@grecy, do you follow Mr. Money Mustache? He is all about cutting costs in ways I'd have never thought of. His goal was to retire early, but it could be anything. This requires quite a bit of "badassitude" as he would say.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

I'd also agree that taking some time off is very helpful. I took 1 year off to do some volunteering. It taught me to live a simpler life and respect for the dollar (when your income is 0 you make it work the way you can).

Yes, I love his attitude. I actually was going to quote this one [1] in my reply

[1] http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-sim...

I like frugality, but rushing to live on a fixed income seems like a big mistake. People on fixed incomes are especially sensitive to externalities such as assuming their investment returns will outpace increases in prices and taxes.

For example, if increasing capital gains taxes or introducing a consumption tax become popular, people living frugally on modest investment incomes will be hard-hit. Considering that someone in his thirties could easily live another 50 years, it's hard to adjust retirement savings goals to match that sort of risk.

On top of that, careers are the biggest investments of most people. The idea of abandoning that investment and assuming the risks of a fixed income lifestyle seems half-baked to me.

Anyway, that being said, I like his attitude and tips on spending, at least when he isn't spending inordinate amounts of time on something to save a few bucks.

> Rushing to live on a fixed income seems like a big mistake

And you've missed the entire point.

The point is to live on a fixed income if you want, for however long you want. If you don't want to, just pickup some work and supplement that fixed income.

Choice and options is the point.

I understand that point, and to rephrase my objection, I am concerned that people are accidentally trading long term choice for short term choice. There are many aspects of living within one's means that are out of the control of the individual.

For example, if a young person retired 20 years ago, he probably would have done a poor job budgeting for increases in prices for healthcare, especially given what the individual market looks these days. If, after a twenty year absence from the workforce, he is forced to work again, he will rapidly be approaching traditional retirement age with a large gap in work history and limited career options.

Maybe working or volunteering on the side can keep his skills sharp, but how easy will it be to convince potential employers of that fact?

It's possible that people are saying "retirement" when they mean "frequent sabbaticals", in which case, some better labeling of that lifestyle choice would clear up my confusion. Even then, I wouldn't blame a potential employer for being wary to give challenging job openings to sabbatical-takers due to the higher risk that they'll take off.

I love your message here, though it's amusing that you recommend buying something as the cure to buying too much.

Another interesting data point to support taking some time off is the increased security of students who have taken "gap years" before starting college. In my experience they're almost all much happier, more thoughtful people pursuing what they'd really like to do in life rather than your average college student who's there because his parents told him to be (like me and most of my peers in college).

> though it's amusing that you recommend buying something as the cure to buying too much.

You mean the book?

I borrowed it from my local library, you should too :)

OP said he's not looking for advice and thinks his situation isn't utterly terrible. His description sounds fairly frugal. Are you suggesting that he stop spending a single cent on discretionary things and just live on rice and beans?

Saying his problem is living in Seattle misses the point. Many people can't afford to move someplace cheaper even if they wanted to, which is a real problem - he can afford to move, probably, but other people cannot, and he's asking about problems like that.

> Are you suggesting that he stop spending a single cent on discretionary things and just live on rice and beans?

Of course not, don't be ridiculous. Stop being so black-and-white (as my friends always say to Engineer me)

I'm suggesting he take a close look at how much he's spending on what, and if those things are actually making him happy. He needs Cut out or reduce spending on things that are not actually improving his happiness, and he'll have a lot more money than he thought.

At no point am I saying spend so little money you're in misery.

He never said he's spending more than he's making, or that he's failing to save money. He asked about why things aren't better than they are, and whether things are that way for everyone else.

Telling him to cut costs is absolutely absurd. He didn't ask for advice and he didn't say his costs are extreme.

> He never said he's spending more than he's making, or that he's failing to save money.

Which has nothing to do with anything. He doesn't feel financially well-off or stable, so obviously he's not happy with his earnings to savings ratio.

> He asked about why things aren't better than they are

And my perspective and advice is that things are better than he thinks they are, he just needs to adjust his attitude.

> Telling him to cut costs is absolutely absurd. He didn't ask for advice

Obviously you're welcome to your opinion and me mine. If you don't like my advice you can always down vote it. Cutting costs is actually extremely sound advice for someone that doesn't feel financially "well off" or stable. He admits elsewhere in the thread "I feel like the goalposts keep moving".

> He didn't say his costs are extreme

Nobody that's not entirely satisfied money-wise thinks their expenses are extreme. That's the whole point.

He didn't complain about his wages, and he made it clear that he is not spending excessively. His lifestyle sounds fairly frugal by modern standards. He didn't even express discontent money-wise, as in 'I wish I made more money'. He's clearly expressing a general sense of uncertainty about why the economy is how it is, and why costs are how they are.

Also, he asked about other people and you're saying he needs to adjust HIS attitude? What does that do for everyone else? Do they all just need to adjust their attitudes and accept their lots in life?

The goalposts moving doesn't mean he's setting the goalposts for himself; if anything, it implies the opposite: Someone else is setting the goalposts. If those goalposts are essential (rent, health care, food)... what is he supposed to do?

> He made it clear that he is not spending excessively.

Of course he thinks that he as to. As others have pointed out, he's making $110k a year and not happy with how much he has, it's pretty likely he's spending too much, or he just has unrealistic expectations.

> His lifestyle sounds fairly frugal by modern standards

You mean modern standards that set the goal posts we should all own x,y,z ? If you didn't know already, those "modern standards" you refer to are the problem here.

> What does that do for everyone else? Do they all just need to adjust their attitudes and accept their lots in life?

Attitude and spending. And plenty more things too. Read the book I recommended.

> If those goalposts are essential (rent, health care, food)... what is he supposed to do?

If you're trying to say for one second that someone making $110k a year can't pay for those "essentials", you're not being productive here.

Let's go with the case of someone earning $30k who's can't afford those - which I think is a realistic scenario. In that case, then the only option is to adjust ones expectations and personal goal posts to fit reality. Hypothetically, if the economy completely dies tomorrow (a la Germany, USSR or Argentina every ~10 years) will you be horribly unhappy you can no longer own your own car and are forced to take public transport, and must downsize your house to a small apartment, etc. etc.?

If you are unhappy with that, then you're basing your happiness on external factors outside your control (the economy) and you're setting yourself up to be a very unhappy person.

I didn't think it was possible to drive from Alaska to Argentina. How did you cross the Darién Gap?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darién_Gap

I drove the Jeep into a Shipping container and shipped it from Colon, Panama to Cartegena, Colombia.

http://theroadchoseme.com/shipping-across-the-darien-gap-pt-...