So many projects, so little time...

*As my brother wedding came close, i just worked some extra hours. So i found that one of ours bigger expense is taxes. Now, this seems to be one interesting domain, and i will start to take a look at the problem, in the other UK blogs. If you know some great blog that i do not have it at my blog roll, just leave a comment. Thanks.
**My running was amazing until now, but i reach a moment where motivation is important. My total time decreased a bit, 1.07 hours versus 2.19 hours last week, but the week is not finished yet. I would say, even if i know that i will add maybe another 30 min to this week time. My running sessions are something like this:
Week 1 - 1 session
Week 2 - 2 sessions
Week 3 - 5 sessions
Week 4 - 2 sessions
In conclusion, i need to add some additional exercises to this, if i want to be more effective. Idea: i can challenge myself and run tonight and tomorrow. The magic of going out of my comfort zone. I said it. After finishing this post i go to run. Ha,ha!
***I managed to reach a nice number for food expenses last month, i will continue the experiment this week. It is called Do Not Be Lazy And Cook At Home Instead Of Fast Food (i consider pre-packed food fast food too). Last month i was buying fast food only twice, and i eat out 3 times, but i ordered some good proper food every times. October look good too, only one McDonald visit during working time - so i do not know if i count this one. Hmm, i eat it, it count. But it is really good for me to see what a difference make to buy the ingredients and cook your own food. (hell, yeah, i can cook).
****I have seriously progressed with my second book about healthy eating, i would say i am at 50% on my way to publish it. First book - that is so funny, but it was a test - is about poetry, in my native language, so as you can guess is not proving to be a hit, Yet. But i learn how to do it during all that experience of publishing it, so it did the job. I must add - income stream no.7- royalties. So proud of me now. Plus - childhood dream done - publish poetry book. We're good.

See you my friends, i go to run now.
George

Added later: I did it! I did it!

FIRE first aid or as i said FIRE crash course 1.0.1.

Ok. New post coming. But before i start i want to point to some very pertinent blog post of FI fighter. I just find it interesting and it is worth to take a peek on it. Another good post i found is about th Roseto effect - how to live longer, better and healthier. It is a simple solution, but a very effective one.

Now back to my story. One friend was asking me how can he learn to do what i do? As a close friend he could see the changes on my personal finance and net worth, and as we have at least 20 years from the time we first meet, he realized that i did in this year more than i did in the previous 36 of my life.
But here come with the catch. How can i learn somebody about FIRE in only 2 hours if i just start with the basics after 18 months of study of this phenomenon.

So i made a plan. Emailing books to read on the subject, 1 per week. Record every expense for 3 months on a notebook named with the fancy name of FIRE ESCAPE (i must to admit that i was inspired by Huw with this one). Categorize them after every month. Learn about your money before you start saving. Start budgeting expenses and food week by week, Stick with that amount. Download a running app. I use Runkeeper or Freeletics. A bit of physical preparation. Depending on the person i would recommend some supplements. At least when you start running again after 20 years. For him it was Multivitamins, Multiminerals, Magnesium, Fish oil to burn the extra fat, Melatonin to adapt faster to the new situation and some other things, Joints stuff - the one with condroitin. Make a blog. Put every link i provide on your blogroll. I give him most of the blogs i know. Set up to show the last post. Read them regularly. Now i have 2 Excel spreadsheet that i use. One to record the plan. With 4 pages. Risk. Safe. Dreams. Costs and strategy. Another one is using different pages, one for every income sources like dividends, interests, full time work, royalties, profit, capital gained and rental. Set up accounts. Start small and get bigger at some pre-set periods of time. He started with 8% for risk investment, 4% for safest ones and 4% for achieving childhood dreams (i used this as a helping hand as it is known that achieving childhood dreams can have as a result a dramatically improvement of your motivation. I have the full research on one of my journals,
Setting up the accounts. I went for one P2P account, one property crowdfunding, one for buying shares. He agreed to make a new bank account for this with TSB for the 5% interest, where he will save first a buffer cash sum, ideally 6 months expenses. Then we will set up direct debits for the investments options mentioned before, going with the option pay yourself first, worry about an eventual shortcoming later. As in automatically pay your rent, bills, transport (train pass) and savings first after you are getting paid your wages and make a budget for the remaining amount for food and any other expenses. Took us 3 hours at first and an additional one later instead of 2 planned, but we did it.

