I stay at home all the time and code.
Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
11–20 of 23 posts
Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
#12I like to spend as much time as I can with my wife and kids. When we vacation we get to spend lots of time away from home (7+ weeks sometimes).
When they are in school I study (Korean these days) or build stuff for the fun of it. I'm not really social or anything. I simply like being home and doing the same things that got me FIRE'd to begin with.
I don't have any friction with random people, but I have felt some... resentment/spite/jealousy from friends. I don't know the cause or origins of it.
I noticed them speaking to me less and eventually they stopped messaging me at all. If I messaged them they would respond but would never hold a conversation. I tried for a while and then let them go.
I've had another friend I lost touch with suddenly "reconnect" with me post-FIRE only because he wanted to leverage my network/clout/whatever. So, yeah... I've had to deal with that too.
Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
#13A 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 restra…
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...
Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
#14A 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 restra…
how do FIRE people avoid eating out if they work at home all day and need to “get out” and “wind down”?
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Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
#15I like to spend as much time as I can with my wife and kids. When we vacation we get to spend lots of time away from home (7+ weeks sometimes). When they are in school I study (Korean these days) or build stuff for the fun of it. I'm not really social or anything. I simply like being home and doing the same things that got me FIRE'd to begin with. I don't have any friction with random people, but I have felt some...…
Yeah, the 'spite' is 100% there. Have a job desc, even if it's just "freelancing", "business" or "research".
Well, only some part of it is spite. I think many people associate jobs with identity, so not having a job is like not having a name. Batman has an alter ego for a reason. He can't just meet family and friends as Batman.
Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
#16I'm on the glidepath now and have moved to working only 4 days per week. My partner is on 5 days a week, so I'm a househusband on my "day off". The main friction seems to be with me. I always attempt to spend the long weekend doing hobbies and having fun, but more often than not I end up doing a bit of consulting for old and new clients.
I don't see a huge difference between a hobby and fulfilling and non stressful work that you take up voluntarily.
I'd say the difference is that all work is a commitment. Even free work. Just because you can break the contract any time you like, it doesn't make you free from the restrictions of it.
Hobbies are play, but play is a simulation of some other thing. If you're crafting something but not selling the crafts, you'll hit a point where you question your ability with it.
Tournaments are a nice hack around that, and usually what the financially independent have historically done. You compete for a prize. The prize closes the hobby loop.
But once you start doing tournaments, that draws you back into commitments.
Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
#17A 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 restra…
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.
Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
how do FIRE people avoid eating out if they work at home all day and need to “get out” and “wind down”?
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.
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.
Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
#196 years in, no regrets.
I travel on the cheap (2-3 months per year), volunteer at a museum a few times per month, spend gobs of time with my spouse, and work on various artistic/craft projects.
Friendships have been challenging. I have less in common with people my age now. Long time friends are still friends. Coworker-friends drift away once you realize they weren't really friends at all, just colleagues.
No real friction except with super spendy friends (who are still climbing the ladder I jumped off of) who want to make spendy plans. No, we aren't going to drop 10k on a Greek Villa this summer. They have limited time and lots of money, for me, the opposite.
I don't miss work. At all. And I was passionate about it while I was in. Life has its seasons.
Worries in FIRE are mostly related to inflation. Healthcare costs have skyrocketed, and so has the cost of food. We planned a generous buffer and are fine, but the trend line is a bit concerning.
Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?
#20I stay at home all the time and code.
What you code?