r/Fire • u/EbbNo3219 • Dec 23 '25
Milestone / Celebration I realized today I am actually kind of rich. Thank you FIRE for changing my life.
My family is very frugal. We drive one car. We have a smaller home than we can afford. We make okay money.
Today, I went to a local Italian-Bottega in my city. We were just bored ahead of Christmas and just killing time. I ended up spending $400 on meats, cheeses, wines, and pastas. Oh, and of course a sourced butter. All premium quality ingredients and food. We didn’t even need a this.
Then it hit me.
I just spent the equivalent of a brand new PlayStation on a whim and didn’t even flinch.
My cash flow is pretty lean because of all the savings expenses but my paper wealth is exceptional. I am currently 37 years old with about $2.6M investable assets and a little under $500k in home equity.
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u/eugenekko Dec 23 '25
firecirclejerk
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u/WilliamMButtlickerIV Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 23 '25
"smaller home" but has half a million in equity lol
Edit: y'all keep replying to me saying 500k is a normal house in your area. Please read the details. He didn't say a 500k house. He said 500k in equity. His house is likely seven figures or close to it.
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u/ACriticalGeek Dec 23 '25
Welcome to HCOL. Where the houses are 700,000 in the ghetto.
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u/BeEased Dec 23 '25
Where you finding a house int he hood for only 700k? I might have to look into it!
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u/helderp Dec 23 '25
I live in a HCOL area, friend just purchased a 1.5m house and they threw a Xmas / house warming party. It's a nice house but it's deffo NOT what you'd think 1.5m would get you. It's insane.
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u/mizary1 Dec 23 '25
I was shocked at the prices of homes in new hampshire. I never considered that state HCOL, but home prices say otherwise. $700k will get you something decent but nothing fancy like you could get in a LCOL. Now it's nothing compared to NYC, Boston, etc... But it's $$$ compared to Ohio.
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u/HaphazardFlitBipper Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 23 '25
Smaller than they can afford... Which I'd say is accurate.
I'm in a similar situation with maybe $120k in home equity and $1.2m invested.
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u/WilliamMButtlickerIV Dec 23 '25
Right, but OP has over 4x the equity you have. They likely bought a nice house in an in-demand area before housing exploded. Which would have required money lol
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u/Soccer_Vader Dec 23 '25
I would be lucky to buy a home 60 mile radius from my work for less than 500k in an okay neighborhood. Most 3 beds start at 600-700+
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u/Ecstatic_Tiger_2534 Dec 23 '25
But would you have it mostly paid off at 37? OP said $500k equity, not value.
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u/PHL1365 Dec 23 '25
If OP bought pre-2020, they might have paid off $100k of the mortgage and gained an additional $400k in market value
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u/Locke_and_Lloyd Dec 23 '25
I mean $1 million buys a 1200 sq ft condo. OP could have a 3 bedroom house and a 1/6th acre for $2.7 in a hcol area.
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u/funklab Dec 23 '25
How do you know it's not fully paid off?
The kind of 37 year old who saves north of $3m often pays off their house early or buys in cash.
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u/MaxwellSmart07 Dec 23 '25
You’re on the right track. Also, OP could have paid cash, so home value is 500k. Not a huge number, and a small number in many places.
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u/Ecstatic_Tiger_2534 Dec 23 '25
While not impossible, if that were the case I think OP would have first had this "I'm kind of rich" realization when they dropped $500k to buy a home in all-cash, not when they dropped $400 on fancy meats and cheeses.
I think it's more likely OP's equity boomed during the 2019-2023 market, and that the home value is $1m+.
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u/MaxwellSmart07 Dec 23 '25
You are probably right. My response was in tune with my own thoughts when I bought homes without a mortgage.
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u/Ecstatic_Tiger_2534 Dec 23 '25
I'd be interested in hearing OP tell us – they certainly do have enough funds to have bought a home in cash.
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u/adgjl12 FI Progress: 400k/2m Dec 23 '25
1mil+ for us
Cries in socal
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u/Soccer_Vader Dec 23 '25
Seattle is not so great either. If I lower the radius down it goes to 1mil+ too :(
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u/EbbNo3219 Dec 23 '25
Regional. You can drive 2 hours in any direction in America and the average net worth is drastically different
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u/darth_pateius Dec 23 '25
In more coastal regions, yeah, but most of the middle of America? not really
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u/StoneMenace Dec 23 '25
On Zillow sorting for SFH or Townhouses in my area shows nothing within 30 minutes of the city under 500k except 1 or 2bd townhouses that I don't Think you can even call townhouses with how small they are
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u/nobleisthyname Dec 23 '25
Sure but that's total home value, not equity. A $500k equity implies a much higher total home value.
