News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?.

Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by kosasbest on Wednesday November 15, 2023 @12:29PM (#38279523)
A bit of advice if you are aiming for FIRE: Don't buy Starbucks, buy instant coffee you make yourself, and stop buying stupid avocado on toast at cafes, and a whole laundry list of other luxury items. Basically you should refrain from buying any luxury item unless it's a treat and you set aside time and money for treats, not have treats and luxury purchases all the time. FIRE people need to exercise incredible restraint on their purchases, then that money that was saved can be pooled into your retirement fund. It's hard, I know, but that's life!
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by b20000 on Wednesday November 15, 2023 @01:24PM (#38280319)
how do FIRE people avoid eating out if they work at home all day and need to “get out” and “wind down”?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by b20000 on Wednesday November 15, 2023 @03:58PM (#38282400)
strange this gets downvoted. eating out is a big expense and i just wonder how people manage to limit that. for me it is very difficult.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by drakonka on Wednesday November 15, 2023 @04:14PM (#38282586)
I don't agree with the whole skimping-on-small-things thing, but I work at home and don't eat out that much. The "how" seems pretty straightforward: either buy groceries at a grocery store or have them delivered. I have a fresh vegetable box delivered every week. "Getting out" and "winding down" don't require eating out.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by mejutoco on Thursday November 16, 2023 @03:18AM (#38286945)
I suspect it got downvoted because of the assumption that the only way to get out and wind down is eating out.

You could go for a run or a bike ride, have a picnic with friends, play soccer with friends, skate. etc.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by ipaddr on Friday November 17, 2023 @03:04AM (#38300810)
I stopped eating out completely and stopped ordering food in. Bought a freeze and canner and meals are quick and cheap to make with better flavour. I stopped getting sick.. think back to all of the times you got really sick from food. I bet you most of them were from food you didn't prepare yourself.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by mortallywounded on Wednesday November 15, 2023 @10:40PM (#38285617)
Simply, by not avoiding it. I get out and unwind. I have lunch with my wife in a restaurant. Go for walks, grab a coffee at a cafe with my wife.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by badpun on Friday November 17, 2023 @02:31PM (#38308856)
Very easy - just don’t do it. Was never a problem for me. If I ordered food, it was because I didn’t have time to cook, not because I needed it to wind down etc.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by randomopining on Wednesday November 15, 2023 @03:17PM (#38281852)
Saving on all of that person year is like 2k bucks max. That's a drop in the bucket. Plus then you come off as a weird cheapo, no? All so that you can sit around and do nothing while retired. Which sounds boring and probably bad for your mental health.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by satvikpendem on Wednesday November 15, 2023 @03:48PM (#38282241)
Ramit Sethi, author of the excellent book I Will Teach You To Be Rich (the title is clickbait but the contents are very good), wrote about this exact topic: https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/the-big-wins-manifesto...

TLDR, focus on the big stuff (rent, vehicles, wage increases, etc) and don't sweat the small stuff, within reason.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by mortallywounded on Wednesday November 15, 2023 @10:38PM (#38285610)
This is odd advice to me. Sure, you can save money by not buying the coffee, dining out but that money would never have you FIRE'd in any reasonable amount of time (certainly never would have worked for me).

The only way I got FIRE'd was by building a successful business as a solo person. I can't imagine doing it any other way...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by badpun on Friday November 17, 2023 @02:29PM (#38308823)
I did it by making a lot of money, compared to how much I was (and am) spending. Not splashing money around on lattes, expensive car, expensive vacation, a summer house etc. was a vital part of that.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? by idontwantthis on Thursday November 16, 2023 @03:12AM (#38286920)
Not liking avocados bought me a whole second house to rent! If only I weren’t a Starbucks addict then I would have a yacht by now.
[ Parent | on HN ]