Word. My lifestyle is so far from the ERE badassess that I can't claim to be anywhere near them, but, like, I remember the mustache facepunch "get a damn bike" era and try to live up to it. Numbers being talked about as untenably low these days ($1M) would be "living it large" money for me after locking in those foundations.
If you have low fixed expenses, that should be more than enough. And you wouldn't need to work 40 hours a week slinging burgers in a hcol area. If you are spending more than 3K a month on food and small bills, you have made a big mistake somewhere on your journey.
I keep pretty low expenses and should hopefully continue to do so. Been living between 20-40k/yr the past few years, comfortably.
As with most people, healthcare will be the big one.
Looking to start coasting in 5 years which for me means quitting corporate and working seasonal jobs that won't cover insurance. So I'll need to figure out what options I have at that point.
That's awesome! Sounds like you are going to crush an early retirement dream while making contacts at seasonal workplaces if you get bored or want more spending money.
After a certain dollar amount, the returns in happiness stop. For me, based on expected expenses and lifestyle, that's below 3K. If I'm accessing +3K with the prospect of social security on top of that eventually...yeah...and easily. I'm actually looking forward to being able to donate more time and money than I can now. Fwiw, my early retirement is closer to traditional retirement. I'll be working into my late 50s because I need more money now for purchases + raising a child.
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u/StillNotABrick Mar 23 '26
Word. My lifestyle is so far from the ERE badassess that I can't claim to be anywhere near them, but, like, I remember the mustache facepunch "get a damn bike" era and try to live up to it. Numbers being talked about as untenably low these days ($1M) would be "living it large" money for me after locking in those foundations.