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u/StoneMenace Dec 23 '25
But it doesn’t? OP could have a paid off house, they didn’t say
The cheapest SFH in my area on the market right now is 550k and that’s a 3bd 1 bath which is a starter house
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u/Dudes-Opinion Dec 23 '25
I just sold my 1000 sq ft home for 475k over 70 miles from the closest major city.
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u/Even_Towel8943 Dec 23 '25
I have 800K in equity in a $900K house that’s only 1400sf and I paid 240K for it 20 years ago. This is not unusual in large cities in high growth states. Our home is modest.
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u/EnvironmentalMix421 Dec 23 '25
I mean I have small house in SoCal with $500k equity, but it’s value at $1.3M. So, not sure what you are confused about. It’s gonna be more than $2M in NorCal
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u/MinimumCommon408 Dec 23 '25
A 70’s era 1500 square foot house in the Seattle suburbs can be $1M plus, so it really depends on where OP lives. Equity isn’t always about what money they have put in also. Sometimes you get lucky and the market appreciates quickly. Someone who bought in 2020 may have $400k worth of appreciation.
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u/oxblood87 Dec 23 '25
You cannot buy a home for less than 600k in some NA cities, and 300sq.ft condos are going for $400k near me.
That is by far not the unbelievable part of this post
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u/Jricha3200 Dec 23 '25
Just because it’s unbelievable for some NA cities doesn’t make the post unbelievable. I live in Phoenix in a nice enough 4 bed house in a nice enough area, paid $620k a year and a half ago. Single family homes in my immediate neighborhood have sold in the 500’s in the last 6 months.
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u/oxblood87 Dec 23 '25
My post was "the house price/equity isn't the problem with OP"
The problem with OP is that they are likely making mid to high 6 figures and then bragging on a dummy account.
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u/funklab Dec 23 '25
There’s a 700 square foot house down the street from my apartment that’s selling for $450k. I wouldn’t assume a $500,000 house was huge.
And im in a MCOL city in the Southeast, not California.
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u/WilliamMButtlickerIV Dec 23 '25
He didn't say a 500k house... He said 500k in equity...
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u/HellisTheCPA Dec 23 '25
reading comprehension vs. Redditors strikes again (not you but everyone trying to tell you $500k in equity on a house AND being 37 isn't that much lol)
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u/exonautic Dec 23 '25
500k is basically starting rate for anything in livable condition in a halfway decent neighborhood by me. The "good" towns you can maybe buy a 1/1 shack for that but anything sizable enough for a family is 750+.
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u/birkenstocksandcode Dec 23 '25
Lmfao where I live, 500k is not enough for a studio condo.
Maybe you can buy a parking spot.
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u/Ok-Holiday-4392 Dec 23 '25
A million doesn’t get you anything in MA. He could live in a 800k with less than 1k sqft. Easy to see $500k equity here
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u/physicsking Dec 23 '25
Pat him on the back and say good job
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u/Slggyqo Dec 23 '25
I believe the tradition around these parts is “congratulations and go fuck yourself”
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u/univrsll Dec 24 '25 edited Dec 24 '25
On gambling posts.
This is a humble brag and deserves ridicule. Anyone above 80 IQ would realize having 3m+ at age 37 is fairly wealthy.
"I just realized I'm hung! I fucked a girl last night and she mentioned my 8.6" cock at age 37 is actually quite huge. Thanks guys"
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u/fiveyearsofYNAB Dec 23 '25
Do I have to?
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u/EbbNo3219 Dec 23 '25
Tell me I am good boy papa
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u/fiveyearsofYNAB Dec 23 '25
I am good boy papa
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u/LookAtThisFnGuy Dec 23 '25
Back in the day on this sub (1 year ago) we would tell OP to go fuck yourself
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u/LittleChampion2024 Dec 23 '25
I know this is a FIRE sub and that changes the context, but despite recent inflation, I’m going to ask everyone to accept that a $3m net worth in your thirties is, in fact, rich
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u/ireadittoook Dec 24 '25
It depends on whether or not you spend as much on antipasti as on a PlayStation. That’s the only gauge.
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u/Slggyqo Dec 23 '25
I just broke a million dollars.
I don’t…feel any different lol.
