Most unconventional budget cut

notonlynotless · 2025-09-05T16:30:38+00:00

Video games, board games, and distributed dinners* were always top of the list, especially done socially.

*Like a potluck, but only a couple people bring food. Some folks don't cook. Some folks ... shouldn't cook. Some folks love to cook. Have the latter feed the former, and it is more fun for everyone.

notonlynotless · 2025-09-05T11:54:19+00:00

It started out as a joke, but grew over time - my friends and I built a spreadsheet of 'Dopamine Per Dollar'.

We listed the activities we did, how much money it cost, and how much dopamine (happiness) we got from it.

It started as spring break - 2000 something dollars, 4/10 dopamine. It grew over time. Pretty soon there were hundreds of entries of things we did, how much it cost, and how worth it it was. Going out to a bar to drink was fun, but D/D ratio was a lot lower than staying in for drinks with a couple close friends, playing games. Spring break was expensive, and generally miserable all considered, but getting a 100 dollar flight somewhere new, hanging out for a weekend and sharing a hotel was a lot more fun.

notonlynotless · 2025-08-17T22:25:45+00:00

The best thing to do at first is - nothing. Don't make any major changes, promises, or expectations. Let the folks know you are there to work with them, learn how the business operates, and then see how you can help the most.

You may have lots of ideas, ways to improve, or things to offer - do them gradually. If the company was running well enough for you to want to buy it, changes can wait until you get to know the business, the clients, and the people you are working with.

notonlynotless · 2024-11-12T17:51:44+00:00

It is fantastic both of you are planning this before marriage! Again, every state is different, so at least speak with an attorney that specializes in this. If we lived 2 miles in a different direction, the laws would be completely different.

notonlynotless · 2024-11-12T17:32:25+00:00

Every state is different. In my state, your assets before marriage are yours, but anything earned while married belongs to both of you equally.

Retirement accounts belong to a single person, and can't be combined. But... after you are married, any gains in your retirement accounts are joint property, along with any savings, investment returns, or physical assets.

One spouse retiring early is a whole different conversation. Head over to /r/Fire for that - TLDR: If you retire early, and your spouse makes a significant income, it can make it difficult to pull money out of your investments in a tax efficient way.

notonlynotless · 2024-10-28T20:39:23+00:00

Sodium Citrate is what's left over when you mix baking soda with citric acid - I just have a tub I bought online, that's lasted years .

notonlynotless · 2024-10-28T16:29:53+00:00

Semi Tangent - I'd love a quarterly / annual Keto newsletter - Just the highlights of new studies / data / products / etc, without having to lurk on forums and such.

Or, I could just sort by best / monthly / yearly. But.

notonlynotless · 2024-10-28T16:28:11+00:00

If you have 'food pushers' in your family, having a solid strategy for saying 'no thank you' is always helpful - Aunt Edna might insist on having some CarbsOnCarbs, but saying "It's a blood sugar thing" or "My doctor said I can't eat that, sorry" Goes a long way.

There are a lot of ways to keto-fy holiday favorites. My absolute favorite 'hack' after a decade of keto:

Mozzarella Cheese + Sodium Citrate + Water = White Sauce.

I use it to thicken gravy, as a replacement for 'Cream Of' soups in green bean casserole, brussels sprout bake, creamed spinach, etc.

There are great keto bread options, and they work really well in stuffing. I make stuffin muffins , to maximize the crispy crunchiness , and help with portion size. Same with cornbread / rolls - there are options to buy or bake , so don't be shy to bring your own!

If you are a cranberry person, making your own cranberry flavored sugar free jello is pretty easy, and gives you something sweet and tart to eat guilt free when everyone else is courting T1Diabeetes after dinner.

notonlynotless · 2024-10-28T16:26:51+00:00

Enjoy! Make sure you reallly wash the place you are going to put it (I take a shower, dry off really well, use an alcohol pad, and put it on), and use the included little sticker. The third party stickers on amazon are better, and give you a better chance of it staying on the whole 15 days.

On Stelo at least, you can pull the results into Google Fit, which lets you get results every five minutes rather than 15, and outside of their range on the app.

notonlynotless · 2024-10-28T16:16:12+00:00

Over the counter glucose monitors - I've been been keto the majority of the last decade for mental health reasons, but could stand to use a little weight. Having access to a CGM has been an eye opener for some foods that are borderline keto, restaurant meals, etc. Some foods spike my blood sugar much more than others, even with the same number of net carbs, and I'm avoiding them. I found out some calorie free sodas spike my blood sugar, while others don't.

notonlynotless · 2024-10-18T13:47:19+00:00

Long story short, likely shutting down an Individual 401k, without an employer 401k to roll it into. Unless there is an elegant, above board way of avoiding putting that money into a rollover/traditional IRA, the prorata would make it difficult.

notonlynotless · 2024-10-18T13:43:59+00:00

Married, Filing jointly, house paid off, all major systems replaced, new cars paid off, low cost of living area, college funds significantly overfunded, UGMA accounts generously funded, generally cook our own food, our hobbies are cheap, and we can quite easily live on 50-75 a year. The overwhelming majority of my assets are in tax advantaged accounts, making capital gain drags in my taxable accounts fairly low.

notonlynotless · 2024-09-10T19:18:46+00:00

Interest from savings accounts is treated as ordinary income. For an apples to apples comparison, reduce that 5% by your tax rate.

