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Friday Gratitude: Bikes and Beer

June 2, 2017 by Mr. 1500 Days 37 Comments

I didn’t know what to expect when I started blogging. I just did it because I enjoyed writing and wanted to keep myself publicly accountable. The most fun part though has been meeting like-minded folks from all over the world. As the blog has grown, my circle of friends has grown too. And it is good.

 

Biking and Beering

Mrs. 1500 and I met up with the Penny Planters and Income Surfer recently for the Berkshire Hathaway meeting. In between Buffett and peanut brittle, we messed around on the beach.

I visited Jim Collins in Wisconsin where I enjoyed his wife’s excellent cooking and then more beach:

This week, we visited with the Physician on Fire and there was no beach, but there was beer:

PoF’s beer operation

And biking:

And more beer*:

More biking (off-road variety this time):

And guess what happened next*:

Frugal Friends

And there are so many others. Along the way, I’ve crossed paths with the Frugalwoods, Mad Fientist, Even Stevie, J Money, Go With Less, Kythesis, Debt Free Guys, Wealthy Accountant, Frugal Fringe, Michael, Our Next Life, Alexi and Brad. I realize that I’m missing loads of other great bloggers, but remember that I’m under the influence of beer right now. Blame the PoF:

NOTE: A reader expressed concern for my liver after seeing these pictures. We didn’t drink this much. These were empties that PoF has accumulated over the years that he uses to decorate his mini man-cave.

And I’d be a jerk if I didn’t mention all of the great readers who I’ve crossed paths with. So many great people and so much fun.

I’m thankful for each and every one. The people who I’ve met through the blog are my people. Especially when they enjoy bikes and beer.

 

*No need to fret for our livers. We spaced it out and we burned far more calories biking than we consumed beering.

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Filed Under: Something Completely Different Tagged With: beer, frugal friends, Physician on Fire

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mustard Seed Money says

    June 2, 2017 at 4:10 am

    Wow between beer and visiting friends you are really enjoying retirement. I can see how grateful you are. The adventures you have gone on are amazing so far and I can’t wait to see more.
    Mustard Seed Money recently posted…Please Stop Spoiling My KidMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 2, 2017 at 3:56 pm

      Life is really damn good right now.

      Reply
  2. Brian says

    June 2, 2017 at 6:11 am

    Happy Friday! Ah, wait isn’t every day like a Friday for you now? Looks like you’ve settled into this early retirement thing pretty well. When are you heading to the Northeast?
    Brian recently posted…Net Worth Update: May 2017My Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 2, 2017 at 3:57 pm

      End of July! We’ll be in NY the first week of August. See you then?

      Reply
  3. Mrs. Picky Pincher says

    June 2, 2017 at 6:33 am

    We’re thankful for your blog, Mr. 1500! Thanks for showing us your kickass FIRE adventures. 🙂 Ahhh, it’s my dream to one day have a beer selection like PoF. Mmmm. That Russian imperial stout has me wanting a damn beer at 8 in the morning. 🙂
    Mrs. Picky Pincher recently posted…The Picky Pinchers May Budget ReportMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 2, 2017 at 3:58 pm

      Awwwe, thanks so much Mrs. PP. If you like good beers, I’m taking a certain Dark Lord (google it) to FinCon. Sharing is caring.

      Reply
  4. Full Time Finance says

    June 2, 2017 at 6:42 am

    Have you started to have time remembering what day of the week it is yet?

    Nothing beats nature and beer for a good week.
    Full Time Finance recently posted…Why You Should Never Buy an AnnuityMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 2, 2017 at 3:59 pm

      This was always an issue for me, even when I was working. On most days, I have no clue without thinking for a bit. Now that the girls are out of school, it’s much, much worse.

      Reply
  5. Kyle says

    June 2, 2017 at 7:30 am

    That’s a good motivating reason for me to get my blog posts back rolling, for the people you meet along the way.
    Damn, PoF is brewing some serious beers, I’ll have to pay a visit and commandeer some of his beers. I don’t drink enough or have enough people to help drink that many beers on tap.
    I’m slowly nailing down Toppling Goliath style Pale Ales and IPA’s. I think I figured out what yeast to go for to up my game next, turns out there’s a few hard to find yeast strains that make hop flavors pop. I also have a different method of hop addition that I haven’t seen anyone do. It’s working out really well, I’m sure someone somewhere has done it.

    Reply
    • Physician on FIRE says

      June 2, 2017 at 11:23 am

      “I’m slowly nailing down Toppling Goliath style Pale Ales and IPA’s.” – Nice! I’m sure you noticed the King Sue, Double Dry Hopped and Mosaic Pseudo Sues in the collection. Great stuff!

