What does having FI feel like?

[Asgard01]

Hi all,

I have read a couple of site posts around the web that talk about the disadvantages and advantages of being FI, how people felt after the fact etc. I would like to hear some more examples of this from any of you lot that have achieved FI, have been living FI for weeks, months and preferable a couple years.

I just wonder if you could share if being FI was really as good as your simulator in your mind predicted, was there any issues that you didn't expect to come up with? Did you adapt quite quickly and just move onto the next 'want' or thing that you still do not have. I have read a lot about impact bias and how we over estimate how much a future event or situation will both affect us for the better or the worse.

From my own perspective, I can see this with my own situation right now. I am 27, own my own home, have $100,000 in investments and can achieve FI in 3-5 years. This would likely be a mouth watering situation for some on here but I have quickly got used to where I am and even thoug yes I will feel good about it when writing now, it does not really have a huge impact day to day on happiness etc. I just think about other stuff I still haven't got I guess. I just wonder when I hit FI, if it will not be as good or long lasting in terms of a high as I think it might be. It will still be good don't get me wrong, but I will still be aiming and doing other things afterward which could determine mood etc.

I think personality traits might be more important rather than extrinsic reality here, my dad is not far off being a millionaire, he has no money issues what so ever and can do as he pleases and yet he is miserable most the time. My mom was the opposite.

Anyway, enough of the that... How has it been post FI? Permamnent smile on your face? Hehe I think perhaps not but still a great thing to have.

Chris

[libertarian4321]

FI was a terrible curse.  It caused me to become a poorer employee, no longer willing to work extra hours, no longer willing to bust my ass to "get ahead", often refusing to play the corporate game, not even giving a damn if I got laid off/fired.

Instead of working long hours, I have more free time and more time to spend with friends and family, or just reading a good book.  FI is a terrible demotivator. Somehow, when you know that you have enough money that you could not work until the year 2114 and still not run out of money or so can just make you not give a damn.

Before FI, I used to obsess about money and investments.  Now, I just don't.  I put the money in a good mutual fund and let it ride, rarely paying attention to what the market does on a day to day basis- again, that "demotivational" thing.

But other than that, FI didn't really mean any major differences in my life.  I still live pretty much the same lifestyle, just with far less job and money related stress.

[Gray Matter]

This is an interesting/excellent question!  I agree about impact bias and think we are notoriously bad at predicting what will make our future selves happy.  The folks on this website may have more self-awareness than the general public, so perhaps we're better off.

I don't know if I can really answer your question, because I don't know if I'm truly FI.  I tell myself I am, because if something happened, we could live a very modest lifestyle indefinitely off our investments/savings, but it would require downsizing out of a house/neighborhood I love and where we are well-rooted.  And I'm not sure how much I really believe it--I'm a little too conservative to want to live on a bare-bones budget (what if something happens?) and to believe that a 4% withdrawal rate is sustainable over the next 50 years.  With a net worth of 1.5 million, many people on this site would be retired yesterday.

I don't feel like it has made me feel more secure, but I am a worrier.  I am moving to a new job that takes me out of my comfort zone and I'm all twisted up inside about it (excited, but very, very nervous).  I tell myself that being FI means I can take this risk, and I do believe that, but I don't feel that, if that makes any sense.  Perhaps if we had the house paid off and a large enough stache to afford the substantial property taxes and insurance, I might feel differently, but probably not.  The truth is, we can live on DH's salary and still afford to save, so that alone should make me feel secure, but it doesn't.

 

[deborah]

We were FI a number of years ago, but didn't realise we could retire (hadn't read MMM or anything else). It felt weird. Like the previous poster, it took a while to truly believe that we were FI. We couldn't believe that we were different.

Actually, we weren't different. During that time, I had 2 people working for me (each at a different time) who each had property all over the country worth tens of millions of dollars. Both these people were poor workers who had been given to me to reform. Both went missing during the working day, could not be relied upon, and considered themselves to be above everyone else around (including me). I managed to do the impossible and reformed one of them so he became a vaguely useful employee. People were amazed! I heard that as soon as I left he un-reformed. I really don't know why either of them "worked" - they both seemed to be unhappy at work, and frustrated that they were required to at least make an appearance each day. Neither seemed to be prepared to engage, so neither gained much from the work environment.

When I finally realised I could retire, and what FI was, it was very liberating. I felt that it didn't matter what happened at work - I could say goodbye if it got too much. I really enjoyed my work more because of this.

FI got me thinking about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, and opened exciting new prospects. I am not taking advantage of it very quickly, but this is OK - I have the rest of my life to do these things, and I am testing out who I am, and exploring what I can do. Besides, my father has cancer, and I am spending a lot of time going back and forward to my parents' place which is a fair distance away. I'd rather go slowly than become stressed again.

