Since I started this blog, I picked a high (for me) FIRE number. The goal was $1.2M by the age of 32.
Instead, I’m retiring 3 years earlier with half my original net worth goal.
It’s Happening! I’m Retiring At Age 29 With $650,000
Money Diaries: The Long-Awaited First Week of Retirement
For those following along, I retired this week. My last day of work fell on a Wednesday. The next morning, I woke up early, like it was Christmas. I’m always interested in how people fare in the transition from working full-time to not working at all, so I thought I’d write a Money Diaries post about it!
I don’t want to work anymore, so I quit.
Have you ever been working, and suddenly wished you could quit? The idea dawns on you as simple. All you would have to do is shut your computer. Say, “I quit.” Stand up. Walk out of the office. I felt like that. So the next day, I nearly surprised myself just as much as my […]
5 Years of Financial Mechanic – An Anniversary Post
I recently received a notification that it was time to renew the domain for this blog.
“Oh yeah,” I thought to myself, “I forgot to write a recap last year about the blog.” I remembered writing 7 Reflections On My First Year Blogging // A Peek Behind the Curtain
, and I knew I had missed a couple of anniversaries since then.
I’m Turning Down A Job That Will Pay $30k More
“We would like to offer you the job.” Oh what sweet, sweet words to hear. Every so often, I like to send out my resume to test the job market in my area. The unfortunate truth is that to see a significant raise in salary, the best thing to do for your career is to job hop.
The Results of My Anti-Frugality Experiment of 2021
I had a unique New Year’s resolution this year for a frugal financial blogger. While many people vow to get their spending under control, create budgets, or start investing (all very noble goals), I thought I could try something new. After living extremely frugally for years, I wanted to try something totally different: spending more. […]
Should I Take A Mini-Retirement or Stick It Out? (WITH AN UPDATE!)
A lot has happened since you created this blog post about my dilemma: Should I Take A Mini-Retirement or Stick It Out? A quick update from my side…
How Financial Independence Let Me Leave An Abusive Relationship
“But what do I do about all of my things?” I asked, standing in the hallway with my phone pressed up against my ear. All day I’d been shaking with adrenaline, my fight or flight instinct on high alert. “I remember that one of my biggest worries when I left was my stuff, but I’ll […]
Budgeting for a Massive Life Change – I’m Moving to Amsterdam!
I have a big announcement to make. I’m moving. Again. To Amsterdam. If you’ve been following the blog, this might come as a shock, as I just finished a coast-to-coast move. Although I thought I would be sticking around in Santa Barbara for the next four years, things changed. Life demanded a pivot, so I […]
4 Ways Financial Independence Changed Our Lives (Work, Health, Time, Mentality)
** Financial independence has far-reaching effects on our lives, and for many the pursuit of independence and the obtaining of it has impacted us in profound ways. Today, we hear from Jenni and Chris from TicTocLife, two mid-thirties career-driven folks who reached financial independence by age 33 and retired early at 35. If you are […]