Chores vs Working longer doing what you love

[canadian235]

One thing that just popped into my mind that I would love to get some feedback on is the idea of chores.

What are people's thoughts around working longer in order not to do things you don't like post FIRE... I completely understand that the more expenses you can get rid of the quicker you get there... but if you love what you do for a living then isn't it worth putting in the extra time to invest more so you don't have to do EVERYTHING yourself when you FIRE?

Take for example cleaning lady... $200/m -> $2400/y = invested income needed $60,000... so I get it's a lot of money to afford this luxury post FIRE... but an extra year of work or so to get this luxury for the rest of your life seems like an interesting thought...

Again completely understand with the idea that this might not be the most "mustachian" approach but it's a realistic view and choice that has to be made for everyone across all spending habits.

Thoughts?

[Miss Piggy]

I'm totally on board with this mentality. Hubby and I could FIRE yesterday, but we're going to stay in the rat race a few more years so we can afford some "luxuries" post-FIRE. I don't want to live as if I'm at the poverty level...I don't see the point in that. Maybe it's not a "Mustachian" POV, but it's my POV.

[Cassie]

Makes perfect sense to me. We live at a higher level then many when they retire. I think everyone should do what makes them happy.

[aFrugalFather]

If you are already doing work you love, then it isn't really work to keep doing it is it?   Not sure why you would ever FIRE, but that is another discussion I suppose.  Ultimately its cost vs pain, if working for the 60K is no big deal vs. doing chores, then yeah why not, but its a slippery slope...

[aFrugalFather]

Condo fee is $210 a month... landscaping, snow removal and lawn cutting included in addition to maintaining outside of buildings (siding, roofs, sidewalks, etc)---so worth it right now, and I can do most of that myself..

You also have to consider not being able to do it all yourself as you age. A luxury like paying someone to cut the lawn might be a need later in life when something like degernative disks and associated pain affects you.

Or getting rid of the lawn.  Never heard of lawn maintenance as being included as a life necessity before :)

[tonysemail]

yeah, my wife and i talked about whether its worth it to keep paying the gardener.
with my allergies, it's pretty nice being able to outsource the yard work.
but that's definitely on the chopping block if the FIRE plan isn't working.

It's similar with plumbing. 
It's more fun to DIY, but I need a working toilet damn it.
If I suck at plumbing, then I want the luxury of hiring it out.

beyond a certain age, i wouldn't trust myself to climb a ladder.
So any chores like gutter cleaning would necessarily be outsourced.

it's annoying to pre-tidy the house for the cleaning lady.
so i probably wouldn't choose that one.

[human]

People there's an easier solution. If your yard is big enough that it needs a landscaper and gardener get rid of it, pave it over or something. If you need a cleaner your place is to big, get a smaller place. Besides when you FIRE you will have more time to clean!

[Cassie]

WE tried to make our yard as easy as possible. We live in a high desert with water shortage so put in astro-turf.  Still there may come a time that we can't pick up the fruit that fall off all the fruit trees or weed the shrubs we have so may have to hire that out.  YOu just never know. WE did downsize our home and I now clean it since I semi-retired.  I need a certain amount of exercise everyday so decided that to pay for a cleaner and then walk longer was silly. Still, I hated to see the 1x/month cleaners go.

[canadian235]

People there's an easier solution. If your yard is big enough that it needs a landscaper and gardener get rid of it, pave it over or something. If you need a cleaner your place is to big, get a smaller place. Besides when you FIRE you will have more time to clean!

That's the whole point of the post... you could do everything yourself... you could also move so you don't have to take care of anything.. you could live on the street that way you don't have anything to clean or maintain ;)

I think it's good to think about what you enjoy and don't mind doing on a regular basis vs being forced to do it because you don't have the cash to pay someone else.

[dragoncar]

Do you love exercising?  Are you in perfect shape?  If, like me, you do/are not, then housework is really a form of exercise that pays you back.  Personally I don't love what I do, but even if I did I could use a little more physical work and a little less mental work.

[human]

People there's an easier solution. If your yard is big enough that it needs a landscaper and gardener get rid of it, pave it over or something. If you need a cleaner your place is to big, get a smaller place. Besides when you FIRE you will have more time to clean!

That's the whole point of the post... you could do everything yourself... you could also move so you don't have to take care of anything.. you could live on the street that way you don't have anything to clean or maintain ;)

I think it's good to think about what you enjoy and don't mind doing on a regular basis vs being forced to do it because you don't have the cash to pay someone else.

Well then I guess count me in the camp that would never work longer because I can't be bothered to clean my own poop from the toilet bowl or sweep the floor. However, there's more to living frugally than retiring early, is not being independent and taking care of your own self and your own messes not something people can do anymore?

[redbird]

I'm honestly too cheap to ever consider a cleaning person even if I hate cleaning. :) I can understand why someone else would want to though. You do you! If you think it'll make you happier to have that, then go for it!

I do want to say that I don't hate cleaning as much post-FIRE as I did pre-FIRE. The reason I hated cleaning before was that it felt like it was just using up some of my valuable free time that I didn't feel like I had enough of. Now I have all the free time in the world. Cleaning doesn't feel like it gets in the way as much anymore. I still dislike it, especially cleaning the bathrooms since that's gross, but I'm more OK with it.

[sisto]

Personally I think do it if it's what makes you happy. Sounds like you have a job you love so why not. We aren't all as badass as MMM. I've found there are definitely varying degrees on here and that's perfectly fine.