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What’s the point of this blog?
When Mrs. G and I first began this blog over four years ago, it was a clear-cut personal finance blog. Mrs. G and I got our financial act together rather late in life (mid-40s), and we thought our quest for financial independence was an interesting story.
But since that fateful day in August of 2015 when we clicked the publish button of our first post, things have changed.
For starters, we’re bored. Personal finance just doesn’t capture our imagination like it once did. Write a bunch of posts imploring people to spend less than they earn and invest the difference in VTSAX and eventually the thought of writing another one is enough to induce the gag reflex.
And then there’s the impact angle. What value are we bringing to the personal-finance community? Are we saying anything that hasn’t already been said? Is our “story” in any way compelling?
The sad truth of the matter is that we’re not bringing any special value to the personal-finance community and our story is far from compelling. Any well-manicured ape can retire “early” when he or she lives in a low-cost state and his or her pension covers half of his or her living expenses.
So where do we go from here?
The blog isn’t going away. I need several outlets for my creative energies and this blog will be one of those outlets. But rather than bore you (and myself) with a lot of inane finance posts this year, I’m going to bore you with a lot of welding posts.
Check out the picture below. It’s a scrap-metal bison created by John Lopez. The man’s a freakin’ genius. And I want to create my version of a scrap-metal bison for Groovy Ranch.
My reason is simple. Mrs. Groovy loves Montana and I want to bring Montana to North Carolina for her. So I’m going to weld a scrap-metal bison and I’m going to build a mountain vista for its backdrop. This way, by the end of 2020, Mrs. Groovy and I can sit on our screened-in porch, peer out at the bison and mountains on the horizon while we’re slowly sipping our coffees, and imagine that we’ve been magically transported to the Flathead Valley.
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, here’s the 2020 Statement of Purpose for this blog.
- Write an occasional inane personal finance post.
- Write an occasional inane post that is unrelated to personal finance and will surely leave a number of my SJW friends reeling with the vapors.
- Chronicle the progress of my scrap-metal bison—which is tentatively named Becky Sue—on a weekly basis. And on that note, here’s a picture of the rolling platform I built for the Becky Sue build. The next step is to weld the scaffolding/skeleton for Becky Sue and attach it to this platform. Stay tuned, my friends. 2020 should be a very interesting year.
Hey Mr. G! Happy New Year to you and yours. Your welding project sounds great and I look forward to the pics of the progress along the way.
Glad you’re not giving up on the occasional FI posts. I like to remember that often it takes someone three times to receive an idea or message through varying media for it to sink in. Your posts resonate with readers in different ways than other bloggers and we all appreciate that!
Mr. P2F recently posted…Happy New Year!
Thank you, Mr. P2F. And Happy New Year to you and yours too. It’s comments like yours that keep me going. My resolution for this year was to a better opener of soda can cartons. But now I think my resolution is to be the Ricky Gervais of financial blogging. How’s that for an ambitious goal? Should make for an interesting year.
I love your blog and I hope you will continue it. I’d enjoy seeing “in progress” pictures of your bison as you are creating it.
Don’t worry about the SJWs. They will always be around. Hopefully they have no interest in welding!
“Don’t worry about the SJWs. They will always be around. Hopefully they have no interest in welding!”
Haha! I love it. Yep, SJWs are great at storming a dean’s office. Not so great at doing something hard and messy like welding. Love the way your mind works, my friend. Cheers.
Hi, while I understand the lack of enthusiasm to keep churning out financial pieces, please do not underestimate the value of your writing. I often discuss your pieces with my daughters as you have the courage to raise topics and unequivocally state views which may not be popular – even if based in common sense. Keep evolving but please keep writing. Cheers
Thank you, Danielle. Your kind words are music to my tormented soul. And don’t worry. This blog isn’t going away. Someone’s got to keep rattling the cage.
I always heard bison were dangerous and temperamental. This year we rode our RZR on a trail system that had a lot of bison on it, they were gentler than your average Hereford cow. And ridiculously lazy. You’d have a hard time finding one standing up to use as a model. I just thought I’d impart my one true bison story for inspiration Mr. G. And as an older reader, I never get tired of your posts. The next morning when I get up I’ve already forgotten everything that happened the day before!
“And as an older reader, I never get tired of your posts. The next morning when I get up I’ve already forgotten everything that happened the day before!”
Made my day, Steveark. Thank you for your kind words, and thank you for your bison insights. Who knew the regal bison was such a desultory model.
you’re right about the world not needing another “how to” finance post. i can’t write that beginner level stuff as it’s already been done better and more comprehensively than this lazy dude is willing to compete with. i look forward to seeing the bison in progress. i’ll continue to write a little malevolent missy investment series to see if she can beat the index AND if the superior qqq index beats the vtsax.
rock on, groovies.
freddy smidlap recently posted…A Night Out in Vermont
“i’ll continue to write a little malevolent missy investment series to see if she can beat the index AND if the superior qqq index beats the vtsax.”
This is a perfect example of why I’ve lost my enthusiasm for finance posts. Bloggers like yourself do it so much better!
What’s the point of this blog?
I just enjoy reading what you have to say. Everything that needs to be said has probably already been said but I think that’s ok. Because the Bible pretty much covers all possible stories, but that didn’t stop Mr. Dickens 🙂
You’re too kind, gofi. But I’ve learned to accept all superlatives without complaint. Cheers, my friend.
I look forward to watching the “birth” of Betty Sue, a great test of your developing welding talents! I’ve been considering a post on my project to convert an enclosed trailer, you just convinced me it’s worthy of a post.
Life IS about much more than money, after all!
Yes, please write about that conversion project. I think once a FIRE blogger reaches retirement, his or her blog should naturally shift to a lifestyle blog. As you so eloquently put it, the key to a successful retirement is to “retire to something.” And reading how a FIRE person actually lives his or her retirement has got to be inspiring. Cheers, my friend.
Hi Mr Groovy. Happy New Decade, got ya on the burnout totally understand. Love your blog and look forward to new post on whatever. You have a fine mind and when you feel like you have something to say I want to hear it!!
Regards!!
Thank you, Art. I really appreciate your kind words. Hope you have a kick-ass decade as well. Cheers.
The new welding endeavor sounds interesting.
I hit the blogging wall myself in early 2019. A series of local commitments that diverted my attention was the catalyst and I have never gotten back into a consistent groove.
I hear ya, my friend. That blogging wall is incredibly patient. And it always wins in the end. But maybe my bison project is a sign that you should keep shouldering on. After all, a lot of people refer to a bison as a buffalo and your site is the Money Buffalo!
I love it!
Gotta say I’m biased, having grown up as a Becky Sue! Of course, the only people who call me that these days are my mother and my cousins, but I still answer to it.
I can understand the fatigue with posting about the personal finance. It’s something to get very excited about when you first realize that it’s possible, but then you just “set it and forget it.”
The welding project looks ambitious but very cool. My husband has welding equipment that he intends to learn to use, especially after retirement. I sent him your first blog about welding, then sent him some of your more “political “ posts. Now he subscribes as well!
Thank you for your kind words, Becky Sue. I really appreciate it. And I am to do your name proud. Hopefully, the welding gods will smile upon me for this project. Cheers.