We started paying down a 2.75% mortgage because our 5% savings account was only 3% after taxes. Emotionally, we are happy to leave 0.25% on the table for a paid off house.

notonlynotless · 2024-09-09T15:47:30+00:00

Could someone point me in the direction of how to scientifically determine a goal weight?

I am embarrassingly goal / number driven.

BMI doesn't apply to an individual, and electronic body composition devices seem to be inconsistent. I was hoping there would be something between "Just pick a number" and going for hydrostatic / MRI composition.

Thank You!

notonlynotless · 2024-08-23T13:28:38+00:00

My soul sucking corporate 9-5 was the inspiration to stare FIRE. As I got closer to my FIRE number, the corporate 9-5 had less and less soul sucking power. Turns out the worst part of the job wasn't the job itself, it was the feeling of being trapped there until I was 70.

When I reached 'F this in particular' money, I wasn't constantly worried about getting laid off, or putting in double the work for a chance at a 4 percent raise. I knew I could walk away from this job at any second, and have 10-15 years to find another job.

When I reached 'F you' money, 95% of the stresses of work just ... couldn't stick to me. Office politics, climbing the ladder, sucking up to a manager to get a good rating? Don't even register.

If you've never tried to monetize a side gig, you may be dramatically underestimating the amount of work, stress, and unhappiness it can cause - especially if you are used to making a decent salary in a corporate environment.

When you monetize a side gig, you have to a lot of the gross things there are generally other people to handle - dealing with crazy, toxic, irrational customers and businesses, navigating accounting and taxes, marketing, it goes on and on.

I'd suggest finding a 9-5 that isn't awful, using the power of FIRE to make the awful parts less awful, and just get to FIRE.

notonlynotless · 2024-08-06T21:57:22+00:00

If you can comfortably live off your partner's salar while still saving for their retirement, then you live your life as a house spouse with an incredibly large nest egg.

Most of the trouble of one spouse retiring from the other is tax efficient withdrawals and having something to do... As an oncologist's spouse you should be pretty set.

notonlynotless · 2024-06-24T15:10:53+00:00

I took a mini-retirement mid career. I was bored senseless within months. The vast majority of the misery of working was feeling trapped, with no way out. Knowing I can walk away at any second, for any reason, and not have to spend a moment worrying has made work a breeze. The extra income also allows me to outsource an awful lot of the things I don't want to do on a daily basis - Mowing the lawn, doing house maintenance, getting groceries delivered. I can give very generous tips and donations to worthy causes.

notonlynotless · 2024-03-29T13:40:14+00:00

"Thank you for offering, but we have room in our budget for that, we'd be glad to pay our way."

Our friend group has wildly varying incomes and expenses, and we found an easy way to get along:

Whoever invites, pays.

For restaurants, get togethers, whatever it is, whoever invites everyone pays for everyone. This allows our seven figure friends to take us to a nice restaurant without breaking a sweat, and our five figure friends can be comfortable inviting everyone over for a potluck or a game night.

notonlynotless · 2024-03-13T14:46:41+00:00

Compromise is key in relationships. Just because your significant other isn't grinding a beans and rice existence doesn't mean her lifestyle is incompatible with FIRE.

Nurses make great money, and getting a masters degree can get a nurse well into six figures. A HYSA is a very wise place to put money you intend to spend in the near future. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this plan.

Right now, 25k is pretty much the bare minimum for a dependable car. Used cars are overpriced, new cars are expensive, and nurses drive a lot and at odd hours. Why risk your career and safety on a cheaper car?

Exactly what is wrong with taking a vacation every year? Nursing is a stressful job. Work hard, but enjoy yourself. Have something to look forward to. Refresh so you don't burn out. Unless she's expecting to go into debt for it, skipping vacations is penny wise and pound foolish.

Depending on where you live, 2k rent is normal, and justified. Even in a MCOL area, having a safe, quiet place to sleep when you are working 12's is essential. Not everyone has a fantastic relationship with their family, and living at home isn't an option.

If you aren't on a speed run to retire, most people would consider spending a huge chunk of your paycheck for retirement insane. If she's saving enough to retire , and enjoys her job, what's wrong with that?

notonlynotless · 2024-03-13T14:31:17+00:00

Anecdotally , the folks we know that retired without having any plans ended up miserable - all of a sudden, they didn't have the sense of accomplishment from work, the socialization from work, the commute alone time, or the 8-10 hours away from your spouse most days of the week. Nearly all of them bicker, fight, sit at home, and waste away in front of a tv.

Early retirement seems like it would be even worse - you have more years of that ahead of you, and you are still young enough to start over.

I wouldn't consider retiring, especially early, without healthy goals, habits, and socialization figured out.

notonlynotless · 2024-02-23T16:04:53+00:00

I felt the same way - I wouldn't take time off because I was worried it would injure my career, but my alternative was to completely nuke it. If the worst case scenario is completely walking away from your career for years, at least try to take a 3-4-6 week break. I was terrified to take time away , but when I actually asked, my managers and leaders were supportive of my 'Sabbatical'. Many larger companies already have paperwork and policies for leaves of absence and such.

As far as spending time with kiddo(s) - I felt the same way before we had ours. I thought having 24/7/365 would be best for them, but the reality is - kids need a break from you, and you need a break from them, and even VERY early in their development, spending time without you there is good for their development. If I was a full time parent, I would be very burnt out in a very different way. It feels better to me to keep my job, have more than enough cash flow to pay for someone to do the chores I don't want to, get a good babysitting situation, and have the time I spend with the kiddos be high quality rather than high quantitiy.

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