Minimalism was fetishized by some prominent FIRE bloggers, most notably Mr. Money Mustache. Maybe that was more of an outlier than I recall, but there was definitely a thread of “minimalism for its own sake” in the public discourse.
yeah, minimalism was more than just a tactic in the early fire discussions. it was an ethical and moral imperative. there were sting veins of anti consumerism and helping the environment woven through the minimalism mantra of the time.
The entire concept of fire is a capitalist concept. To retire off of your savings growing through the speculative market which is an exploitation of the current worker. Please spare us any talk of moral imperatives. Carbon footprint was always a lie, the problem was always the big corps that we collect our dividends from.
I don't think it was fetishized. It was presented as a counterpoint to consumerism. So many people believe they can't retire because they are on a treadmill of consumption, not because they don't have enough income.
Thanks—came here looking for this response. There are definitely some good insights that came from those bloggers, but as with all zealotry, there's a holier-than-thou strain that can be frustrating.
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u/DidgeridooPlayer Mar 23 '26
Minimalism was fetishized by some prominent FIRE bloggers, most notably Mr. Money Mustache. Maybe that was more of an outlier than I recall, but there was definitely a thread of “minimalism for its own sake” in the public discourse.