[2527]

As somebody else said, it has made me a worse employee.  Also, I am probably less goal oriented overall.  I am more serene about practical problems, like broken water heaters, and the price of gasoline. 

Most of all, FI for me (and probably for most people here) is arrived at gradually, and I was never in a position of great financial vulnerability to begin with (I think in my adult life I have always had a positive net worth, and I have usually had a secure decent job), and the realization of being FI was arrived at somewhat gradually, so the changes were incremental and not very noticeable.  It is very different than one day receiving a big inheritance or having the winning lottery ticket.

[TomTX]

My uncle was FI @ ~40. FI with a house in a fancy part of Florida (on the water with a boat dock and boat, et cetera.) This was 30+ years ago, and he and my aunt have had a great life. Travel across the world, he runs the newsletters and organizes for his old high school class (searching out "missing" members) and the skydiving club he started decades prior. He's hiked the Appalachian Trail multiple times, Florida Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, ran trail tours at the Nature Conservancy regularly et cetera, et cetera.  They did "downshift" expenditures ~20 years ago, selling the boat, moving to a different part of Florida with a less expensive house, walking distance to the beach and such.

[daverobev]

I was in an office for two days last week. Company I used to work for.

I'm 'really bare bones' FI. Not having to work in an office? Priceless. Never look back.

[CarDude]

It's very freeing, but at the same time, it's still easy to get caught up in worries--they just become more generalized worries. For example, we're still trying to save up for the kids' college educations, and interested in seeing how that will play out (the whole higher education pyramid scheme) in the coming decades.

[lagniappe]

I have been FI for three or four years now.  I did go around with a permanent smile for a while.  Now the smile is no longer plastered on my face, but it is always near the surface, ready to emerge, especially when everyone around me is stressed out.

What being FI has given me, more than anything, is confidence.  The confidence to quit my job when it was threatening my health.  The confidence to take over a year to wander around the world.  The confidence to take a high risk new job, because if it doesn't work out, I'm still FI, but if it does, what a great learning experience I will have had! 

These are all things that I would have dreamed about pre-FI, but once I knew that I had the safety net of self-earned independence, I knew I could do anything I wanted, without the layer of anxiety I had before I was FI.

[sleepyguy]

Meh parents worry WAY too much about this... I come from a large family of 9 and all 7 of us did not get a cent to attend university.  All my brothers and sisters went and graduated university and have a "typical" lifestyle.  I did not attend and will be FIRE, lol.  We all came out fine.

PS. I'm paying for both my kids university... so yes i'm a sellout, LOL.

It's very freeing, but at the same time, it's still easy to get caught up in worries--they just become more generalized worries. For example, we're still trying to save up for the kids' college educations, and interested in seeing how that will play out (the whole higher education pyramid scheme) in the coming decades.

[Cassie]

For us it allowed us to work p.t. for ourselves which is really what we wanted to do. Without our pensions we would never have taken the risk  until we were much older.  I spent a lot of time helping other people which I feel is rewarding.  I have the time to volunteer which is great. It is the perfect balance.  We have always traveled in the past 14 years so this has not changed much.  I don't like to be away from home for more then 2 weeks at a time.

[Lukim]

I have probably had the money to be FI since I was aged 48 but I continue to work 60 hour weeks at age 55.

I do know that I could stop working tomorrow and not have to worry financially for the rest of my like - that is a relief.  But I still have other things in my head which make me feel guilty if I was to stop working.  These are all irrational fears and part of the reason I am reading the posts on sites like MMM is to overcome those fears.

[quilter]

Once we became FI we felt so much more relaxed. I quit work soon after, but DH stayed on for three more years for health insurance reasons, as this was pre ACA.  During that three years we really padded the accounts to make our retirement luxurious by MMM standards. We are able to carry excellent insurance for half of what we would pay under the ACA. But most important we started planning for retirement by really planning for our life after work. If you don't work you end up with 50 or 60 hours more a week free time.  That was the really fun part. What are you going to do with that time?

Reaching FI does not mean you will never work for money again. In fact having a cushion for medical expenses or travel is a really good idea. You might even work at your same job for years if you want. You might do some contract work, turn a hobby into money, work part time at a bike shop or become a master gardener or gourmet cook.

We used it as a starting point to the next part of our life. It was liberating, exciting, and a little frightening being ten years out from social security. Now we are almost there. Of course, looking at the stock market the last ten years, it was really a good time to retire.

We are more physically fit, have seen a lot of the world, can go help the kids when they call do projects around the house or babysit so they can get away for a long weekend. We have been able to help our remaining parent by being able to go for several week visits and help with major cleaning, painting and gardening projects.  We read lots of books, see lots of live music... What's not to like? 

[arebelspy]

Feels the same, to me.

We do whatever we want, and always have, regardless of money.  We live how we think is right.  What would money have to do with that?

