About

Who am I and why am I starting this blog?

I am in my early 30s, married to my wonderful wife of almost 5 years.  We live in one of the highest cost of living areas in the world: New York City (well we live in Queens and while many Manhattanites don’t consider the outer-boroughs to be a part of the city…it is!).  Right now, we are renting, trying to save for a house and oh yea…my wife is pregnant =)

I was always good with my finances and have been very interested in saving and investing at a young age.  But, now with a baby on the way and our plan to become a one income family in this expensive city, I wanted to become more focused and organized with my financial matters.  I think the blog creates a journal for myself, keeping me accountable, and tracking my progress.

Update
My wife gave birth to an adorable baby boy in dramatic fashion as you can read about here. We had planned to be a one-income family, but a few weeks after our son was born, my wife was presented with a job opportunity that she took.

How did I become frugal?

It seems like many personal finance blogs start with someone who gets into a lot of debt and then learns the error of their spendthrift ways after hitting rock bottom.  As for me, I think I may have been born with a frugal gene or perhaps frugality has been ingrained in my head at a young age.

Purpose of the blog:

I want to share tips on how to make it in any expensive area like New York City.  People say that if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.  I hope to provide valuable information on how to save money diligently while spending money smartly.  Truly, I want to have my cake and eat it.

 

18 thoughts on “About

  1. Pingback: Opportunity Knocks: A Two-Income Family | Living Rich Cheaply

  2. Sam

    Took the 7 train six times this summer to the US Open and loves it!

    NYC is so great. If you can save money living in Queens more power to ya.

    Best,

    Sam

    Reply
    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      The 7 train passes by some very diverse neighborhoods. It’s also great that a lot of it is elevated so you get to see the neighborhoods. I went to the US Open once, but in the opening rounds with cheap tickets. It was really hot though. I think the weather was better this summer. Queens isn’t too bad!

      Reply
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  4. theFIREstarter

    I love NYC! Although never ventured beyond Manhattan and Brooklyn. Next time…

    I think you are the first frugal blogger I have found that is actually living in a high cost area so will be great to see how you handle your expenses.

    What is your day job if you don’t mind me asking?
    theFIREstarter recently posted…My Perfect Work DayMy Profile

    Reply
    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      That was one of the reasons I wanted to start a blog…because I couldn’t find any frugal bloggers in NYC. Well there are a few, but none that I know of who are married and have kids. My day job…I am an attorney. Many seem to assume that this means I’m rolling in money but that’s not true for everyone in the profession…especially since I work in government and have a large amount of student loans. I just checked out your blog…pretty ambitious goal you have for early retirement!

      Reply
      1. Andy @ theFIREstarter.co.uk

        Sorry for the delayed reply and thanks for answering my question!

        Yes I can imagine that everyone thinks you are loaded when they hear that, I know I probably would, we shouldn’t have such preconceptions but it’s hard not to sometimes.

        Same reason I started a blog! Couldn’t really find any UK bloggers in my exact situation. The only real ER blog I could find was Simple Living in Suffolk – great blog but the guy who writes it is already retired and much older than I… so it’s hard to relate to his situation. I am starting to connect with others now though which is great even though most are across the pond. I will find some UK people soon no doubt. Cheers again and all the best!
        Andy @ theFIREstarter.co.uk recently posted…Stop unwarranted junk mailMy Profile

        Reply
        1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

          I’m sure you will find more bloggers in a similar situation once you’ve been around awhile…I certainly have. I just wrote a post about preconceptions!

          Reply
  5. EL @ Moneywatch101

    I think there is a few other bloggers living in NYC, they just do not make it public what specific area. I am a tri-state neighbor, NJ to be specific. I go in to NYC about 1-3 times a month. I have been blogging for about 2 years now, but staying under the radar. Good luck.
    EL @ Moneywatch101 recently posted…What are my values?My Profile

    Reply
    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      Yea, I’ve noticed a couple of bloggers in the NYC area since I started blogging. Though I haven’t found too many raising a family here too. Thanks EL! Good luck to you as well.

      Reply
  6. Pingback: Do You Judge Someone’s Financial Worth By The Cover? | Living Rich Cheaply

  7. Broke Millennial

    One thing that’s unique about us NYC-based personal finance bloggers that were some of the only PF bloggers who aren’t married with kids. The PF community is dominated by those who are married and/or raising a family, so it seems we’re quite a unique set. I’m also living in Queens (Astoria) but work in Manhattan. You are certainly bringing in a unique perspective by raising a family in NYC.
    Broke Millennial recently posted…How Bad Moves on Social Media Could Damage Your Credit ScoreMy Profile

    Reply
    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      Yea sometimes I wonder whether raising a family in NYC will be possible. However, I’m a native New Yorker so many of my friends and family are here. My wife’s parents are here too. So while my wife and I sometimes wonder how it would be like to move to a lower cost of living area, we probably won’t move. Do you plan on staying here and starting a family in the future? Or too soon to decide that?

      Reply
  8. Dfox

    Hi,

    Just found your site. Well, I’m a brand new blogger who is living in Manhattan and raising a family. Yes, it can be done!

    –Dfox
    FrugalLivingNYC.blogspot.com

    Reply
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