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Mentor
Visual Storyteller
How is working in a US shift for FP&A?
Visual Storyteller
f*ck your towels
Additional Posts in FIRE Financial Independence Retire Early
Decided to payoff my mortgage.
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Didn't get my first car until 35. Lived on under 30k per year until I was over 30. Lived in a bunch of super sketchy apartments for $550-800/mo and had roommates. Went "homeless" for 6 mo out of the year for 3 consecutive years leaving my bags at the hotel near my client site and going wherever for the weekend. Saved a TON of money, had a blast living so freely without material possessions. Much of it made possible by picking a career that had me on the road almost every week M-Th and choosingnot to have children. All of these may look like sacrifices to many, but for me, I also truly enjoyed them. Saved and invested everything I could from very early on. Now looking to pull the trigger on FIRE at 41 with $7m. Its amazing how little you truly NEED to be happy.
How much was your salary?
How much was your contribution?
Truly inspiring
35 and still live with a roommate. I like my wife though.
Ditched the wife.
Better to take a controlled divestment at a 50% valuation pre-growth than face a value-destructive separation event later in the lifecycle with no viable exit.
Seems pretty smart from where I'm standing.
One for me is living with roommates until I turned 30.
Same. 35/$2.2m. Still sharing a house. Saving crazy money
Mentor
Idk if it was a sacrifice but I bought a multi family as my first home, which paid my mortgage. Drove cars that I bought for under $5k
Bowl Leader
I try not to sacrifice things that bring me satisfaction or convenience… but I drive the same old Honda I’ve had since senior year of high school, if you consider that a sacrifice.
Love that! People always say how expensive cars have gotten, but let's not also forget how nice they have gotten too!
As someone who dislikes cooking, I say cooking at home consistently is my biggest financial and health sacrifice/benefit. I eat out only for social occasions or when traveling.
Never felt like a sacrifice (actually a blessing) but lived at home for a very long period of time.
Right, and the money that would have gone into rent instead goes into the market, so that delta grows…
I get dunkin instead of Starbucks
I love Dunkies
I really don't feel like I've made too many major sacrifices.
I drove an AC-less car until I was 28.
I've challenged myself to not buy things on impulse and only do so if I still really wanted it weeks later. I don't refresh my wardrobe as often as most.
All that being said, I've never truly wanted for anything that I haven't had. In my personal experience, a FIRE focused life can be achieved through small decisions that some might call major sacrifices, but it's never felt major to me.
If I had to guess, the most common characteristic amongst those pursuing fire is not buying new cars very often. There aren't many more efficient ways out there to tank your net worth like new cars
Subject Expert
Staying in a relatively demanding job, studying for qualifications on weekends.
Main sacrifices have always been in pursuit of raising more income than I needed.
I don’t really travel. It feels garish and performative to me. I consume time and money toward activities I like to go skiing or whatever but I don’t fly all around the globe collecting passport stamps.
If done right it opens your eyes to other ways of living life, for better and for worse, and gives you perspective/ potential lifestyles to aspire to. Also simply being exposed to new stimuli can reset your brain and be conducive to its further development. Is it performative? Certainly. But that's not the only thing to gain from it.
Husband and I worked 12-17 hr days / 6 days a week and traveled 4- 5 days a week for 15 years (excluding holidays). We didn’t have kids but are looking to now that we hit FIRE and stopped working.
Wow, nice. Mind sharing some details (NW / expenses / age)?
I went to Texas instead of NYC for the first 6 years of my career. 10/10 times would do it again. Maximizing compounding early pays massive dividends. Still hate paying state tax but live in NJ now across from NYC.
Mentor
I bought a lighter.
Living at home. I’m now in my late 20s.
I dont splurge in things like clothes, cars, gadgets. Use money on travel and experiences
Never had a car. Only use public transport. In my 40’s. Don’t live in New York either.
DC and Seattle
Not really a sacrifice, but I don’t buy shoes or new clothes unless it’s absolutely necessary
This is better for the environment too so overall it seems like a win