Early-retirement wannabe

atush

edinburgher wrote: »

When I click it it just says that access has expired. Blimmin' paywalls, but I suppose they need to make money somehow.

Well they wont from me.

I use either free online news sites, or pay for a paper. Not paying for online access, thats for sure.

Mama didnt raise no fool.

Goldiegirl

westv wrote: »

Any early retirement blogs from those who don't want a sackcloth and ashes existence?

The sackcloth and ashes crowd claim to love their lives, but I remain sceptical.


There are many nice things that can be done for free or cheaply, but after a while I think they would become limiting if they were the only options on offer. I like going for walks and taking a packed lunch.... but I also like going on cruises too


From time to time, I think some money needs to be spent to get the most enjoyment out of retirement (early or not) I think people should plan to spend some of their hard earned money on experiences.

gadgetmind

Goldiegirl wrote: »

The sackcloth and ashes crowd claim to love their lives, but I remain sceptical.

They have chosen a lifestyle of retiring early and living frugally over working many years/decades more and living better. That's their choice and I can't see any reason to question it. And even if it's been forced upon them, it's surely better that they have mentally adjusted to it?

However, there is a third choice, which involves working even harder, saving even harder, and retiring early with a decent income. I'm definitely a "third way" kind of person!

edinburgher

Goldiegirl wrote: »

The sackcloth and ashes crowd claim to love their lives, but I remain sceptical

I think that a lot of said crowd lie to themselves, justifying their own luxuries in terms of living the 'right' lifestyle. For example, a lot of the American bloggers are big into their fancy paleo diets, extreme sports 'experiences' and $500 shoes (because they're better quality than normal shoes).

Being 'frugal' strikes me as a lot like any other religion, with its acolytes and conflicts with other sects.

A lot of the output of these blogs is depressingly obvious lifestyle positioning where the bloggers are a) looking for others as smug as them and b) are getting ready to sell information products or club membership.

The moment I read the word 'frugal' my eyes glaze over, much like 'vintage' or 'craft'.

Edit: I do agree with gadgetmind that there's a 3rd way and we shouldn't judge them for what they see as the logical choices. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to go both ways and some of the bragging, fake 'bootstraps' chat from some of the luckiest people on the planet can be quite offensive at times :eek: Retire by 35 or you're an idiot.

Triumph13

It's the testosterone-fuelled 'look at me! I'm way more frugal than YOU are' attitude of many of the forum posters on a certain US blog that gets my goat.


Personally I'm like Marie Antoinette with her ornate cottage where she could play at being a milkmaid. Frugality can be lots of fun as long as you are doing it by choice not necessity. As an example, my house used to have solid fuel central heating - which I found a real PITA to keep topping up with coal. I put in oil fired central heating to take away that chore, but then put in a woodburner and I now use that almost exclusively. I spend WAY more time cutting, chopping and stacking wood and then keeping the fire alight than I ever did with the old heating I hated - and I'm sure if I was doing it because I had to then it would drive me crazy, but the presence of the oil-fired heating (and the money to run it) means instead I get a real feeling of achievement from managing with just the fire - especially with free fuel from my garden.
The members of the sackcloth and ashes crowd who have enough funds behind them that they could do something else if they get bored, probably are indeed having a whale of a time. The ones who try to follow them without having the funds for anything more are the one's I fear have the high risk of ending up miserable.

Goldiegirl

edinburgher wrote: »

I think that a lot of said crowd lie to themselves, justifying their own luxuries in terms of living the 'right' lifestyle. For example, a lot of the American bloggers are big into their fancy paleo diets, extreme sports 'experiences' and $500 shoes (because they're better quality than normal shoes).

Being 'frugal' strikes me as a lot like any other religion, with its acolytes and conflicts with other sects.

A lot of the output of these blogs is depressingly obvious lifestyle positioning where the bloggers are a) looking for others as smug as them and b) are getting ready to sell information products or club membership.

The moment I read the word 'frugal' my eyes glaze over, much like 'vintage' or 'craft'.

Edit: I do agree with gadgetmind that there's a 3rd way and we shouldn't judge them for what they see as the logical choices. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to go both ways and some of the bragging, fake 'bootstraps' chat from some of the luckiest people on the planet can be quite offensive at times :eek: Retire by 35 or you're an idiot.

I wasn't really thinking of the American bloggers of the Mr Money Mustache ilk.


I think they are all very disingenuous with their preaching about a frugal lifestyle, but have these huge branded blogs, and seem to travel around the US on the back of these blogs.


I was thinking more of people in the UK, not necessarily with a blog, who adopt an extremely frugal lifestyle - if a person stops work too early on this basis it could end up being hard work and very limiting.


I'm happy with the middle way - a reasonable income, a reasonable life with holidays, days out and meals out when I want.


Not extreme frugality, not extreme luxury, just somewhere in the middle

chucknorris

edinburgher wrote: »

I think that a lot of said crowd lie to themselves, justifying their own luxuries in terms of living the 'right' lifestyle. For example, a lot of the American bloggers are big into their fancy paleo diets, extreme sports 'experiences' and $500 shoes (because they're better quality than normal shoes).

It isn't so much that I'm (we are) frugal but you can only spend so much on cycling, bowls, jogging, walking my dog, hiking and chess. Even on holidays we are going to buy a caravan, not to save money (actually I don't particularly think that it does, in the way that I used to), the attraction of a caravan for us is:

- We have a dog in tow (he goes where I go, end of, 99% of the time if he can't go, I don't want to go) and the choice of cottages is drastically reduced with a dog.
- also we want to be in the countryside near forests/hills/beaches/lakes i.e. where caravan sites tend to be.
- Cottages need to be booked early (especially with a dog), but we (like most) appreciate nice weather (for hiking, cycling etc.), but with a caravan we can go virtually at the last minute when the weather is good.

Although that said, that would be only for our UK holidays, we will probably be wintering in Spain, and I really can't be bothered with long distance ownership, and I don't want to spend 3 months in a caravan, so we will spend money renting then, but back to the same old problems of lack of choice. Buying a mobile home in Spain might be a viable option

gadgetmind

I do a lot of things that can't be justified on a "what my time costs" basis such as smoking my own food in a home-made cold smoker. I'd sure I'd hate having to do it because Waitrose ceased to exist!

gadgetmind

Goldiegirl wrote: »

I think they are all very disingenuous with their preaching about a frugal lifestyle, but have these huge branded blogs, and seem to travel around the US on the back of these blogs.

Was it the case that to start with MMM had to be frugal, but then the success of the blog meant that 1) he didn't have to be, 2) but the money flow required he keep "on message"?

edinburgher

gadgetmind wrote: »

I do a lot of things that can't be justified on a "what my time costs" basis such as smoking my own food in a home-made cold smoker. I'd sure I'd hate having to do it because Waitrose ceased to exist!

Ah, HM charcuterie, live the dream

Many of the ultra frugal are vegan either by choice, necessity or sheer logic

I feel the same way about duck breast prosciutto or good corned beef.