Any Of You Trying To Retire Early?

I recently discovered this subreddit on reddit called "financial independence". Basically it's just discussing ways and methods people can do in their daily lives to try and retire early. Honestly, up until recently, the thought had never occurred to me. I was raised to believe that, in life, you go to college, get a degree, get a job to help pay for that degree and get your own place, get married and get a place with your wife, have kids, and get an even bigger place, then start working towards filling that nice big house with nice things. That's all great and all, but what's the point in spending so much of your life working for these useless things? I'll admit, a nice big TV would be nice, so I think it's worth working for, but people just have this attitude that life is just 'work, work, work, and spend, spend, spend'. To a degree, I'm sure that is okay, but I, personally, know people who spend more than they make just for appearances. They want to show off how great their life is, so they buy a nice car they can't afford just to prove they are doing well.

Personally, I'd much rather be smart with my money. Spend it only when I feel it is worth it. Live a minimal life, and be happy with what I have. So what if I don't have a big house? I should be happy with what I have. I'm turning 29 this year, so I still have a ways to go before I start settling down and buying the big house and all that. Right now, I live pretty minimally with my girlfriend in a one bedroom apartment. We are both saving a good amount and still enjoying life. I hope to continue to be smart with my money, and, instead of buying a nice fancy car that gets me more into debt, I'd rather invest that money and eventually just reap the benefits of my investing. I don't have a set goal or plan just yet, I'm just living frugally and saving what I can. I hope by the time I have kids, I can let my money continue to work for me and not have to spend 40-60 hours a week away from them just working. I won't stop working anytime soon, but I don't want to have to rely on a job as money. I want my investments to cover basic expenses, and then I'll do some IM work on the side, how I want and when I want to earn some extra cash.

 

My goal is to be financially free but I don't plan on completely retiring. I want to remain active in my senior years. I believe that keeps your mind and body young.

I don't have a need for a lot of material things. I can happily lead a simple life. I much rather travel than spend money on material things.

 

I would honestly love it if it happened but I don't consider it my ultimate goal. I just would like a bit more security and be able to do the work or get into the toe of business that I truly love. Retiring early will be just a bonus if I eventually am able to do something that resonates enough with the public that I am able to get a good amount of money from it but more or less I'd probably still want to keep myself busy with various projects.

 

If you are planning on retiring early you should definitely read The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. I discovered this book earlier this year and find it very interesting. It shows you how to gain financial independance by being your own boss and working on what you love.

It's a great book even if you don't want to quit your day job because it also teaches you how to be more productive and get things done with less work involved.

Seriously, it's a great reading.

 

This is actually the second time this book was recommended to me. I was given a brief summary of it and it definitely fits in line with the type of lifestyle I want to live. I should definitely check it out. I just discovered Mr Money Mustache's blog, so I'm currently doing some heavy reading on his site and related sites. Thanks for the heads up though.

I totally agree with you on remaining active. I don't want to become senile or anything. I just want the ability to do what I want when I want. Doesn't mean I'll sit on the couch all day. It just means one day I might go for a 2 hour bike ride. Another day I might go fishing. Another day I might read a book all day. Another day I might start a blog on a subject that interests me.. etc. Point is, I'm in control of my life. If I want to make extra money, I can. If I want to just do something else active I can. I don't want to be a 'slave' to my paycheck until I'm 65. That just sounds insane to me.

 

I don't want to have debts but I don't want to retire early either. I don't mind working until the normal age unless something happens because I am not a home body and I begin to go stir crazy if I am home for too long. I don't mind having a job and meeting new people and learning to do new things on a day to day basis!

 

@dpatel304 thanks for pointing out to Mr. Money Mustache's blog. It's really interesting and definitely a completely different view on early retirement. Living frugally isn't for everyone but he does put it like if it's really easy. What I'm liking the most about his blog (or at least about I've read so far) is that it isn't as much as financial advice as it is sharing lifestyle stories.

 

I don't plan on retiring but my husband and I have a different plan. Once my son graduates and gets settled (he's 16 now) we plan on moving into our RV full time. Whether hubby works or not, it won't matter because we can easily live on what I make online. We've been working towards that goal by getting the RV retrofitted with a solar system and remodeling everything to be perfect for our needs.

I've been raising kids since my parents passed away when I was 13. I'm 35 now and I'm tired of being tied to a patch of dirt. By the time I'm 40 if the good Lord's willing we'll be living in the RV and I can finally travel.

 

Rather than think about retiring early, I'd rather have a job that doesn't feel like a job all because I enjoy it immensely. My future goal is to be a novelist, songwriter and scriptwriter. I want to immerse myself in all forms of creative writing and spend my lifetime writing stories and scripts that will be of use to this world, especially marginalized and alienated people. I look up to Maya Angelou, Haruki Murakami, Anne Rice, George R.R. Martin and many other incredible poets and novelists after all.

 

I would love to retire early, but honestly the way the economy is going - if it continues like this indefinitely I fear that when my generation wants to retire no one will be able to except those who began privately saving at a very early age and were wise with their spending and investments.

 

I do plan to retire from my day job this coming December. I do look forward on my retirement where my salary will be without deductions of taxes and i would have time to do my online job.

 

Wouldn't we all want to retire early. Well really the best way is to be finally set and then retire. Retirement should be a stress free time in your life. It should be a time to travel and enjoy the fruit of your labor.

 

I absolutely want to retire early, but I still want to do activities like writing jobs that pay, because it's kind of a self-fulfillment and you do it because you love doing it, not just because it pays you money.

 

My goal is to retire at age 40. If I work hard enough and manage my finances well I should be able to save up enough. I'm going into programming and there seems to be a lot of job opportunities in the field so I'm hoping it stays that way.