I'm Gnashchick, and I'm from Texas, y'all.

I've been reading GRS for about four months, and enjoy most of the articles. My plans for the future involve hopping off the golden hamster wheel by age 45 (I'm 38 now) so I have about 7 years to go. I make great wodges of cash -- huge piles of it -- at a job I don't really like. I live frugally, and spend far less than I make. I have a mortgage, a significant balance on my student loan (I'm about to finish my Master's degree) and 1 credit card with a "manageable" balance on it. (i.e., I'll manage to pay it down by the end of the year.)

I would like to seriously downsize by age 45. I'd like to work part-time at a job I like, with time for pursuing my hobbies and interests instead of pursuing a paycheck. My SO is a decade older. His dream is to build up his business and sell it, and then retire on the proceeds. With lots of savings and a good business plan, we can both "retire" young at around the same time.