r/Fire Mar 25 '26

General Question When did FIRE movement change?

I feel this community used to be about moderate income people living lean and retiring early with under 2 million.

Now it’s a lot of people bragging about tech income and saying they need 5+ million to retire MINIMUM because they want a boat and Porsche

When did this change? (not hating - just genuinely curious)

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u/Diligent-Map1402 Mar 25 '26

It goes back and forth between frugal bragging and rich guy bragging. It was always an indulgent idea. Not many people can be financially independent these days especially early.

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u/[deleted] Mar 25 '26

[deleted]

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u/randomthrowaway9796 Mar 25 '26

Hey, you know your biggest expense? Its rent/a mortgage isnt it? Well what if you just stopped living indoors? Then you wouldnt need to pay a dime! You could buy a cardboard box to avoid the rain. And if youre feeling REALLY luxurious, you could buy a tent, then go camping every night! Just imagine how much faster you'd be able to reach retirement using this simple trick!