Achieving FI lets us do things in an easier way, perhaps, but it doesn't allow us to do anything we couldn't do anyways*, and it doesn't change who we are as people.

As John Candy said in Cool Runnings when talking about an Olympic gold metal:
If you're not enough without it, you'll never be enough with it.


*I think for most people, at best, it removes mental barriers they themselves have placed.  It doesn't open up possibilities that weren't there anyways.  I realize many will disagree with this, and I'm okay with that.

[Dr. Doom]

I agree with posters that say that work stress goes down.

It's not an intentional thing.  You don't go in to the job one day and say, damn, I'm FI, I'm not going to work as hard.

But I found that the push simply isn't there anymore.  I really question why I'm doing what I'm doing.  Do you need to complete Mindless Task A for your manager today or can it wait a couple of days?  Answer: In many cases it can wait forever.  Certainly until he asks for it three or four more times.

I used to be an overachieving type.  Now I simply get things done that need to get done and move on.  Some of this change in behavior is simply due to getting older, having more experience, working more efficiently, and prioritizing effectively.  Yet, I think the most important variable here is FI.  I know that at the end of the day there's no longer any risk at work for me whatsoever, and so my production has, in turn, dropped.  I also don't mind getting to work 10 minutes late or cutting out 10 minutes early.

This probably makes me sound lazy and ineffectual and not everyone will like the change in attitude but as an anon poster I can afford to share the truth.  I do good work on the tasks that I think are important and block most of the rest of it out.  I go into 1:1s with my manager and avoid talking about projects, goals and objectives because I know that will result in more work assigned.  Instead I intentionally sidetrack him and ask about his family, or what he thinks about Obama, until the time runs out and I haven't been given any new work.  We had a four hour quarterly departmental meeting last Monday which is always a complete waste of time and I simply skipped it.  I told my manager I was going to be in the office late because my wife was ill.  IDGAF.

What can I say?  I'm officially a short-timer.  (Incidentally I just got the results of my annual review back and I still received the second best rating on my team of 10.  Apparently no one is noticing my slacking but me.)

On the personal side of things, knowing that I'm going to be leaving the job soon fills me with a muted happiness that is present *at all times*.

It's been this way for two full years now.  At this point, I don't think that feeling is going to go anywhere -- for some reason I've failed to 'hedonically adapt' to the feeling of FI.  It remains incredibly awesome, every day.  Part of this is because I grew up poor and I'm very mindful of how difficult the road has been.  When I do the downward comparison of 'present me' to 'past me' the drop is precipitous and I feel continually grateful to be where I am.  That's not hyperbole.

I should also note that I'm not a super happy person by nature.  I have to exercise a lot to keep my mood at decent levels.  My personality is predominantly analytic and devoid of emotion, but at least so far, FI has been everything I thought it would be, and there's been a tangible daily payoff on my life satisfaction and happiness.

Note that I'm reaping all of these positives without even retiring.

I've also found that I finally have the motivation and energy to spend time on things outside of work.  I'm more relaxed at home.  I see colors instead of gray.  I almost never think about work when I'm not at work anymore.  (I used to constantly be worried about Shit That Isn't Done Yet.  Now I think about what I might like to cook for dinner or a new song I want to learn on guitar that night.)

Look, bottom line, my worries about work have NOT been replaced by worries about other things.  They're just gone.

Great thread topic, btw, the responses so far are very interesting.

[travelbug]

It is a liberating feeling.

We like to live under the radar with our "stealth wealth" and like the feeling we get when we don't subscribe to what others around us are doing.

It's like a secret club.

We also like the feeling of knowing that we can buy anything, but most often choose not to. Once I knew we could afford certain "labels of wealth" they held no power any more.

We are still working though but will hopefully sell or automate our business this year. Either way we will be able to walk away and live our life on our terms. That will mean travel and family time. The children will have DH there and be able to develop a relationship rather than know him as an obscure working-man-shadow in their lives.

[Jamesqf]

Relief, more than anything.  I used to measure my net worth in how long I could survive at a minimal level - eating, basically - and there were times when it weeks, if not days.  Such a relief when it became years, then decades, then finally the income from the stash was enough for minimal survival.  Now it's almost beyond that, to the comfort level.

[John74]

I have yet to find a disadvantage to FI, and I have been at it for 4 years. Being FI is a great feeling. I feel free and in charge of my life. I was quite euphoric in the first few months after reaching my "number", but I would describe my mood as quiet contentment now. I keep my wealth very stealthy, so my life has not changed materially. I still drive my banged up Toyota and still wear my jeans and t-shirt uniform. Yet, it has changed my life in less obvious ways. I worry less. I am more confident. I don't have to take shit from a boss. I don't have to impress anyone or care about their opinion. I can be me and live life on my own terms.

[deborah]

for some reason I've failed to 'hedonically adapt' to the feeling of FI.  It remains incredibly awesome, every day.  Note that I'm reaping all of these positives without even retiring.

