sounds like a decent plan, Abacus.
Yes, save more, travel cheap.
We have been saving/investing for 12 years, since our kid was born. Up and down market is meaningless. We are very happy now that we bit the bullet a decade ago. We travel a lot now and even though we do, that snowball of investment money is still there growing and growing.
btw, getting the advanced degree is a very smart move. 
Life is not hard. It’s fun and the answers to your problems are usually very easy to figure out. 
Yes, save more, travel cheap.
We have been saving/investing for 12 years, since our kid was born. Up and down market is meaningless. We are very happy now that we bit the bullet a decade ago. We travel a lot now and even though we do, that snowball of investment money is still there growing and growing.
btw, getting the advanced degree is a very smart move.
Life is not hard. It’s fun and the answers to your problems are usually very easy to figure out. [/quote]
I let my first snowball melt… but it was fun…
Getting a teaching degree was always the plan but it would have been two years (essentially now) before I started my first teaching job. And I was poor at the time and wanted to travel while working. And I’m going to be in a lot better shape financially and personally.
[quote=“Abacus”]
I let my first snowball melt… but it was fun…
Getting a teaching degree was always the plan but it would have been two years (essentially now) before I started my first teaching job. And I was poor at the time and wanted to travel while working. And I’m going to be in a lot better shape financially and personally.[/quote]
The first ones always are. 
My wife and blew 5000USD on a vacation before our son was around. It was great. Young stupid fun.
But when you get serious, STAY serious. Believe me, it pays off in the long run. I hate hearing train wreck stories of foreigners in Taiwan who have been here for a decade or more and have nothing to show for it. wtf?
SO where you going for 6 months? 
[quote=“jdsmith”]
SO where you going for 6 months? [/quote]
Beginning in July (unknown year) to take advantage of the 180 day tax rule and for optimal weather I will briefly go to China (<1mo). And then probably take the train to Tibet (1mo) before heading to Nepal (2mos) to India (maybe 1mo heading to the airport) with a couple week stopover in Europe on the way home. I would like to do the whole trip by ground transport (a different feel for the country although a little uncomfortable) until flying to Europe. but border crossings can be a bitch esp if it’s a Chinese border. And the plan is always subject to change.
Alternate route is Beijing to Mongolia (1+mo) to Lake Baikal (1+mo) and then across Russia on the train. And just keep going until I hit Europe. but Tibet/Nepal is my dream.
I dig the plan Abacus and like the idea of travel overland, etc. I have my eyes on something similar.
But, I must say that I am getting weary of making plans for myself that don’t work out because I keep spunking my money here and there! I just got another bike and a new computer 40k :discodance:
I’d like to make a 6 month savings plan, starting now, never mind a 6 month travel plan starting who knows when! U up for it?
Give half to my brother (convert it first)
Pay my student loans
Give to a charity around here
And then I dont know what with the rest.
Don’t know if there would be much left over after that.
Edit: I just converted it and realize its only $16,000usd or so.
So instead I’d give half to my brother, give 1/4 to a local charity, and the rest to my student loans (which would equal about 4,500usd.
Not much money.
May I ask why you’d give half to your brother?
He’s a year younger, same situation/bills to pay, works as hard, just graduated.
I’m more perplexed as to why anyone would give it to a charity.
Especially with debts hanging over one’s head. The poor giving to the poor, basically.
Especially with debts hanging over one’s head. The poor giving to the poor, basically.[/quote]
I’m not poor, all kidding aside. I’m pretty fortunate. Educated, white, no major ailments. I can work just fine.
I was given the opportunity to get an education- student loan debt is significant of opportunity, not poverty.
Why wouldn’t someone give a few thousand (if they basically just came upon it for no good reason and didn’t absolutely need it) to orphans or abused kids or something like that?
So they could save for their retirement or their own (future) kids’ education.
Also … it isn’t possible to give money to orphans or abused kids, and it wouldn’t change their status as orphans or abused kids even if you could. I grew up poor too, and I noticed (a) that “poor” is at least 50% in your head and (b) money can fix a lot of things, but not everything. If you had 500K and wanted to do something “good” with it, far better to invest it in some social enterprise which will use it to create a larger benefit. Just off the top of my head: there are some businesses which buy/lease forest land in fucked-up countries like Indonesia and operate the land as an agroforestry business. Several effects: removes a small slice of political and economic power from the oil-palm concerns who would otherwise appropriate it, prevents loss of habitat for endangered species, prevents loss of a carbon sink, provides local jobs, and showcases a viable business model for more intelligent forest management. 500K will pay for an orphan to remain in an orphanage for a year; invested in a company of that kind, it may provide a livelihood for 10-20 people.
finley: Indeed. Foreign aid and charities have generally not alleviated poverty in most parts of the world precisely because they don’t address the underlying concerns and create, and maintain, dependency.
Yeah, that’s the kind of thing I was thinking of. The good thing about kiva is that they expect recipients to actually have a sensible business plan and to pay the money back. It’s not charity: it’s a helping hand. 500K would sponsor (I would guess) 10 small business loans and you’d probably get most your cash back. If you were lucky you might even make some interest (doubtful, but possible). These aren’t high-risk ventures, so two or three would probably go on to make a good living, maybe five would roll along with a modest income, and a couple would fail … basically, you’ve done a lot of good, and everybody wins (more or less).
Yeah, that’s the kind of thing I was thinking of. The good thing about kiva is that they expect recipients to actually have a sensible business plan and to pay the money back. It’s not charity: it’s a helping hand. 500K would sponsor (I would guess) 10 small business loans and you’d probably get most your cash back. If you were lucky you might even make some interest (doubtful, but possible). These aren’t high-risk ventures, so two or three would probably go on to make a good living, maybe five would roll along with a modest income, and a couple would fail … basically, you’ve done a lot of good, and everybody wins (more or less).[/quote]
You won’t make any interest on Kiva.
I’ve made, ie loaned, been paid back, and reloaned maybe 10 times in the past few years. I was only stiffed once, but that cut down on my overall loan capability.
Also, Kiva loans are 25$ a pop, if I recall correctly.
Some interesting stats here:
kiva.org/about/stats
Percentage of Kiva loans which have been made to women entrepreneurs: 80.98%
As others working in microfinancing have found out, lending money (predominantly) to women is a sure way to get good overall results.
[quote=“jdsmith”]
Kiva.org does good stuff…[/quote]
Thanks for that Mr. I had never heard of them before.