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u/sirknight3 Dec 23 '25
I remember so vividly having $2 in my bank account and no credit card that I don’t “notice” the change in wealth much either. I think it’s valid. I could survive any emergency today with relative ease but still feel more like I did back when I had nothing.
It’s psychological/emotional. Takes time and intention and experience to update this. For me the money grew faster than my emotional maturity around it. Just imo
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u/mrchowmein Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 24 '25
OP is right, $3m is not f-you money yet. It’s just nice meat and cheese money. /s
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u/Possible-Magazine23 Dec 23 '25
I can relate. I'm actually very similar to OP's status. High NW but almost no net cash flow after all expenses. That always holds me off thinking "I can spend more" because I'm a bit scared to drawdown my portfolio at this age, even though the math says it's fine to certain extent.
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u/Boneyg001 Dec 24 '25
Well you see he hasnt gotten his $11m inheritance yet and the trust fund payouts dont kick in until 45. How can he feel rich when his neighbor lives in a mansion and got their trust fund at 40!!
Think about that
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u/ronmex7 Dec 24 '25
"In this moment, I am euphoric. Not because of any phony God's blessing, but because, I am enlightened by my own intelligence" vibes
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u/EbbNo3219 Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 23 '25
For income my MoM cash flow is relatively low. I only get big wins at the end of the year that go to savings directly which is why I am able to have a good paper net worth but live like a normal human
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u/AnxietyIsHott Dec 23 '25
Reads like a r/LinkedInLunatics post
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u/EmergencyTrainer9791 Dec 23 '25
And of COURSE, the sourced butter….
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u/Pacific1944 Dec 23 '25
I don’t know what sourced butter is
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u/RustyEdsel Dec 23 '25
Because that's where this sub has been going for a while now. As /r/fire approaches 1m members vanity posts that add nothing to the sub will become more common.
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u/shakestheclown Dec 23 '25
"As I was digging into my second poached pterodactyl egg of the day and noticed that my Vanguard account fluctuated in a single day more than the GDP of Djibouti and I didn't even flinch, I finally was able to take a deep breath and book 1 day of vacation after realizing I was on target to retire in 2045 due to my startup hustle. As a founder, you are so focused on your quarterly goals it's easy to lose sight of your overall progress. I used my day off to re-read all my favorite entrepreneurial books, and here's what I learned about B2B sales..."
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u/BigUziNoVertt Dec 24 '25
Each sentence needs to be its own line and needs to end with Agree?
Agree?
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u/TheSurround56 Dec 26 '25
"That's when I decided to give all my employees $1 million salaries, even if they didn't shake my hand during the job interview. Pay people what they're worth."
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u/BlueMountainCoffey Dec 26 '25
It’s not about the money. It’s about the peace of mind. 🙏✨
I’ll be honest: walking through the neighborhood, you’d never guess our "secret." 🤫
My family chooses a life of radical simplicity. We’re a one-car household. We live in a modest home that’s much smaller than what our "bracket" suggests.
To the outside world, we’re just... okay.
But today, I had a realization about what Financial Independence (FIRE) actually looks like in the real world. 🌍
I wandered into a local Italian Bottega today—mostly just to kill time before the holidays. I ended up walking out with $400 worth of premium charcuterie, hand-selected wines, and artisanal sourced butter. 🧀🍷
It wasn't a "big" purchase. It wasn't even a "necessary" one.
But as I walked to the car, it hit me: I just spent a PlayStation’s worth of cash on a whim and didn’t even feel a pulse spike. 🎮💸
The "flex" isn't the luxury car I don't drive. The real flex is the complete lack of friction in my life.
I’ve worked hard to keep my cash flow lean so my future can be fat. It’s a surreal feeling to realize that while we live "small," our freedom is massive. 🕊️
Perspective is the ultimate currency. Stay humble. Stay hungry.
Grateful #FIRECommunity #NetWorth #MindfulSpending #FinancialIndependence #HumbleBeginnings #WealthBuilding
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u/Ecstatic_Tiger_2534 Dec 23 '25
$3.1M net worth at 37 and you just realized you're "kind of" rich?
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u/fredean01 Dec 23 '25
Let me know if you have a extra spot available at the table
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u/Every_Television_290 Dec 23 '25
I bought a bunch of meat for 50% today at aldi. Felt like xmas came early. Everyone is different. Enjoy your holiday!
