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Freedom Is Groovy celebrated another birthday this past weekend. Mr. Groovy published his very first post three years ago. While it feels like we began this blog yesterday, it also feels like we’ve known so many of you for our entire lives. We’re very grateful to you—our readers, and our friends in the community. Before I share a few highlights from the past three years and update you on Groovy Ranch, though, I have a favor to ask.
I Need a Few Good Men and Women
I need your help. I’m forming a small launch team to get Mr. Groovy’s book, The Groovy Guide to Financial Independence (aka his “opus”) off the ground. It goes on sale next month on Amazon, and as the Groovy Marketing Director, I’m not ashamed to admit that I need assistance.
I know you’ve got lives, jobs, children, hobbies, etc., and I realize time is a valuable resource. So I don’t want to take up too much of it. But there are small ways you can help to make a huge difference. Such as…
Right Now
- Share this link to our subscriber form.
- Help with proofreading. Did I mention I’m also the Groovy Editor of the opus? If you have time to read a chapter and check for errors, please let me know. MarciaB who blogs over at baggypop.com has already reached out to us with errors in chapter one. Thank you, MarciaB!
After the Book Publishes (Target Date, September 10th)
- Share a link to the book through your social media channels and subscriber list.
- Write a review of the book on your blog.
- Purchase the book for .99 cents and leave a review on Amazon. The sale price will remain at .99 cents for at least two weeks and early reviews are important to the success of the book—especially verified reviews written by readers who have purchased it.
- Recommend Mr. Groovy as a guest on podcasts.
I’ll come up with more ideas of ways in which you can help as we get closer to the publishing date. No effort or gesture is too small, and it won’t go unnoticed. We appreciate all the help we can get.
Please leave a comment here or email me directly at [email protected] if you can help. And thank you in advance, from both me and Mr. Groovy. Your support means the world to us.
Now, on to Groovy Ranch!
This Week at Groovy Ranch
The siding is going up. Below you can see that Groovy Ranch is currently yellow. That’s because Hardie plank siding is yellow by default. The house and garage will be painted white later on.
We met with Terry’s son Jeremy last week. Jeremy’s handling our cabinetry and his work is solid. During our due diligence phase, we saw his cabinets in another house Terry was building. Like his brother Cameron, Jeremy’s a great guy.
Jeremy put markings on the floor of the house weeks ago to delineate where appliances, cabinetry, kitchen island, vanities, toilets, and sinks go. We did a walk through with Jeremy to get a sense of cabinet configurations—we need to consider drawers, pull cabinets, pull-out trash bin, and making use of the island.
We took the next step this week and paid a visit to a kitchen and bath counter top showroom Jeremy works with. We picked out several options for pricing counter tops and sinks. Kim, the woman who helped us, was very knowledgeable about surfaces, edges, sinks, and combining colors. She gave us samples to take with us when we reconvene with Jeremy this week to finalize cabinet decisions. We don’t need to decide on the counter tops just yet—Kim wants us to go to the showroom’s nearby quarry and see the actual slabs.
Now, onto the blog!
Blogiversary Milestones
Building Groovy Ranch Series
Counting this post we’ve published 30 updates about our house build in Louisburg, NC. We hope we’ve inspired those of you who are considering building a home. Before we began the build we found very few first hand accounts from people who have been through the process—we hope we’ve shed some light on what’s involved.
RockStar Finance Featured Posts
RockStar Finance has featured more than fifteen of our posts—mostly written by Mr. Groovy, but I’ve penned a few. Here are several we’re very proud of:
- Hannibal Lechter Guide to Personal Finance
- FI Gothic
- Ten Unusual Signs You’re Kicking Butt Financially
- Six Ways to Become an Opportunity Slut
- The 10 Things You Need to Do Daily to Become Financially Independent
- I’m So Boring, Drying Paint would Yawn at Me
Our Favorite Posts
In addition to the above, out of nearly 300 published posts, the following stand out:
- Egotrage: Taking a Step Back Socially to Advance Two Steps Financially
- How Saving for Retirement Is Like Removing Dingleberries from Your Ass
- The Groovy Guide to Having a Great Marriage
- Six Horrifying Truths No one Tells You about Retirement
- A Sweet Transvestite’s Guide to Personal Finance
- Geoarbitrage and Financial Independence
- How to Become a Financial Stud Overnight
Podcast Appearances
Mr. Groovy’s had a seat at the round table on Stacking Benjamins—and he’s scheduled for a visit to the basement to discuss his book. He’s also been on Radical Personal Finance, Choose FI, Chain of Wealth, and Countdown to FI—twice. I joined him for his second appearance with Mr. and Mrs. CTF, along with the Wows, and My Son’s Father and Mother. That’s one for the books.