      Out of laziness, I’ve mostly used Safale US-05, but I picked up some Omega British Ale V that is said to be good for NE style hazy IPAs. We’ll find out soon.

      Let me know if you ever make it up north. Always happy to share beers with new friends.

      Cheers!
      -PoF

      Reply
      • Mr. 1500 Days says

        June 2, 2017 at 4:01 pm

        “Always happy to share beers with new friends.”

        My liver can attest to this:

        Hey liver, what do you say? Liver? You still there little buddy? Hello?

        Reply
      • Kyle says

        June 6, 2017 at 7:19 am

        US-05 has been my go to for pale ales and IPA’s lately, but I’m planning on giving Omega OYL-052 DIPA Ale yeast a try. Ritebrew.com has been my home brew source for a couple years, great prices and local. Are you up by the twin cities?

        Reply
  6. Financial Velociraptor says

    June 2, 2017 at 9:22 am

    I loved this!

    I have the equipment to brew my own beer but just never seem to get around to it. Which is inexcusable since I have all the time in the world since going FIRE. Enjoy one for me!

    Reply
  7. Mrs.Wow says

    June 2, 2017 at 9:30 am

    Beaches, bikes and beer… what else do you need?

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 2, 2017 at 4:02 pm

      Life ain’t bad.

      Reply
  8. Steven says

    June 2, 2017 at 10:51 am

    Finally something I can relate to on this blog! My Acura NSX collection is severely lacking.

    Beer is great and so are bikes. The wife (who just bought a new bike) and I were able to bike down to FFF Memorial Weekend and able to try some great beer and food! Also just got some beer in the mail, a maple bacon coffee porter that I might try and go all fancy pants and pair with something. I’m more of an American Pale Ale guy but just those combinations got me.

    Cheers to you and your adventures in FI!

    Reply
  9. Friendly Russian says

    June 2, 2017 at 11:53 am

    Nice! Beaches, bikes, beer and good, likeminded people. What else do you need? Maybe a good motorcycle ride 😉
    Friendly Russian recently posted…First paycheck in the StatesMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Ramana says

    June 2, 2017 at 1:09 pm

    Hey,
    I often come back to couple of yours posts that I like and at times I had to google to find the right post :). Just wondering if you could please incorporate the search widget into the blog if it isn’t too much to ask?

    Thanks again for all the great posts !!

    Reply
  11. Noonan Moose says

    June 2, 2017 at 1:19 pm

    I’m grateful too for having met you and the Mrs. and the rest of your great family!

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 2, 2017 at 3:53 pm

      Oh man, thanks so much for the kind comment Noonan. And right back at ya’! I hope we get to that bike ride before you head east…

      Reply
  12. Physician on FIRE says

    June 2, 2017 at 1:41 pm

    I’m grateful to have friends stop by for a visit. And for bikes, beer, and sunshine.

    We thoroughly enjoyed your family’s visit, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon!

    Keep enjoying that permanent vacation!
    -PoF

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 2, 2017 at 4:03 pm

      Right on! I need a vacation to recover from my vacation! Wait, you helped me there too. What have I done to deserve this treatment?

      Reply
  13. Josh says

    June 2, 2017 at 3:05 pm

    It was nice to meet you and Mrs 1500! I hope you guys have an excellent rest of your trip and it sounds like you have lots of other adventures planned. I want to sincerely thank you for the blog, it’s made a major difference in my life and in the lives of many of your other readers. I also hope you guys enjoy the mead I sent with you, and thanks for agreeing to ferry some to MMM!

    PS: I can confirm that PoF does brew excellent beer.

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 2, 2017 at 3:52 pm

      Josh, it was awesome meeting you as well! And thanks so much for the kind comments! I’m bright red right now.

      Please, please, please get a hold of us next time you make it to Colorado. Our place is your place. While I don’t brew great beer like PoF, Mrs. 1500 can cook her ass off!

      Reply
  14. Revanche @ A Gai Shan Life says

    June 2, 2017 at 3:08 pm

    You have really made the rounds! Thanks for continuing to share this part of your journey. I miss a lot of the old time bloggers who made it and stopped sharing that next stage of their lives, it’s awesome hearing the good stuff.
    Revanche @ A Gai Shan Life recently posted…Just a little (link) love: hedgehog boat editionMy Profile

    Reply
  15. Tawcan says

    June 2, 2017 at 4:13 pm

    I’m loving the fact you get to meet all these cool bloggers. That’s pretty awesome. You certainly are enjoying your post-work life. I have only met Jeremy & Winnie at Go Curry Cracker and Jay at FI Fighter so far. Was hoping to meet Justin in Raleigh next week but the schedule won’t work out. I’m certainly looking forward to meet as many bloggers as possible at FinCon.