What would you do different? I am listening.

P.S. The blog just reach the 1000 readers bar, it is time to celebrate!

FIRE first aid

Let's say your good friend see that you are doing something, see the results and it is interested in doing the same. What are the lines of conversation and the information that you can give him? How will you explain FIRE if you have only 2 hours available before he will go to a far away country? How i did it? You will find out in my tomorrow blog post (as i still need to go to work at the moment).

Side Hustle - October 2015 - Travel club

As you probable have seen (or not) a new link appeared in my websites list. What is it about? It is a travel club that i use to travel around the world, with very good offers and conditions. I like them because they will return you 150% the difference if you find a cheaper alternative in the next 24 hours. And they have a interesting system of balancing the price, meaning that if they find a better alternative, they will send you back the saved money even without you asking for them. Although this option i have it as a member, so you will still need to check if it is available to non members.
The link is here.

Disclaimer: It is a referral link, so i will benefit if you will use it.

Quote of the day and a bit more.

A river cut through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence. (Watkins)
This is something i need to remember every month, as it seems that my saving rate is going down lately. A need to reconsider my planning at least. And a bit of motivation. And more time. And more sleep. And stop travelling for one month. Really. I would never think i would say this last phrase. But it is late. Night time. And i work. And i am just talking nonsense. Or maybe not.

Talking about side hustles. I am seriously thinking to plant like 160 trees from a bamboo like family. Sel it in 4-5 years. 4-5k to do it. Sell it through futures contract. At 40-45k. So is like 10 times more in let's say 5 years. If i do the work. A bit less if i put someone else to do it. I got the land provided. And the good part. The trees need daily care only for first 6 months. After that just weekly checks.

Also there is a possibility to change the main job and jump from 18 to 35k. But to move in London. And work my **s out a lot. And pay the living expenses in London. I do not know what to do. I need to check out the expenses. Hard to decide. At the moment.

Financial independence and London

Not much for today's post, just some very interesting map that i found in newspaper. It is a map of the average price of a one bedroom flat within 1 mile of a specific tube station. For one FIRE adept (i like how cool this sound, FIRE adept, make me think at something magic), you can see than only moving few Tube station away you can really shorten you early retirement plans with few years. I presume everyone can do the math, so i will not bother you with the numbers. You can see it very clear in the picture. Just zoom in or save the picture and study it carefully. I got some ideas myself. 

September statistics

The relevant financial statistics at the end of September:

Money from interests and dividends this year (up to 1.10.2015) - 332 pounds (+12)
Month average (first 9 months of my early retirement project) - 36.66 pounds (+6)
Yearly ROI percentage prediction - 7.61% (-2.88)
Retirement fund percentage achieved : 5.14% (a depressing -0.06% due to market situation)
Security fund investment: 47.38% (-0.98)
Risk fund investment: 52.62% (+0.98)
Total investment: 5696 pounds (-66)
Total debt: 740 pounds (-40)
Net worth: 4982.09 pounds (-36)

Income:
Wages  - 1470
Investments - 12
TOTAL: 1482

Expenses: 1791

Seems that this month i just forgot the Rule No.1: Never ever spend more than you earn. Shame on me. I will need to focus even more on recovering last month deficit, but is still harder to do it than say it, as i will still have 2 more months with a lot of extra expenses. After October and November, a blissful period of accumulation and sound investing will follow, until April next year. Apparently. If nothing else happen. At least i reduced a bit of my debt, even if is by not such a significant amount. I need to study September seriously and see what i can learn from this month experience. I admit.

I am open to answer to any common sense question about mine or yours retirement project.