Fluffy question alert! Keeping motivated on fire

Sea_Shell

Not having had children makes FIRE much easier and without having to cut back whilst working 😉.

ex-pat_scot

Sea_Shell said:

Not having had children makes FIRE much easier and without having to cut back whilst working 😉.

And having lots of children has proved ruinously expensive!
FIRE is certainly very challenging alongside school fees, university fees, a plethora of associated costs for activities etc.
It's not impossible, but there are certainly strong headwinds

SouthCoastBoy

ex-pat_scot said:

Sea_Shell said:

Not having had children makes FIRE much easier and without having to cut back whilst working 😉.

And having lots of children has proved ruinously expensive!
FIRE is certainly very challenging alongside school fees, university fees, a plethora of associated costs for activities etc.
It's not impossible, but there are certainly strong headwinds

It also helps if you have a partner who has an inclination to save rather than spend, although my partner is not a great saver she is not too bad on the spending either so I feel relatively fortunate although there is plenty of waste I would like to cut out, but you have to choose your battles. Once I retire I plan to do the food shopping and cooking, I think I could save a bundle. 

Sea_Shell

SouthCoastBoy said:

ex-pat_scot said:

Sea_Shell said:

Not having had children makes FIRE much easier and without having to cut back whilst working 😉.

And having lots of children has proved ruinously expensive!
FIRE is certainly very challenging alongside school fees, university fees, a plethora of associated costs for activities etc.
It's not impossible, but there are certainly strong headwinds

It also helps if you have a partner who has an inclination to save rather than spend, although my partner is not a great saver she is not too bad on the spending either so I feel relatively fortunate although there is plenty of waste I would like to cut out, but you have to choose your battles. Once I retire I plan to do the food shopping and cooking, I think I could save a bundle. 

I agree.  Both being "savers" and pulling in the same direction helps a lot.

You then end up having the problem of trying to become "spenders" later!! 😎

Kim1965

Children are massively expensive. One through uni, one with only a year to go. The child still at uni was going to have a year in industry next year, then decided  against it. I was so pleased.

We have busted a gut to get our two through uni. I am amazed how support varies from parent to parent. Some people we know and seemingly more affluent, have given little support to their children. They have expected them to get through by working in addition to studying, to support themselves. 
 
 

bluenose1

SouthCoastBoy said:

It also helps if you have a partner who has an inclination to save rather than spend, although my partner is not a great saver she is not too bad on the spending either so I feel relatively fortunate although there is plenty of waste I would like to cut out, but you have to choose your battles. Once I retire I plan to do the food shopping and cooking, I think I could save a bundle. 

I agree re choosing your battles and always think I could save us money if I did the shopping and cooking. 

I have it all planned out that I will shop mainly in Aldi and do lots of batch cooking to not only save money but time. My husband has always been a saver, whereas before I realised about FIRE I would be quite extravagant.
Ironically I get as much pleasure now saving it. 

Plus I think you get to a certain age and you tend to have more than enough of everything, I need to declutter not buy more stuff.

Anonmoose - I don’t know how you cope taking no holidays etc. I have at least 36 days leave a year  and weekends off and still feel tired and so ready to retire.
Could  you not build in some time to take holidays now etc as a reward to yourself rather than waiting until retirement. 

savingholmes

bluenose1 said:

Anonmoose - I don’t know how you cope taking no holidays etc. I have at least 36 days leave a year  and weekends off and still feel tired and so ready to retire.

Could  you not build in some time to take holidays now etc as a reward to yourself rather than waiting until retirement. 

This is what I was trying to say. I have 38 days holiday - 39 this year plus weekends and it's not enough for me.

My hair dresser started with taking 1 week's holiday. Then upped it to 2. He always take two days off in the week though - other than around Xmas.

anonmoose

I do have more weekends off during the winter months bluenose1, and it's always less hours on the weekends, but I do definitely do far more hours than my husband who has a full time work from home job. 

I do take some holidays but I only take days off if I am actually going on holiday as its so hard to schedule days off into my diary. So I take 10 - 15 days holiday a year.  So in the past we have done a 1 week holiday and then 1 or 2 mini breaks per year.

I think this is what has to change and I am planning on taking 20 days holiday going forward. I think my work schedule has crept up on me and it's only when I write this down I realise it's not sustainable anymore. I can't do much about having to do weekends most of the time but if I get 20 days holiday I think it would make a big difference. 

On the plus side my work isn't mentally challenging and I enjoy it even though its tiring so half the time it doesn't feel like work!

savingholmes

Sounds like good progress. For me financial independence - is as much about choosing when and how to work as it is about the potential to retire early. I am someone that needs to be busy - I just would like more choice in the moment about what I'm busy with.

Sea_Shell

No one ever GIVES you time off...you have to TAKE time off!!

I haven't read all your posts @anonmoose, but are you employed or self employed?