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 2, 2017 at 6:29 pm

      That’s wonderful that you’re going to FinCon. If you find it 1/4 as fun as I do, it will be 4x better than you expected.

      Reply
  16. Smart Provisions says

    June 2, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    Being able to meet up with other bloggers and hang out over a beer is awesome!

    I haven’t had the chance to do so yet, but I believe I’ll get to once FinCon comes around. 🙂

    Life isn’t so bad when you get to hang with friends and drink beer instead of working.

    Reply
  17. Team CF says

    June 3, 2017 at 12:25 am

    What, no drinking beer while cycling? ?
    Team CF recently posted…Cheesy Finance Exercise Challenge: The Final EpisodeMy Profile

    Reply
  18. Amber tree says

    June 3, 2017 at 1:10 am

    Meeting like minded peopl is a great thing. the blog alos helped me meet with other people, going after the same.

    We have not tried yet the bike/beer combo. And actually quite weair: Belgium has some great bikers and we have a strong beer culture…

    Reply
  19. Mr. Tako says

    June 3, 2017 at 2:19 am

    Holy hell that’s a lot of beer. Seriously, I fear for your liver Carl!

    That said, it looks like you’re having a great time in early retirement!
    Mr. Tako recently posted…Investing With ConvictionMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      June 3, 2017 at 8:08 pm

      Oh, we didn’t drink all of that. PoF likes to decorate with empty beer cans.

      Reply
      • Mr. Tako says

        June 3, 2017 at 9:50 pm

        Oh OK, I thought those were all dead ones!
        Mr. Tako recently posted…Investing With ConvictionMy Profile

        Reply
  20. Donna Freedman says

    June 3, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    Hey, it’s your money. You get to spend it any way you want, after you’ve taken care of bidness — and I know that you have.

    Keep on enjoying every minute. My partner retired recently and he says he wouldn’t go back to work for $1.1 billion.
    Donna Freedman recently posted…‘Your Playbook For Tough Times, Vol. 2’ is here!My Profile

    Reply
  21. Income Surfer says

    June 4, 2017 at 1:26 pm

    Like-minded people buddy, that’s what it’s all about! It was great to do the Buffett bonanza with you guys for the second year running. But hey, at least you’re smart enough to stay out of the trading game 🙂 Shame we’ll just miss the 1500 Family in Madison, but September isn’t that far away. Maybe by then we’ll have some compelling valuations to join the discussions about beer and mountain biking. One can hope! Safe travels
    -Bryan
    Income Surfer recently posted…First Half Trading UpdateMy Profile

    Reply
  22. Katrina says

    June 6, 2017 at 2:05 pm

    I am beyond jealous of everything about this. I am obsessed with good beer. PoF’s home-brewing operating is seriously impressive. I would pay pretty good money to try the stout and porter he has listed on his sign. Too bad I doubt he ships to Canada!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Sunday Best (6/3/2017) - Physician on FIRE says:
    June 4, 2017 at 6:22 am

    […] as the 1500s, swung through for a few days on a Midwestern road trip. With a shared interest in bikes, beers, and financial independence, kids about the same age, and wives who somehow put up with our […]

    Reply

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Freedom!

My goal was to build a portfolio of $1,000,000 by February of 2017; 1500 days from the birth of this blog (January 1, 2013). And hey look, I’ve since retired!

Investments only (primary home excluded)
1/1/13 (The Start): $586,043
1/1/14 (1 Yr Later): $869,635
1/1/15 (2 Yrs Later): $987,351
1/1/16 (3 Yrs Later): $1,057,961
1/1/17 (4 Yrs Later): $1,257,128
1/1/18 (5 Yrs Later): $1,527,701
1/1/19 (6 Yrs Later): $1,549,440
1/1/20 (7 Yrs Later): $2,035,040*
1/1/21 (8 Yrs Later): $3,379,746**
1/1/22 (9 Yrs Later): $4,762,642
1/1/23 (10 Yrs Later): $3,112,821

2023: Investments only
1/1: $3,112,821

Overall
2023 investment gains: $0
Investment gains since 1/1/2013: $2,526,778
Net worth***: $3,342,821

* The big jump between 2019 and 2020 was partly because we bought another home, but kept the previous (much more expensive) one as a rental. We have since sold it.

** Tesla.

*** Includes our primary home equity in addition to our investment portfolio.

Finally, we still have about $290,000 in mortgage debt (which I love!). No regrets about the debts!

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