Etsy Store
Mr. Groovy has a knack for coming up with sayings, titles, and concepts. So we thought we’d capitalize on his flair for the written word and open the Freedom Is Groovy Shop on Etsy. It features T-shirts and coffee mugs emblazoned with his infamous lines. Thank you to all four (hey, it’s a start!) of our purchasers—Claudia Pennington, Ty Roberts, Mr. SSC, and someone else who may not wish to be named. The bar to entry is very low for selling on Etsy. We hope to expand on our efforts in the future when we can focus on selling more.
Talking Trash with Mr. Groovy
Mr. Groovy has had loads of fun with his Talking Trash series on our YouTube channel. If you’ve been following our blog you know I’ve joined him in several of the talks. We’ve also had guest appearances from other bloggers such as Fritz from The Retirement Manifesto, Jillian from Montana Money Adventures, JW from The Green Swan blog, Claudia and Garrett from Two Cup House, Mr. and Mrs. Wow from Waffles on Wednesday—the first and only remote trash talkers (thanks to Mr. Wow’s skills and teaching ability)—and we’ve even featured my brother.
Final Thoughts
Mr. Groovy started Freedom Is Groovy a year before we retired. I’ll never forget the day he told me he wanted to buy the domain name and start a website. He was expecting push back but I was like—have at it! He always enjoyed writing and I wanted to let him do his thing. Then I became intrigued and next thing we know, we’re working on the blog together. We thought we’d enjoy sharing a hobby that would carry us right on through to retirement. And here we are, done with “mandatory toil” (sucky jobs) for almost two years, and blogging for three years. Being part of the personal finance community has made us feel useful and young. Mr. Groovy and I thank each one of you for joining us on our Groovy Ride. It’s been a blast.
Hello Mr. Groovy,
I don’t post much but I am an avid reader and love your blog. Looking forward to you book! I would be happy to proofread a chapter or two for you, as typos are kind of a pet peeve of mine. Let me know how I can help.
Thanks, for the kind words Kelly! Awesome of you to offer to help. We’ll be in touch soon.
I read your first chapter and really enjoyed it,I think it’s gonna do really well!
Thanks form the both of us, AF!
Happy to help with proofreading – it’s kind of what I do for a living. (English teacher.) Speeling and punktuation nistakes tend to leap out at me.
🙂
Frogdancer Jones recently posted…How boredom spawned a side hustle.
Yeah, bad nistakes get on my noives.
I’ll definitely reach out to you soon. Thanks for the offer.
Congrats on all the progress so far in every aspect. Definitely going to help promote the upcoming book.
We have Hardie board on our house too with the yellow primer. A person said we chose a great exterior color. So, we all had a good laugh when we told them that’s the factory color and we still needed to add paint.
Josh recently posted…Avoid These 7 Money Traps to Escape the Struggling Middle Class
Thanks, Josh. We appreciate your help.
Too funny about your experience with Hardie board. There must be a reason why it’s manufactured yellow.
We needed to take a ride back to Charlotte this week and we took a different route. We were tickled to pass Triangle Brick, which is the manufacturer of our brick.
I have no clue why it’s yellow. Another brand is grey (I think its Certainteed that our neighbor has).
It is neat driving by the different factories. Our OSB for our frame was made on our daughter’s birthday.