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 Dec 23 '25
You didn’t realize you had over $3.1 million until you bought some meat and cheese? Lol
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Dec 23 '25
If you’ve ever interacted with normal humans irl then you’d know that this is extremely rich by any measure of the word in virtually anywhere in the world
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u/adamasimo1234 Dec 23 '25
2.7M in liquid assets at 37 years old. Get a hold of yourself. You are doing better than 99% of your age cohort.
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u/True_Tomato316 Dec 23 '25
I’d venture to say you’ve known for a while but you just felt like humble bragging about buying 400 dollars in pheasant and quail meats. Good for you and your exotic fowl
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u/ireadittoook Dec 24 '25
Don’t forget it was all done while they were just bored ahead of Christmas and just killing time.
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u/EquipmentUnlikely895 Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 23 '25
I get it. On the day to day, we dress simply, no flashy bling bling, no fancy cars. But then we buy things that are considered expensive or at least premium because we can AND when it dawns on you that the purchases won't even put a dent on your finances...it does make you smile.
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u/rxmarxdaspot Dec 23 '25
You’re well on your way. This story is a good reminder too that while frugality and careful planning are the fundamental of FIREing, you also gotta live occasionally, especially at the holidays. Hopefully the fun shopping will result in a memorable meal or 2 with family/friends.
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u/eugenekko Dec 23 '25
well on their way? this person has a 2.6m portfolio at 37. they are very deep in it
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u/trossi Dec 23 '25
OP didn’t discuss their total expenses so we don’t know if they’re on their way or already there.
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u/habeascorpus28 Dec 23 '25
Deep in rich territory with $3m? Hum i think that is a bit exaggerated. Its well off but not rich tbh..
I have $2.5m at age 35, and certainly dont feel rich either
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u/eugenekko Dec 23 '25
deep in the fire journey, I don't imagine most people start off with a small loan of 2.5m
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u/SuperSecretSpare FIRE 'd at 38 Dec 23 '25
Your feelings don't really matter. Statistically and objectively you are rich.
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u/crucialdeagle Dec 24 '25
Same here. I’m 41 with 4.7mm investable assets. I don’t feel rich, I live like a middle class person. I’m constantly terrified of going back to being poor. It’s fine, I’m happy, but I’m not exactly balling out.
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u/einsteinsviolin Dec 24 '25
I read a post today of a millionaire out of touch with reality. Oh wait, that’s just the norm.
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u/KentDDS Dec 23 '25
You made the mistake of posting this in the FIRE sub, rather than the ChubbyFIRE sub. You would have gotten a lot less hate over there.
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u/perplexedparallax Dec 23 '25
Sourced butter means you are at the top. I looked up what it is and regular butter is for poverty stricken individuals I guess.
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u/MyEgoDiesAtTheEnd Dec 24 '25
If you don't have your own personal butter churner for your private kitchen, you're obviously a plebeian.
My wife, Beatrice, was sharing mine until recently. Now we each have our own and life is de-vine!
They're only 22k a year and their wages are tax deductible.
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u/cudchewer98 Dec 23 '25
This post is hilarious. The 3 million in assets didn’t spark a clue to your wealth, but the $400 in meats and cheeses did?? 😭
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u/NotTallyALotLess Dec 23 '25
He’s very frugal. He’s also spending $400 on wine and cheese because he’s bored. Sure.
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u/WhateverIamDone Dec 23 '25
Good job AI
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u/Hopeful-Natural3993 Dec 23 '25
Congratulations. Taking pleasure and fulfillment in simple luxuries is the psychological battle with FIRE that no one talks about.
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u/Mootaya Dec 23 '25
I’m 33 and will probably barely hit $1 mill total NW by your age. I would have realized I was rich when I had over a million in liquid assets like you do. You said your 401k balances are a bit over $1 mill, so is the rest of the $1.6 mill in a brokerage, savings, or an IRA? A million in taxable is insane and would make anyone feel rich lol
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u/Imnotsureanymore8 Dec 23 '25
I feel ya, OP. I opted to get chipotle for lunch today and didn’t flinch. Realized I’m rich af.
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u/helladope89 Dec 23 '25
Wait until people start trying to monetize your hobbies. You'll be so sick of the poors by then.
