Hello! A little background: I'm very new to these ideas of FI/RE, but I have immersed myself in reading about them this past month. I dream BIG and big (sometimes too big) dreams are what inspire me to do hard things. I LOVE dreaming and scheming and the bigger the possibility the more excited, alive, and driven I feel!
Reading these FI principles has really sparked something in me and I have come up with a plan to (hopefully) achieve early retirement for my husband and I in 5(!!!) years. I've shared these plans with him, explained the exciting things we could do once we achieve FI, and stated that this would take some (albeit minor) budget cuts.
He responded overall positive to the plan, but didn't really engage in the idea and stated that he wouldn't mind working an extra 2 or 3 years if it meant eating out more often, and living more comfortably. This statement kinda deflated my gusto... like: I don't want to work those extra 2-3 years!!!
To give some context: my husband has a stressful job that he has hated/learned to endure as a construction pm. He is very tired after a strenuous work day and prefers to spend most evenings vegging out watching Office re-runs... Don't get me wrong, his steadiness is a quality I GREATLY appreciate in him. But sometimes it manifests as complacency...
I would never ever say he is lazy, he is extremely hard working, loyal, and dedicated... but not a dreamer! My question is, how do you get a spouse to exercise their dreams a little? Especially when they regularly tell you, "I don't really have dreams like you"...
And... if anyone is interested here is our situation and my FI plan:
We both make the same salary (~70k). I am 24 (3 years into working), he is 27 (5 years into working). We are currently putting most excess cash towards paying off our mortgage (45% of our income). And this is the timeline I've projected:
2017 - work on paying off mortgage (husband prefers to do this over investing for flexibility's sake, and he is conservative/risk-averse)
2018 - finish paying off mortgage
2019 - invest 15% of income, use 42% of income to buy 2 rental properties
2020 - invest 15% of income, use 42% of income to buy 2 more rental properties
2021 - invest 70% of income plus rental income
2022 - FIRE!!!!
Thanks all for reading, can't wait to hear your input/ideas! And I'm so honored to be joining the ranks of 'Mustachians'!!