We also live near where they make Hunt’s Ketchup and another facility where they can Bush’s Beans. Nothing glamorous but it’s cool to say you know where the cannery is.
well done. i can smell good people a mile away and appreciate your help and support for a new guy at this. now i gotta go read you chapter. i’m looking forward to buying the book when it comes out. all the best of luck going forward.
freddy smidlap recently posted…The World Says I Should Want That? I Don’t
Awww, thanks Freddy. BTW I don’t know why WordPress likes to send your comments to moderation. Sorry about that! We’ve really enjoyed interacting with you.
Congrats on 3 years! Love reading your blog and following along on your journey. Looking forward to the book, and I’ll definitely share it across my social channels to help get the word out a small bit more 🙂
Thanks, Matt. We appreciate your support. I hope you enjoy the book.
Congratulations on 3 yrs. That is quite an achievement and kudos for doing it in a totally groovy way.
I am a relative new audience member having just discovered you recently but I love your writing style and absolutely love how you respond to comments.
My blog just hit 4 months so I got a ways to go but it makes me realize even more what an impressive feat you have achieved.
Hoping I have enough content to get me to 3 yrs.
Congrats again
Thank you Xrayvsn. Your kind words are appreciated. Mr. Groovy is an idea machine. He never runs out of ways to find a new slant on common money topics.
Congrats on your blogiversary and all these accomplishments!! I’d be happy to help with the book launch. I can buy a copy and write a review, and if you need help with proofreading, I can volunteer the services of my proofreader/wife.
What an exciting time for you guys with all this going on…you’re unstoppable!
Gary @ Super Saving Tips recently posted…How I Saved $148.21 Shopping Today
Thank you Gary! And thanks for offering your help and Suzanne’s. I know she’s a great proofreader because your blog is impeccable.
Lots to celebrate! Congrats to the Groovies! Happy 3rd anniversary! Let me know how I can help promote my former fellow Long Islanders upcoming book!
Brian recently posted…What I learned in Five Years of Blogging
Thanks Brian! And thanks for the offer. I’ll be in touch.
Wowza! Congrats to you guys on … well, everything! 🙂
Thank you!
So I saw your newsletter but didn’t get over to your blog yet. But did I read the first paragraph right? You’re giving the heave-ho to the regular job? Congratulations!
I read through chapter 1 and it is really good. Although I don’t consider myself a financial moron, I love the dedication to those who can really use the book. Being honorable is a noteworthy way to start. I think you both are very honorable. Hat’s off to you on year 3, and all that you have accomplished in that time!
I’m willing to be of help if I can, but we are planning on doing a bit of traveling at that time. If we have wifi, I’ll be happy to purchase and do an Amazon review. I’ve actually never done one before. Time to start.
Thank you so much for the kind words. You’ve been a great supporter.
Mr. Groovy is a proponent of honor and feels it’s often missing. Have you seen, heard, or read Jordan Peterson? He’s going to be speaking in Durham, NC but the cheapest ticket is $75. That’s a bit steep to hear someone talk, especially when many of his live talks are on YouTube.
Congrats all around. You guys have tons going on and its exciting. Per usual, let us know if there’s anyway we can help and were on it!
Thank you. You guys are great.
Congrats on 3 years and all this other great stuff! So happy to call you both friends. I hope you know you can count on me (and Vicki) to help with proofing, reviewing, marketing, and whatever else you might come up with.
Really looking forward to more details and pics of the kitchen!
Thanks, Amy. You and Vicki are such pillars of the community. We appreciate your help!
I’ll be happy to offer proofreading assistance and take part in the launch team! I’m actually trying to get a proofreading business off the ground, and I’d sure appreciate a review if you’re happy with my services.
Thanks, Lisa. I appreciate the offer!
Wow so much congratulations on the book, the blog, the house…everything! I’ll do what I can to help! Not sure I’m the best person to proofread a chapter since I’m so distracted with this move, but will promote it for sure!
Thanks, Tonya. Good luck with the move. I’m thinking you’re going to love Boise.
