Mr. Money Mustache

Mr. Money Mustache was a thirtysomething retiree who now writes about how we can all lead a frugal yet Badass life of leisure.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

Lol, it's always nice to see the Internet Divorce Police are still out there protecting everyone's life choices. Thank you for your wise Judgement from afar!

And for everyone else who is navigating a separation out there (especially with children involved), I will say hang in there, and please don't let the judgement of others get you down.

It's a normal, necessary part of life sometimes and there's lots of light on the other side.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

@grok @cgenco @SmallBizReTwit @MediaKing Aww thanks @Grok! I like that positive attitude about frugality. It's nice to see that AI wisdom now incorporates some of the Tenets of Mustachianism

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

@TheEconomist I finally made it! Into my all time favorite magazine since I started reading every issue in 1993. This was a great story, covering a nice slice of early retirees, not just me.

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

“You don’t have to be particularly frugal in the United States to save a lot of money. You just have to be a little bit less ridiculous than your peers,” says @mrmoneymustache.

On “The Weekend Intelligence”: how to retire by the age of 30 https://t.co/ZRQSH9FVXF

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

@danshipper I love your chords Dan! I hope you will plug that keyboard into your mixer and share more snippets with us in the future

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

Thanks, that is a great point and I should add that gotcha to the article.

One upside is that investment income (dividends and captal gains) does NOT count towards this earned income limit.

So it's more of a penalty for people taking early Social Security while still employed, which is probably more rare for us FIRE people.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

New blog post out today!

The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Social Security

Link to full article in the comments below

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

https://t.co/uGk4ZOD6j7

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

Thanks for reading those oldies Thomas!
This year was about the same as last year (30k) maybe a little lower since I did a bit less travel, so it might make a pretty boring article.

2026 might be interesting though because I'm about to buy a somewhat bigger/more expensive house - you heard it here first!

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

@retirein1500 What a great picture! Although it shook me for a minute because I forgot that it is winter in some places! 😄

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

@jacobwhiteAR @AlecMacGillis Wow! Even I will admit to enjoying a decadent night with Doordash delivery every now and then, but that family is putting up some wild numbers 😂

I guess that's human nature for ya - if you make something really easy, people will do it.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

@Scott_TrenchFI Because it's a religion rather than an investment philosophy!😄

As for "fiat slavery", I dunno, 20+ years of early retired freedom based on investments in the Almighty US Economy (while holding less than 1% cash of course) sure doesn't feel like slavery to me. 🦅

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

This seems like a pretty ripe opportunity - Google could easily create a whole Google Homes division where it becomes the transaction broker on both sides and makes most of the industry obsolete.

Definitely outside of their core market but man the commissions in real estate are awfully huge at $30k+ per house sale, I've always wondered why competition doesn't bring them down.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

@TheSystemsDad Yeah! Shoveling is the best thing about a snow day - the deeper the better. It's a little consolation prize for some of the other outdoor work that becomes impractical in the snow.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

@homegymcoop @BryceSouve Well, just for accuracy I like to call em "Gas Powered Luxury Racing Wheelchairs", but I appreciate the mention.

Also, awesome garage gym! I just got in from a sunny winter workout in my own. 🌞💪

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

I'm sure a solid percentage of people will in the coming decades!
My guess?
- urban people who could get by with Robotaxis: 50% who currently own cars will ditch them in 5-8 years
- suburban families who keep their cars full of car seats and kids stuff: 50% will go down to one car within 10 years
- stubborn older wealthy people (especially in less dense areas) who don't want change: it will take over 20 years to reduce car ownership by 50%

I wish all these were way sooner, but it's my guess based on our shockingly slow conversion to electric: 85% of Americans are still buying hopelessly obsolete brand new gasoline cars even today! Even though EVs are faster, more luxurious, better, more reliable in every possible way and yet CHEAPER (RAV4 hybrid is more expensive than Tesla model Y for example)

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

What do YOU think, fellow @Tesla owners? I personally disagree with almost everything the company has changed about the cars in the past few years.

Bring back more physical controls and don't make people fuck with a touchscreen while driving. Keep autopilot because people want to control their own speed and lane selection sometimes, and so much more. Or watch the sales keep going to competitors.

If I had to replace my 2023 model Y right now, a used one would be more valuable than a new one.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

Haha yeah I agree. And I totally realize this sounds like a bunch of silly nitpicking!

Just trying to throw in one tiny vote towards making the cars more appealing to the masses, based on feedback from my peers who currently drive higher end gas/hybrid cars. The perfect demographic for switching to EVs. In case anyone at Tesla sees this.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

Oh man, I feel exactly the opposite way, the automatic setting is so BAD it drives me into a rage every time it accidentally kicks on!

It goes straight into EMERGENCY EAR SPLITTING TORNADO mode at the slightest provocation.

In my world, the fan never needs to go above 3 unless the interior temp is below 10F or above 130. Other than that, keep it quiet because I have other things I'd rather listen to than a fan.

Also, I almost never want heat or AC. Just some outside air blowing on my face, which I will adjust with a knob.

Automatic mode *could* be changed to have the option to behave this way with a software update. But right now it is treating us drivers like we are a syringe of some sort of sensitive vaccine and we need to be kept at an exact temperature no matter what.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

The stuff that often causes me to drive more dangerously as I try to adjust it on the touchscreen while driving:

- headlights+tail lights (partly because Autopilot+FSD shut them off during the day, whereas I prefer all corners illuminated at all times, safer)
- wiper speed
- fan speed and air temp
- AC or heat on/off (because I usually just want fan, car should never automatically assume AC or heat)
- front+rear window defrost
- air direction (window, face, feet, etc)
- rear seat climate controls
- heated seats+steering wheel settings
- gear selection when driving 2026+ Teslas
- acceleration mode (I leave in chill but need the speed for certain maneuvers)
- sound settings (different songs need different amounts of bass man!)
- probably lots more but these are just the first ones to come to mind.

[Mr. Money Mustache @mrmoneymustache]

@dzajic @Techgnostik @Tesla Exactly! Elon likes to say "All input is error", but for highly attentive drivers it's the opposite: "Any automatic shit the car tries to is error."