I've also found that I finally have the motivation and energy to spend time on things outside of work.  I'm more relaxed at home.  I see colors instead of gray.  I almost never think about work when I'm not at work anymore.

Look, bottom line, my worries about work have NOT been replaced by worries about other things.  They're just gone.

Exactly!

[NewStachian]

I'm at a bit of a weird place where I *could* be FI under certain situations, but not my current one. I've got some large expenses that aren't needed, so if I downsized my house and moved to a different area I could never work again. It feels great knowing that's an option, but I'm not quite at the point where I can FIRE and maintain my current lifestyle. For that reason I keep working (I still enjoy my job and it's bike-able). I may be a tad lazier at work from it, but that might just be my normal disposition ;)

[golden1]

This is a question I have thought about a lot.  I really think it depends on who you are.  True confession time below:

I had what I like to call a "brush with FI" in my late 20's, early 30's. 

My father died when I was 20, and left me a decent sized inheritance.  The money definitely demotivated me to some extent, but I  did manage to graduate college with good grades in a hard science, but a lot of my drive was gone.  I made some facepunch worthy purchases ( new car, a few vacations) but I did invest a large amount of it in the tech boom years, and did very well.  I will say that I was not any happier with the money.  In fact, I was a lot LESS happy in my 20's because I felt like I was just killing time at work.  I felt like I had no purpose really and was just waiting out the years until I had kids.  I desperately wanted out of that job and I didn't really think much about what life would be like when I didn't go to work.

When I was in my mid 20's, my investments were doing well, and my husband and I wanted to have children, and we realized the money allowed me to stay home with them with no issues.  So I gave my resignation, and after working part time during my pregnancy, I was unemployed for the first time since age 14.  It was a wonderful feeling at first, and the first few years of having small babies consumed all my time and kept me busy, and things were going pretty well.

I had planned to stay home for 2-3 years, 5 at the most, but I ended up staying home for 8 years total.  In those years, the tech bubble burst, we switched financial advisors to one who was dishonest, and I frittered away a lot of money on stupid kid related stuff to kill time as the kids got older.  So between that, and the fact that I was home a lot more time then planned meant that most of that money was gone by the time I went back to work 3.5 years ago.

I learned a lot about myself on those years, but mostly what I learned is that I need to keep busy when not working, and structure my life so that I don't expose myself to temptations.  I am not FI yet, but I am what I call "financially secure" in that we could live several years without one of us working and still be fine.  My ideal life structure in FI probably includes part time work.  I just do better with some sort of structure. 

I have a much better idea of what FI will look like for me, which I plan on hitting by age 55 or so.  I'd like to drop to part time by age 50, join a choral group, run, volunteer more in the community, and in general keep myself busy.  I have a much better concrete idea of what FI will look like in my head than I did at age 25.  It is not all sunshines and rainbows, and stress and life will still happen, whether you are working a 9-5 or not. 

[Rural]

We're at bare bones FI. How amazing and how wonderful. We can keep this roof over our heads for the rest of our lives with the money we have already.


I think you have to grow up poor to understand what that means.


I've found a confidence I never had in the last few years (started before we actually got to FI, but I could see it would happen). There's a serenity and a real sense of priorities (family first, with none of the sinking "yeah, but we have to eat" feeling that saying things like that used to entail). No sense of desperation, of being torn by impossible choices.


Oh, and here's a big one: no drama. None. I no longer have any of my own (that's been a long time now) and, better, I no longer have to listen to anyone else's or permit it to occur in my vicinity (including at work).


So, yeah. It's good. A genuine source of happiness and gratitude every day. Has been for four or five years now, more pronouncedly so since we paid off the house a year ago.

[Jane]

If we made some lifestyle changes, we'd be FI. Knowing this has changed how I work, although I was never one to work long hours or take work home, but I'm less fearful of breaking "rules" and worrying as much about what coworkers think of me. 

Similar to what others have said, FI has made me realize I don't have to put up with a bunch of BS at work if I don't want to. I work from home about 95% of the time. Why? Because my boss lives out of the area and I sit in a cube with zero privacy (low glass walls - whoever designed that style of cube should be exiled from office design) surrounded by people who are not on my team. She wants me to go in to show my face and play the corporate politic game, but I don't care. I can do the same work at home, and anybody who would be so inclined to stop by my desk to ask a work related question could just as easily email me, IM me, or call my on my work smart phone which I have listed as my main number. Before FI I would have sucked it up and done what my boss wanted for fear of losing my job. Not so anymore. I don't really advertise where I'm sitting each day, and she doesn't ask on our daily teleconference team meetings, so I don't tell. Actually the other two people on my team (who sit in different offices) do the same thing as me, so I'm clearly not alone in thinking it's ridiculous to go into the office for the sake of saying you're going into the office.

