do pushups for you. You have to learn to handle your money!” I put the phone down and finished listening to the Total Money Make Over. It took my 3 years to clean up all my mistakes but as I look back I am glad that I did it. Now I have 8 months of living expenses in the bank and I got a HUGE raise last year all due to listening to Dave Ramsey. People will talk smack about Dave but I am living proof that his plan works. Just like working out it sucks while you are doing it but once you see the results it’s well worth it. If you EVER have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. Mike

Man you guys are bringing back a lot of memories. One funny thing we would do is run, up and down the aisle, while on the bus! I remember cutting 2lbs on a 3 hr buss ride.

Awesome job keep it up!

Guys, In high school I was on the wrestling team and we had some interesting weight loss techniques. One of the simple one was to eat ½ portions until your body go use to it. When a buddy and I went to a burger place we split the burger, the fries and even the coke. Once we got use to ½ portions then we went to ¼ portions. Funny thing is we had enough energy to work out after school and attend tournaments on the weekends. Just a thought.. Mike

I love 20lb wall ball shots.

Since i was a Boy Scout I wanted to go to Gen Con. Now, 30 years later, I get to live out my dream! Anyone else going?

I buy these at the store... http://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/birdseye-steamfresh/steamfresh-pure-simple

coonskee, I am all about budgeting and making the most of my money. My food menu and shopping is done per week. I buy 6 chicken bests, 6 pork chops, 2 steaks and frozen veggies. That give me enough food for a week. Breakfast is a meal replacement shake or bacon and eggs; it depends on how busy i am. The secret is to buy several types of seasonings or dry rubs for the meat. Something like this is very good and the name is funny http://wenzellonestarmeat.com/bite-my-butt/. Funny you mentioned sword classes! i used to be a fencer and was starting to train again but my budget did not allow for it. So i had to stop doing it. Now i only do Kung-Fu and Cross-fit. Let me know if that helped.... Mike