You guys are killing it! Lots of good things going on. I will def be buying and reviewing the book but would probably make a terrible proof reader. Nice work on the house too. We are out of the house building game. Last week was brutal but with decisions now made we can move on with life. More to follow!
Thanks, DDD.
I was wondering whether you’d move into the house after your previous post about having second thoughts. Looking forward to hearing more but at least you’re over the hump.
Rounding the corner on almost 300 posts – wow! Who knew there was so much to say about living below your means and not being a moron about money?! You get a big thanks from me for not having spammy distracting ads clogging up your site; it heightens the pleasure of reading your work.
Thanks, Marcia. We’re recovering morons so there’s always something else to say.
Yeah, we’re not into ads. We’re not against making money and in fact, if we were big enough to join the Mediavine network, we would because they’re a bit less invasive about it.
Congratulations you guys! Has it really been 3 years already? It’s so crazy how time is flying. We’ve loved reading your posts and can’t wait to read the book! You guys have always kicked butt in the blogging area. 300 posts! Maybe you could rub off some more of that blogging energy to us? Haha! Good luck with the Groovy Ranch. It’s looking awesome. We’ll be watching. 😀
Mr. Saturday @ Seeking Saturdays recently posted…Our Best Tips for a Happy Life
Thanks Mr. Saturday. Mr. Groovy is the one with the blogging energy. He never runs out of ideas. I need a kick in the pants to get inspired sometimes.
Cheers to 3 years, 300 hundred posts, Rockstar Mentions, the Etsy store, the house, and the book. You guys are simply killing it right now. Those are all huge accomplishments. The Mr and I would be more than happy to help with editing and whatever else you may need.
Thanks, Mrs. Wow! I’ll definitely take you up on your offer. With the house build and the second move it’s taken effort to stay on top of readying the book. You know, the delicate genius ONLY has to write!
Congrats on the blogging milestone! Woohoo, 3 years!!
Groovy Ranch is coming along nicely.
I’m happy to help with editing or whatever you need with your book. Just send over whatever you want, if you want some help editing.
Mr. SSC recently posted…Real Estate Negotiations Suck…
Thanks, Mr. SSC. We appreciate the help so much.
Groovy Ranch is moving along. I hear the process slows down with the interior work but it looks like we’ve got a shot at the house being ready in October.
Congratulations on 3 years worth of posts! What an amazing blogging accomplishment, and I know you both will continue providing great content for years to come:)
Also…
BIG THANK YOU FOR POSTING THOSE ROCKSTAR ARTICLES YOU WERE FEATURED IN!!!
I am going to be reading them all today:)
Thank you so much. And thanks for your email. I’ll be replying shortly.
I hope you enjoy the Rockstar posts. It’s a real honor to be featured.
Can’t wait to read the book! Have to make sure my kindle is ready to go 😀
Pretty sure your house is going to get done before my basement remodel :S
Congratulations on the blogiversary!
Budget On A Stick recently posted…Are You A Frugal Realist?
Thanks, BOAS! There’s a free Kindle app BTW.
Good luck with that remodel. It’s stressful to have work done while you’re living in the space.
So happy for you guys – on all fronts!! I will for sure buy the book and leave a review. And share wherever I can. Huge congrats to you guys – you’re kicking it!! xoxo
Thanks, Laurie. You’re the best. You’ve been such a great supporter and friend.
I’ve been looking through your rich history of blogging.
You’ve put a lot of effort and importantly a lot of personality into your work.
I like the ETSY shop by the way – FI-CURIOUS is a very funny expression – much better than being BUY-CURIOUS and cheaper too!
Thank you Mr. GFF!
You may have given us the makings of another T-shirt.
Hey Mrs. G! Happy to help with editing and marketing the Groovy Guide to FI! Feel free – really – to send anything my way! And congrats on all you’ve done in all areas. There’s nothing easy about the projects you two have taken on. You’ll get to reap the rewards very soon!
Thank you Vicki! We’re looking forward to having less to do. This retirement thing is tough, huh?
I’ll be sending you something shortly. Getting your help is like hitting the jackpot. Who better than a school principal to review one’s writing? (Did I spell principal correctly?)