I'm a much happier employee this way, and it has made me stick around. We have a baby on the way, and I would likely be quitting my job if I was required to get ready in the morning and commute to the office to sit in a place that made me miserable, then followed by an evening of scrambling around with a baby preparing for the next day. Instead, we are still planning on daycare, but when I have downtime during the day I can run a load of wash, get dinner prepped, and do lots of other things that I would otherwise have to fit into a couple of hours in the evening. I'm a very productive and efficient worker, and instead of chatting with a coworker to kill time or messing around online, I can take breaks and do things around the house. I always get top ratings on my reviews so they seem happy enough with my work.

I guess that overall, FI has let me feel so optimistic and peaceful about my future. The thought of having to depend on corporate America to fund my life for the next few decades is sickening to me. I love knowing that I have control over my future, and I'll never have to take a job that I don't like just so that I can pay my bills.

[frugalnacho]

I imagine it will be like a permanent weekend.  I'll stop stressing that I have to wake up early to go to work on monday.  I'll stop worrying about how I am going to find time to finish the garden and get the lawn mowed, and get my pot of chili made, and get the grocery shopping done, etc.   I also won't have to say "Sorry I can't stay and have another beer...I've gotta wake up early and go to work tomorrow".

[Jamesqf]

I think you have to grow up poor to understand what that means.

Yeah, and/or be really poor for part of your adult life, and know that you don't have mom & dad or other family to fall back on.

[quilter]

Oh, and here's a big one: no drama. None. I no longer have any of my own (that's been a long time now) and, better, I no longer have to listen to anyone else's or permit it to occur in my vicinity (including at work).

So true.  We have no reason to spend time with anyone we don't want to unless they are a close relation.

I am on several sports teams.  Just today someone was complaining and I could just laugh it off. As in "are you out of your mind?"  It's a freaking game!  Same with my quilt group. I was in one and some drama started. I stayed out of it and found a new group more to my liking.

So we live our whole life that way.  We don't have to go to the grocery store during the crowded times. We can wait for morning traffic to clear before going somewhere. If  you don't care for someone you are not forced to sit next to them as they clip their toenails and talk with food in their mouths or have long involved personal calls instead of doing their work sticking it to the rest of the team.  No lie, I worked on the other side of a cube wall of someone who did that. Last I heard she is still there.

[quilter]

I think you have to grow up poor to understand what that means.

Yeah, and/or be really poor for part of your adult life, and know that you don't have mom & dad or other family to fall back on.

I grew up in foster care.  Spending money on anything but bare necessities before we were FI was excruciating for me. I was so afraid of ending up on the street. Eight years into retirement I know we won't run out of money as SS is a few years away and our principal is higher than we retired thanks to the booming stock market, and I still only can buy what I absolutely need.  We ate out last night, a rare occurrence, and I am finally getting over thinking how many groceries that one meal would pay for so I actually enjoy it.

[RootofGood]

I'm a little over 9 months into retirement.  It took me about 6 months to relax and let the early retirement set in.  I'm there now.

I would describe early retirement as a long lazy weekend.  I do all the stuff I want to do whenever I want to do it.  I used to squeeze all the fun stuff into a weekend (which was mostly devoted to chores like shopping, yard work, housework, etc).

I spend an hour or two outside virtually every day and get plenty of exercise. 

I read for a few hours at a time when I want to.

I can sit down to a favorite TV show and watch an episode without feeling guilty about wasting time.  And sometimes I'll watch 2-3 episodes back to back (and waste a whole morning this way!).

I have a mug of coffee and a simple breakfast every day after my morning walk.  I'll often eat it outside when the weather is nice.  No rushing required.

I'll find something engaging and spend a few days pursuing it. 

To answer the OP's specific questions, the high of FI isn't there for me (although there was a lot of anticipation leading up to it).  It's just a low-grade contentedness that permeates my being about 90% of the time.  I do find myself smiling at least a few times per day and thinking "geez, this is awesome".  And when I hear people complaining about work-related BS, I can smile a little more knowing I don't have to deal with it. 

[Ozstache]

Like others have stated, my tolerance for fools became even less at FI, making my final months at work quite a challenging period. Nonetheless, I made it through without burning any worthwhile future bridges.

If you think you get a big enough smile on your face the day you become FI, it broadens when you finally ER and, as you get into it, realise your financial projections were somewhat pessimistic and your cunning plan is actually working better than expected!

[chasesfish]

FI is something that approaches slowly unless you have some large financial event.  You get to a number where you can live bare bones first, then what you feel like is reasonable and fits you, and then could even approach full income replacement

I'm somewhere between stage 1 and stage 2 of FI.  It is actually making me enjoy my job a lot more.  I go to work and really appreciate the things that I am paid for while the little irritations bother me a whole lot less.  Its also given my wife the freedom to stop working and the home life is much improved.

