How It All Began

I recently read an article in the LA Times Real Estate section (or was it The OC Register Money section??) about personal finance blogs. Wow, cool, never knew they existed. I've gotten inspiration to invest through those around me and by reading personal finance books and so hope something in the following journal will help someone else. I've been there and done that with a lot of experiences and can laugh (and gasp) looking back. I'll share with you my finances, my spending habits, my cheap bastard traits, my likes and dislikes and my observations on those around me.

I'm a 31 year old male. Wait a second. I'm 32. I can't believe I wasn't sure and had to calculate it. How does time fly like that? Anyway, I'm 32 and live with my partner in Orange County, California. I've been working as a sales rep for a software developer since June 2003. I like my job 70% of the time but that figure is decreasing month by month. More on that later.

I certainly don't consider ourselves rich, although some may consider us so. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. Ten years ago when I was just finishing college and had lots of student and credit card debt, I couldn't imagine being financially "successful" without lots of college degrees and climbing the corporate ladder. My priorities have evolved quickly as I've read more, learned more, earned more, spent more and slept less. We'll never attain (nor strive to attain) the lifestyle of the rich and famous but we'll never worry about the rent again either. I don't have an above average IQ and don't really work as hard as I used to but am blessed with the most important thing of all: common sense. Although it doesn't make sense to start writing my first entry close to midnight. Tune in for future tales of growing up with 9 brothers and sisters, intermittent college, exactas at the racecourse, internet day trading (and the ensuing depression), cheese and cappuchino in Paris, becoming a slumlord and other various experiences in my life.