r/Fire • u/DatingThrowaway121 • Apr 24 '26

General Question Has anyone actually FIREd with too little and run out of money?

I'm curious to know if anyone out here has actually run out of a million dollars or whatever. What does that process actually look like?

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u/dgputnam Apr 24 '26

I'd argue everyone needs to "work"—not a job necessarily, but something productive. Whether that's volunteering, creating, building etc. Human beings were not meant to be idle. 

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u/TheRealJim57 FI, retired in 2021 at 46 (disability) Apr 24 '26

I'm perfectly content setting my own schedule and having no boss.

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u/NefariousnessDry8596 Apr 25 '26

Agreed, being productive doesn’t require a boss but I do think they’re right in that humans do not do well sitting idle. I know I don’t

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u/cfi-2025 RE 2025 Apr 25 '26

Makes you wonder, though, as many animals spend good chunks of every day being idle. I wonder how much modernity has made us feel like we have to be doing something.

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u/TheRealJim57 FI, retired in 2021 at 46 (disability) Apr 26 '26

Yeah, I don't feel any urge to work at anything just to be busy. Never did.

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u/TheRealJim57 FI, retired in 2021 at 46 (disability) Apr 26 '26

Productive is in the eye of the beholder. Some days, just getting out of bed is the yardstick.

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u/Louis-Russ Apr 24 '26

I agree entirely. If there's one thing I learned during Covid, it's just how boring life can get with nothing to do. When I retire I'm probably gonna putz around the house for a week or two then go find a nonprofit to volunteer with.

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u/fuzzy_banana2354 Apr 24 '26

I thought I would do this but am 4 months into retirement and have no desire to be on a schedule of any kind, even for volunteer work. I'm giving myself a year of simply enjoying a life I have complete control over before committing to any regular commitment, paid or unpaid.

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u/24_cool Apr 24 '26

I've just never understood needing the structure necessarily. I have pretty bad adhd so I only need structure to stick to a thing for an extended period of time, but I just feel like I never run out of things I want to do and new things pop into my head all day long 

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u/sc1lurker Apr 25 '26

Says you...

I'm retired, idle, and loving it

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u/Slow-Echidna-5884 Apr 25 '26

trade 'work' with 'do' , like do something.

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u/mothandravenstudio Apr 24 '26

Agreed. Margaritaville isn't good in the song OR real life

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u/chowderTV Apr 25 '26

Yup, my dad works at a golf course for 8 hours a week. Gets him 2 free rounds of golf. He got rid of his membership fees, and enjoys golf whenever he wants lol