Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?

#21

Post by ipaddr » Fri, Nov 17, 2023, 8:04 AM UTC

b20000 wrote: post #8

b20000 wrote: post #5

Earlier 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 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.

Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?

#22

Post by badpun » Fri, Nov 17, 2023, 7:29 PM UTC

mortallywounded wrote: post #13

kosasbest wrote: post #4

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 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...

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.

Re: Ask HN: How is your early retirement working out?

#23

Post by badpun » Fri, Nov 17, 2023, 7:31 PM UTC

b20000 wrote: post #5

kosasbest wrote: post #4

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 restra…

how do FIRE people avoid eating out if they work at home all day and need to “get out” and “wind down”?

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.