[dude]

If all goes according to plan, I'll be FI in just shy of 5 years.  I'll be sure to come back and give my thoughts then!

Excellent thread -- it's fanning my FIRE flames for sure.

[soccerluvof4]

For me its been different in that I have always been a person of worry. So my worries have just changed. The one difference is I am able to rationalize it faster and easier.  Also have found over the years if I stay away from the news and listen to "the worlds going to end" or " the markets going to crash" or or or... i feel less worry as well.  I like one of the other responses pretty much spend a couple hours outside everyday doing yard stuff or ? reading a good book and just getting stuff done but at my own pace and not having its got be perfect right now or really every.  Good enough is more in my life now so all this has added up for alot less stress which is needed with 4 kids still at home and last week of school....oh geez!

[Michread]

Less stress & more options 

[Icecreamarsenal]

I'm a little over 9 months into retirement.  It took me about 6 months to relax and let the early retirement set in.  I'm there now.

I would describe early retirement as a long lazy weekend.  I do all the stuff I want to do whenever I want to do it.  I used to squeeze all the fun stuff into a weekend (which was mostly devoted to chores like shopping, yard work, housework, etc).

I spend an hour or two outside virtually every day and get plenty of exercise. 

I read for a few hours at a time when I want to.

I can sit down to a favorite TV show and watch an episode without feeling guilty about wasting time.  And sometimes I'll watch 2-3 episodes back to back (and waste a whole morning this way!).

I have a mug of coffee and a simple breakfast every day after my morning walk.  I'll often eat it outside when the weather is nice.  No rushing required.

I'll find something engaging and spend a few days pursuing it. 

To answer the OP's specific questions, the high of FI isn't there for me (although there was a lot of anticipation leading up to it).  It's just a low-grade contentedness that permeates my being about 90% of the time.  I do find myself smiling at least a few times per day and thinking "geez, this is awesome".  And when I hear people complaining about work-related BS, I can smile a little more knowing I don't have to deal with it.

When I read this reply, I ran over to my wife with my ipad and said, "Look, look!" and made her read it.  We high-fived.

[RootofGood]

I'm a little over 9 months into retirement.  It took me about 6 months to relax and let the early retirement set in.  I'm there now.

I would describe early retirement as a long lazy weekend.  I do all the stuff I want to do whenever I want to do it.  I used to squeeze all the fun stuff into a weekend (which was mostly devoted to chores like shopping, yard work, housework, etc).

I spend an hour or two outside virtually every day and get plenty of exercise. 

I read for a few hours at a time when I want to.

I can sit down to a favorite TV show and watch an episode without feeling guilty about wasting time.  And sometimes I'll watch 2-3 episodes back to back (and waste a whole morning this way!).

I have a mug of coffee and a simple breakfast every day after my morning walk.  I'll often eat it outside when the weather is nice.  No rushing required.

I'll find something engaging and spend a few days pursuing it. 

To answer the OP's specific questions, the high of FI isn't there for me (although there was a lot of anticipation leading up to it).  It's just a low-grade contentedness that permeates my being about 90% of the time.  I do find myself smiling at least a few times per day and thinking "geez, this is awesome".  And when I hear people complaining about work-related BS, I can smile a little more knowing I don't have to deal with it.

When I read this reply, I ran over to my wife with my ipad and said, "Look, look!" and made her read it.  We high-fived.

High five to you all! 

[Spartana]

I had quit my job to take some time off with the plan of going back to work eventually. After I did this I realized I could become frugally FI by selling my house and downsizing. So it was sort of a shock to realize that I could actually retire permanently at a fairly young age. But once it sunk in and I adjusted to the idea it was very freeing and lifted a lot of stress from my life. So I made some plans for things I wanted to do with my new freedom, and while those plans didn't pan out as I thought they would, I have really enjoyed my frugal FI and lifestyle overall. I've become more flexible and realize that shit happens and I may not be able to do all the things I want even retired, but I take it for what it is and enjoy each day.

[Ozstache]

I had quit my job to take some time off with the plan of going back to work eventually. After I did this I realized I could become frugally FI by selling my house and downsizing. So it was sort of a shock to realize that I could actually retire permanently at a fairly young age.

Now that you mention it, FI for me came along as soon as I changed my retirement income aim from the good ole 70% of your current salary mantra to be what I am currently spending each year, which was a lot less. The 25x your retirement income as a stash goal works just as well in reverse ie. for every $1 you don't need in retirement income, that's $25 less you need in your stash!

[dragoncar]

Really great inspirational thread for those of us who are "on track" but getting kinda bored waiting for our expected number/date, or experiencing frugal fatigue. 

I'm surprised how many low-post-count people here are already FI.  Have you guys been members for a long time and just finally found a relevant thread?  I'm just curious what you get out of this forum if you are already FI on, say, your first post here.

