1% Better: Stop Junk Mail

ChooseFI is a crowdsourced community and I love getting contributions that are so good I can just cut and paste. Courtesy of Debra:

“In the podcast episode 100 ways to get 1% better, stopping junk mail was mentioned. This is the bane of my existence. I live in Tennessee and this is how I was able to stop all junk mail:

• ​Credit offers and insurance
• ​Junk mail: Data and Marketing Association
• ​Blue envelopes of coupons (Valpak)
• ​Catalogs and opt out by company​
• ​Weekly coupon mailer​
• ​Phone Book
• ​Clipper or Market magazine

You can sign up for Informed Delivery with the USPS and they will send you an email with what mail you are getting that day. No email equals no mail (equals winning).

Once I got all my eligible bills set to paperless, I barely get any mail. The longest I can remember was at least 2 weeks.

Hope that helps!”

Book Announcement

I’m incredibly excited to announce that Brian Feroldi, one of our absolute favorite podcast guests (Episodes 72, 200, 293 and 314), is writing a book with ChooseFI Publishing called “Why Does the Stock Market Go Up?”

The premise is really cool: Brian is fielding the ~60 most interesting investing questions he can find and will answer each of them in a clear straightforward manner. I think this will be the easiest way to get up to speed on truly understanding the stock market and investing in general, and will be well worth your time.

It’s set to be released later this year and you can learn more and get on the exclusive early access list here. Brian is still taking questions for the book itself from people on this list and we’ll also keep you updated as the book release is getting closer (plus some more goodies along the way).

Must-Read Life Advice

Last year I linked up Kevin Kelly’s 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice on My 68th Birthday article, and this year he’s at it again for his birthday with an Additional 99 Bits of Unsolicited Advice.

A few of the many that caught my eye:

• Be governed not by the tyranny of the urgent but by the elevation of the important.
• Compliment people behind their back. It’ll come back to you.
• You are only as young as the last time you changed your mind.
• Your passion in life should fit you exactly; but your purpose in life should exceed you. Work for something much larger than yourself.

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ChooseFI Community Taking Action This Week

• Jenn said, “My 1% better is that this week I quit my job! I’m going to be taking a mini retirement to stay home with my kids until my youngest starts school. After my divorce, I just knew I’d never have my dream of being a stay-at-home mom. But after listening to your episode about the gap year, I changed my mindset. I made some major life shifts to rev up my savings rate and lower my expenses, and just a couple of years later I was ready. I am not at FI, but here I am, a single mom about to enjoy this time with my kids that I’ll never get back. They grow so fast. Without you and Jonathan and the work you put into that episode, I would have never thought to take this approach.”
• Chelsea said, “I am excited about two FWOTW’s! They never would have happened without listening to you and Jonathan for hours each week as I work through the last few years of ChooseFI podcast episodes. First, my Honda Fit (10 years old, I was earning that FI card before I even knew it!) needed some maintenance and since it’s been hassle free for a decade, I knew it needed to be done. But it was expensive! I was deciding whether I should do it all at once or break it up when I remembered everything’s negotiable. I asked if there was any discount on doing it all at once. The guy put me on a brief hold, then told me he’d make it an even $1000, saving me $85. The next couple purchases I made totaled $85 and I thought, that’s what I got for my saved $85, just because I asked! Second, last week I went to Target to get two things. I came out of Target with two things! I know that sounds silly, but that never happens! I even had my 4 year old with me. That discipline is because of the goals I have set for my future after listening to your show. This also helps me mentally to not have extra clutter in my home, and is better for the earth to not buy things I do not need. Little things like this add up, and thanks to you and Jonathan and the market, I am about $150,000 better off than I was 8 months ago when I first found the FIRE idea. Thank you so much.”
• Ian said, “Me and my husband have just started our road map to being FI, we are using the envelope system with our banks savings accounts in order to save for different things. And we are on track to be debt free (minus the mortgage) in about 2 years. We will then plan on investing into our 401ks more and we have opened up an IRA to help supplement as well. My hubby also has a pension through our employer, and we are thinking of investing in some real estate / rentals once we reach debt free. Your show and the Debt Free Guys have given me a whole new view of my life and I will be forever grateful.”
• Kieran said, “I’ve been absorbing your wisdom (and that of the collective) for about a year now. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned and changed. I’ve taken incremental actions that are really starting to add up. This week, however, was a big one. I joined Bradley Rice’s Salesforce Career Development Program. Toward the end of this year, I plan to change careers and begin working as a Salesforce Administrator (with an eye toward remote work that will allow me and my wife to travel in the summers-at least). I could not be more excited about the new skills I’m learning, the potential flexibility, and the trajectory to more than double my (albeit low) income within the next few months. I have a feeling I’ll look back in a year and be shocked (in the best way) at where we’ve ended up.
• Ryan said, “My 1% improvement this week was helping my neighbor when she asked if I could review her car insurance policy that she’s had over 30 years. She took my advice and reduced her monthly insurance from $225 to $85 a month while increasing her coverage. Next, we are tackling her homeowner’s insurance! She’s on track to save over $2,500 a year between the two policies.”

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