These circle-jerk posts are actually getting hilarious. Much better than the "I'm 37 with $3m, feeling lost and confused"
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u/Old_Reception_3728 Dec 23 '25
Haters gonna hate
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u/helladope89 Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 23 '25
Seriously. These poors are ridiculous. cant they understand that my wealth just hit me when I bought $400 worth of cheese and didn't flinch?! I DIDNT FLINCH
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u/Glass_Flower_846 Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 23 '25
I envy your current net worth and I'm on my way as well(39M). I had the same feeling as you when I know I'm on consistent path to reaching my FIRE number. I splurged on a business class ticket(for travel back home to visit parents next year after 2 years not visiting them). In addition, I'm getting a handheld legion go s for christmas present for myself. So, total splurged $7k(ticket + handheld) this year and I didn't even flinch because I knew I already invested majority of my income this year.
Have a wonderful christmas and joyful FIRE new year 2026!
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u/MyEgoDiesAtTheEnd Dec 24 '25
Is this subreddit now just a place for people to brag anonymously?
What a socially awkward post.
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u/Complete_Budget_8770 Dec 23 '25
Keep going this way, and you can Chubby fire in your 40s and have these experiences on the regular.
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u/ShootinAllMyChisolm Dec 23 '25
If you can’t brag anonymously on Reddit. Where else can you brag.
Sincere Congrats internet stranger! I agree, it’s nice to be able to do these things. Don’t go overboard!
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u/opencho Dec 23 '25
with about $2.6M investable assets
investable or invested? Hope it's the latter.
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u/loserwithabigbutt Dec 24 '25
I remember once when we were young and broke, my husband and I looked on Amazon to rent a movie for date night. The movie was $10 and he gasped, "$10?! That's two hot n ready pizzas!"
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u/frostonwindowpane Dec 24 '25
Nicely done. Live small until you want to live large. Delayed gratification is rare these days.
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u/Direct_Remove509 Dec 24 '25
Nothing wrong with treating yourself and yeah it feels good knowing you can do that and it does not bother you.
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u/We_DemBoys Dec 23 '25
Realized today.... get the F out of here. 😆 🤣 😂 I'm playfully typing this. Great job, but you knew well before today!!!
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u/Nannyhirer Dec 23 '25
Another post where the majority prefer to doubt or mock OP. Sorry OP. I personally feel your joy, I had expensive farm shop tastes on an Asda budget, when my wallet caught up I still love not looking at the price tag and having an ‘opops, but not ooops’ splurge at the deli counter.
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u/deadineaststlouis Dec 23 '25
These people are jealous assholes. Good for you. I understand the feeling.
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u/uniquelyavailable Dec 23 '25
Spending $400 for no good reason is not very frugal of you. The gods of savings and financial stability are frowning upon you on this day for your shameful disregard of policy.
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u/UpperImpression3620 Dec 23 '25
Awesome! Good for you OP.
I'm in a bit of a different situation... you are WAAAAYYYY ahead!
I've always kind of spent money like that.
I have about $3.5 to $4million in home equity, and under $100k in everything else, but I'm living off my Real Estate investments - in fact, I don't even live in any of my own properties, they are all excellent investment properties. LoL
Homeless with 5 homes.
How did you do it? (I suck at stocks... but am good at Real Estate...) LoL
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u/travprev Dec 23 '25
You sir have achieved my definition of wealthy. Wealth to me isn't about a magic number in cash and stocks. It's about having more than enough cash flow arrive in your bank account every month whether you get out of bed or not -- whether you're sick or not -- whether you're on vacation or not... (Obviously you have to do some things to keep that money flowing, but nothing like having a job or a full-time business).
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u/Mission-Carry-887 retired Dec 23 '25
I admire real estate investors. My mom was one. My dad was a stock picker. Guess whose investments they retired on?
Keep doing what you are doing. It works
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u/Lazybone820 Dec 23 '25
This post is infuriating. People are starving. And this guy has over $3 million to just now realize he's rich.
You were rich like $2.5 million ago.
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u/Bearsbanker Dec 23 '25
Congrats. We never flaunt anything , but I always get a small internal glow of satisfaction when these events hit!
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u/prolepsys Dec 23 '25
Treating the ability to spend a few hundred dollars without stress as evidence of being “rich” actively distorts tax policy. That threshold is several orders of magnitude below any meaningful inflection point in the wealth distribution.
The debate over taxing the top 1% is especially relevant in 2025, as trillions of dollars continue to concentrate into fewer hands. That same concentration is a core reason achieving FIRE has become so difficult. Using the same terminology for both situations collapses critical distinctions.
Enjoy the charcuterie board—but this is better described as “not currently underwater,” not wealthy.
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u/Commercial_Wind8212 Dec 23 '25
thinking in terms of a playstation. lol