[John74]

I'm surprised how many low-post-count people here are already FI.  Have you guys been members for a long time and just finally found a relevant thread?  I'm just curious what you get out of this forum if you are already FI on, say, your first post here.

I did not show up out of nowhere. I spent many years posting on ER.org, from the time the FIRE lightbulb went on to well past the time FIRE became a reality. I am much younger than the typical poster there however and my perspective does not seem to align with the group's anymore. That's why I am testing the waters out here. I espouse many of the MMM principles and despite the fact that I am already FI, I am learning plenty of things on this forum. I see that many of the younger FIREes that I used to bump into at ER.org have made the same move.

[Daisy]

Really great inspirational thread for those of us who are "on track" but getting kinda bored waiting for our expected number/date, or experiencing frugal fatigue. 

Instead of frugal fatigue, think of it as a life and attitude change to your way of spending. If not, you risk sliding back to consumerism. Kind of like a fad diet vs. changing your eating habits. It's not easy to change, but doing it little by little - you eventually get used to the new lifestyle. And just like in changing your dietary habits, it's still OK to sway from your path occasionally to have dessert, buy something you don't really need, etc. But just stay on the path most of the time to see results.

I'm surprised how many low-post-count people here are already FI.  Have you guys been members for a long time and just finally found a relevant thread?  I'm just curious what you get out of this forum if you are already FI on, say, your first post here.

Maybe they're just too busy having fun in their FIRE life that they don't have time to post here. I hope the successful ones post more too! There's always something to learn.

[salesguy]

Second post here and this thread drew me out of lurker status.

I do think that many folks who are interested in the ideas at MMM don't bother to post or register, like I have been for quite some time.

I'll probably post more details later, but I'm 39 and just left my full time job this week.  The emotional aspects of leaving full time employment to pursue other interest and money making ventures outside of being a W2 employee are fascinating. 

For me it was scary at first, just the thought of leaving a big paycheck and the security it provided, but at the same time my job was killing my health.  I had the best nights sleep last night and felt better this morning than I have in many months.

I'm also filled with positive energy and enthusiasms for a number of new doors opening before us which many people would call "luck" or being "fortunate" - but I'm more of a think and grow rich kind of a guy. 

Can't wait to hear more stories in this thread!

[curlycue]

I worry less and sleep much better.

I also have a choice as far as not needing to stay in jobs that are soul sucking. I can work when I feel it is a positive choice, but not jailed in an unhealthy environment so my Sunday nights are happier.

I am also in a position to help out friends and family more, which I love being able to focus on the people in my life and invest time and love in my relationships.

[Asgard01]

Thanks everyone for their replies to my post. I think for me I can comment myself partially as I realised this week that if I were to change my withdrawal rate to 5% which is optimistic and maybe too risky if I were to stay FI without other income for a while but more reasonable as a general barebones FI feeling. 5% of my investments would pay me $850 a month. That pays for the following which is a great feeling:

My home (I own this no mortgage)
Home insurance
Council tax
Food (quality healthy food)
Water
Gas (hot water and warm home)
Electricity
Home phone
Access to the internet
Mobile phone
Tv license - over 400 free to air channels
Car (car insurance - $90 fuel a month)


I have no money left for things like:

Unexpected outgoings
Paid activities
Purchases (DVDs,clothes etc)
Holidays
Replacing items

But..

The feeling that I have all the entertainment you could ever wish for with access to the internet, all the knowledge and learning I could want with the internet and libraries. I can have everything I need for physical, emotional and mental health. I could volunteer, I could make use of all the items in my house, all the things I have brought in the past that I never even got around to appreciating. I could start a business, work a very simple few hours a week part time jobs to pay for some of the above things I miss. That itself is a fantastic feeling.

My home is mine, I have warmth, food and drink and access to the internet, free services etc. I have what I need to be really happy which means I feel like I can speak my mind at work, I don't worry about loosing my job. I can stay true more to my values. I can find work that I really enjoy and feel that helps people. I can choose low paying jobs as I am not interested in having so much excess that brings no real long lasting value to my life.

It feels good :)

Chris

[RootofGood]

I did not show up out of nowhere. I spent many years posting on ER.org, from the time the FIRE lightbulb went on to well past the time FIRE became a reality. I am much younger than the typical poster there however and my perspective does not seem to align with the group's anymore. That's why I am testing the waters out here. I espouse many of the MMM principles and despite the fact that I am already FI, I am learning plenty of things on this forum. I see that many of the younger FIREes that I used to bump into at ER.org have made the same move.

Hi from FUEGO at the ER forums.  What's your screen name at er.org?  +1 to the "feeling out of place at a forum that's theoretically devoted to early retirement".  :)

[arebelspy]

I did not show up out of nowhere. I spent many years posting on ER.org, from the time the FIRE lightbulb went on to well past the time FIRE became a reality. I am much younger than the typical poster there however and my perspective does not seem to align with the group's anymore. That's why I am testing the waters out here. I espouse many of the MMM principles and despite the fact that I am already FI, I am learning plenty of things on this forum. I see that many of the younger FIREes that I used to bump into at ER.org have made the same move.

