Know Your Blogger Series

Financial Mechanic

I graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, and I wanted to start a money blog. Financial Mechanic brings to mind tinkering with money and learning how to use money as a tool. I wanted to write about my own financial journey to help others hone their own.
I hope that by sharing my story, there is one more example for people to use as inspiration on their own financial journey.
Check out our Q&A with Financial Mechanic here.

Come learn how to flip the script and get to financial independence with this interview from Financial Mechanic.

Each week at Personal Finance Blogs, we publish interviews from amazing bloggers from the personal finance space. This week, we are featuring the blog, Financial Mechanic.
During these weekly features, we are hoping to provide a way for you to interact and learn more about different blogs in the personal finance space.
Below, you can read more about the story behind Financial Mechanic, learn about the author, and learn personal finance tips from Financial Mechanic to help you improve your financial situation.
A big thanks for Financial Mechanic for this interview! Now, we will turn it over to the author for this interview.

Tell us about Financial Mechanic

I graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, and I wanted to start a money blog.

Financial Mechanic brings to mind tinkering with money and learning how to use money as a tool. I wanted to write about my own financial journey to help others hone their own.

I wouldn’t have considered financial independence or early retirement as an option until I saw examples of other people doing it. I hope that by sharing my story, there is one more example for people to use as inspiration on their own financial journey.

What makes you and your blog unique?

There are lots of blogs out there detailing what the difference is between a ROTH IRA and a Traditional IRA, but this is not that – it’s a story.

I tell you about my life in snippets while still communicating money choices that I’ve made in order to reduce my spending (I only spent $15k last year) and increase my earnings (I switched into software engineering and through negotiation doubled my salary in two years.)

I share all of my net worth numbers in the hope of breaking down some money taboos. The more we talk about money, the better off we will be.

Year by year, I’m journaling my progress to financial independence.

What are some habits you practice to keep your personal finances in order?

I spent many years acting like an ostrich with my money. I wasn’t exactly sure what my net worth was or how much I was spending.

In order to gain more perspective and set a reasonable goal towards financial independence, I started to put more effort in finding out the specifics of my money.

Now, I keep expense reports every month to keep track of my spending and try to pick out patterns for planning into the future.

I would recommend people break down their spending and find out where their money is going. I personally use Personal Capital to manage my investments and track my spending.

What are your three articles people should read to get to know you and your message better on your site?

The three articles that people should read on my site to get to know me better are:

You Flipped the Script: I try to take a creative approach to my writing, and really like this article.

How to Make your Significant Other Hate FIRE: I like to sprinkle in some humor with many of my articles.

Independence with a Side of Meatballs: But, ultimately, I want to drive home the importance of independence, whether it is personal or financial independence.

What’s an area of your life which has benefited from improving your personal finances? Have there been any areas of your life which have suffered?

Improving my personal finances meant I got to have more control over my life. Defining a goal to put my money towards means I’m not saving just to save, I’m making the decision to spend my money on freedom instead of a second car.

Another benefit of learning about personal finances is learning about other people’s goals. I would never have known that you could travel the world indefinitely for about the same cost as staying at home.

I wouldn’t have thought about the benefits of homesteading or picking up side hustles that I enjoy along the way.

What are your favorite personal blogs and bloggers you have been inspired by?

There are 5 personal finance blogs I love:

Frugalwoods (for life adventures)

Bitches Get Riches (for comic relief)

The Luxe Strategist (for prioritized spending)

A Purple Life (for gumption)

Four Pillar Freedom (for data)

In your opinion, what’s better? Focusing on increasing your income, or focusing on decreasing your expenses?

There is no telling which is better: earning more or spending less, as both are important.

I have doubled my salary in two years, but also cut my spending to the bone, which has allowed me to save $300,000 by the age of 26.

While many people might attribute that amount to a high engineering salary, I did the math and found that I could still retire early if I made any amount over $25,000. That kind of flexibility is made possible by low spending.

The years are long, and people are resourceful.

Choose one area to focus on first, like trying to decrease housing expenses, then focus on what you need to do to get that next promotion. Widen the gap between what you make and what you spend, and you will be successful.

What’s a non-money related interest you have and what do you love about it?

I read a lot, alternating between business-focused books and fantasy. I read Game of Thrones way before it was cool (13 years ago to be precise), and love everything by Brandon Sanderson.

Why do you believe learning about money and caring about personal finance is important?

Money touches every facet of our lives. It drives our decisions from where we want to live, what we want to do, and if we want to work. Having a handle on personal finance is the key to ultimate freedom. If we let our finances run amok, we are no longer in control.

Money is the tool to being able to take six months off of work to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, to travel the world as a nomad, or to be able to be there to raise your children rather than take that pressing work-related call.

I firmly believe that taking control of your money will enable you to take control of your life. It will set you free.

How You Can Contact Financial Mechanic for More Information

You can learn more about Financial Mechanic at https://www.financialmechanic.com and follow them on Twitter at @fimechanic.

Thank you for reading this interview, and thank you, Financial Mechanic, for providing us with some great personal finance tips!