After putting together our FIRE plan in 2009, my wife and I adopted several frugal habits—not because we enjoyed deprivation, but because we wanted to spend more intentionally. Those habits helped us reach financial independence in 2019 and eventually retire early in 2025. What surprised me is that even after FIRE, we never stopped doing them. Some habits stick around long after reaching FIRE. Sure, we occasionally splurge on business-class airplane seats or a ridiculously ex

Last week, I shared what our first year of early retirement looked like financially. Going from a paycheck and employer-subsidized health insurance to being fully self-sufficient was a big shift. At the six-month mark, I wrote about some of the early adjustments and surprises we were already experiencing. But money is only one part of the equation. Leaving my job also meant losing structure, schedules, social connections, purpose, and identity. This post is about what the ear

As the year comes to a close, I still find it hard to believe that we actually retired before turning 50 this year. When we were in our 30s, retirement at any age seemed like a pipe dream . Despite having low-paying jobs and no direction, we somehow still managed to cross the rat race finish line early. With less than a week left in 2025, we’re now making preparations for two annual traditions to close out the old year and ring in the new one. A few friends started copying u