Hi from FUEGO at the ER forums.  What's your screen name at er.org?  +1 to the "feeling out of place at a forum that's theoretically devoted to early retirement".  :)

Yeah, I think of this forum as a whole section of the "Young Dreamers" forum from E-R.org.  Average age here is probably two decades below over there.

Still, this poll today shocked me: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/poll-years-to-fire/

Just over half of the respondents are in the final two categories and 9+ years from FI/ER?  Only 7.5% (as of this writing) are already FIRE?

I thought this group was closer on average.

Definitely a board of Young Dreamers.  ;)

[RootofGood]

Yeah, I think of this forum as a whole section of the "Young Dreamers" forum from E-R.org.  Average age here is probably two decades below over there.

Still, this poll today shocked me: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/poll-years-to-fire/

Just over half of the respondents are in the final two categories and 9+ years from FI/ER?  Only 7.5% (as of this writing) are already FIRE?

I thought this group was closer on average.

Definitely a board of Young Dreamers.  ;)

Looked at the opposite way, the poll says about 50% are within 8 years of FI (or there already).  I'd say that's a pretty good stat given the range of very young 20-somethings to mid life folks that populate these hallowed halls.  For the average working stiffs that have to put in 30 years to get a pension, or 40+ years to make it to age 65, being only 8 years out isn't too bad. 

I think my $32k/yr lifestyle combined with my ability to be flexible fits in here a lot better.  At ER.org, the mega-millionaires don't want to issue Official Early Retirement (tm) cards to those members without $2MM+ portfolios and a fully funded 529 for their kids and potential grandkids. 

[RootofGood]

I thought of another good example of what FI means to those still working.  My wife is still working full time right now (perhaps for another year??).  She planned to take a 3 month paid sabbatical this summer, but her request was denied.  Instead, they offered her an extra 5 weeks paid time off this summer (on top of her 6+ weeks of holidays and vacation time and unlimited sick leave) and then she could take the full sabbatical next year. 

It's just enough to make staying on the job worthwhile given we are FI.  They know about my early retirement and don't want her to quit yet, so she can name her non-monetary terms (like tons of extra time off). 

No regular sane employ who depended on her job for a livelihood would risk angering her employer or being so transparent about short timer status.  It could harm the potential for raises, promotions, and put you first in line for layoffs. 

[iris lily]

...

This is what I'm most looking forward too, looking at things in detail, slowing down to do so. It's what I remember of being a child in summer, time means nothing.

[arebelspy]

Yeah, I think of this forum as a whole section of the "Young Dreamers" forum from E-R.org.  Average age here is probably two decades below over there.

Still, this poll today shocked me: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/poll-years-to-fire/

Just over half of the respondents are in the final two categories and 9+ years from FI/ER?  Only 7.5% (as of this writing) are already FIRE?

I thought this group was closer on average.

Definitely a board of Young Dreamers.  ;)

Looked at the opposite way, the poll says about 50% are within 8 years of FI (or there already).  I'd say that's a pretty good stat given the range of very young 20-somethings to mid life folks that populate these hallowed halls.  For the average working stiffs that have to put in 30 years to get a pension, or 40+ years to make it to age 65, being only 8 years out isn't too bad. 

I love that optimistic spin.  :)

[Spartana]

I did not show up out of nowhere. I spent many years posting on ER.org, from the time the FIRE lightbulb went on to well past the time FIRE became a reality. I am much younger than the typical poster there however and my perspective does not seem to align with the group's anymore. That's why I am testing the waters out here. I espouse many of the MMM principles and despite the fact that I am already FI, I am learning plenty of things on this forum. I see that many of the younger FIREes that I used to bump into at ER.org have made the same move.

Hi from FUEGO at the ER forums.  What's your screen name at er.org?  +1 to the "feeling out of place at a forum that's theoretically devoted to early retirement".  :)

Yeah, I think of this forum as a whole section of the "Young Dreamers" forum from E-R.org.  Average age here is probably two decades below over there.

Still, this poll today shocked me: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/poll-years-to-fire/

Just over half of the respondents are in the final two categories and 9+ years from FI/ER?  Only 7.5% (as of this writing) are already FIRE?

I thought this group was closer on average.

Definitely a board of Young Dreamers.  ;)

Thanks for the tip about the ER forums. I've never been to the ER forums but it sounds like a place for us "elderly" folks who FiRE'd at the ancient age of early-40-something. Now if I can just get the Depends pulled on, the Lil' Rascal scooter started and sweep the dinosaurs off the front porch I'll mosey on over there and check it out.