Author Topic: What is your FIRE dream?  (Read 11621 times)

Maigahane

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What is your FIRE dream?
« on: February 22, 2014, 09:16:53 AM »
What would you do if you did not have to work to keep your current standard of living? I know what I would do (foster and rehabilitate dogs) but DH has absolutely no idea. He does not really like his job and is currently driving himself insane going to school (while working) for yet another degree with no real plan about how it will help his job situation...and I think he's the type that will never really like a job. I think if I can help him figure out his FIRE dream he can work towards that as a happier person but I'm drawing a blank too.

So I want your ideas: What are your FIRE dreams?

engineerjourney

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2014, 09:25:02 AM »
I used to volunteer at three different places every week while working full time.  I got completely burned out and now only do one.  Its the one that had the least volunteers and relied on me the most (unfortunately its the one farthest away from my home :( ).  So when I FIRE I will go back to volunteering more!  It makes me feel good, it helps out different people/animals, and most of the time there are free perks!  (like I get to play with tons of kitties while I am cleaning at the cat shelter). 

I would also probably make a lot of things!  And then sell them to pay for the hobby or donate them to help out more organizations.  I will probably take long walks and bike rides to explore the windy CT roads too. 

EK

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2014, 09:27:29 AM »
I want to:
- make things
- play piano
- enjoy the outdoors
- volunteer
- spend as much time as possible doing the above with loved ones

NinetyFour

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2014, 09:32:52 AM »
I want to:

read lots of books
grow veggies
shed lots of belongings
exercise lots (bike, walk, hike, climb mountains, play hockey)
hike, camp, travel with camper
teach/volunteer overseas
learn Spanish

Mortgage Free Mike

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2014, 09:33:49 AM »
I love this post! Thank you for allowing me to dream.

I would:

1) Be location independent. I would keep my paid off home, but I would travel more often. I would probably spend more time at my family's home in South Florida. Nothing beats South Beach, right?

2) Volunteer to help people suffering from mental illness. Also, volunteer at an animal shelter.

3) I would devote more time to my blog. I truly love writing and sharing information. Once I am financially set, I can dedicate more resources to make my blog useful to a larger audience. By the way, I would be blogging from the beach!

4) Entertain family and friends, including preparing amazing meals with items I grew myself.

Drew

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2014, 09:39:06 AM »
1.  Move back home and spend more time with family and friends.
2.  Travel more with family and friends.
3.  Possibly open a gym and start personal training.
4.  Help my wife grow her online boutique/open a physical store.

Russ

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2014, 09:50:22 AM »
I have a rough list of "things I want to do", in no particular order. doing #1 first because it pays the bills, but I would want to spend just as much time on it if I were already FI

1. keep doing what I do now (CNC machining)
2. travel
2a. world (slow travel)
2b. continent (live in a  van)
3. design/build furniture (probably also a house some day)
4. build musical instruments
5. write/play music
6. outdoorsy stuff
7. cook/bake tasty things

I guess I do all of these already though, except the travelling for extended periods of time. But that just means I have more time for the other things right now.

brianeboatman

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2014, 10:51:42 AM »
I won't need much. I want to fish, razor clam dig and crab in my early retirement. Just cheap housing and a fishing/shellfish combo license and I'll be set. I plan to move from hot and dry Nevada to Aberdeen, WA.

zachd

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2014, 11:34:09 AM »

Thanks for asking!  Good to have a dream.  My wife and I talked and made a list of things we want to do so we can revisit it from time to remember why we are saving our money.

Like Russ said.. live in a Van.. haha.  I have always wanted to just drive aimlessly across the United States.. stop in little towns and find the best places to eat or weird things to do.. meet interesting people...  visit thrift stores and flea markets and buy stuff to re-sell or keep... visit state parks and camp out..  not sure if we would have a little camper or RV or just stay at camp grounds or something.. who knows

That and I'd like to either find a house in a smaller town or to build a house and have a super size movie screen.  I have an 8 foot screen now but I'm thinking 25-30 foot wide screen for watching movies.   Who knows what the technology will be like by then though!

When not traveling I think it would be splitting time between working out, reading books, watching movies, eating food, and taking naps.

Gray Matter

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2014, 11:52:11 AM »
What wouldn't I do?  I'd:
  • brush up on my French
  • foster animals
  • foster children
  • write more
  • walk and ride bike more
  • interview people in the nursing home in our neighborhood and write their personal histories
  • research the history of this house and the people who lived in it
  • write a coffee table book, with beautiful black-and-white photos on one side and stories or essays on the opposing pages--perhaps writing the stories of some of the homeless people I pass every day on my way to work--sometimes I feel like they are invisible and they deserve a voice (if they want to be heard)
  • take more road trips
  • teach the occasional class at local (or not) colleges/universities
  • sort and purge many of our possessions
  • organize our family photos, including scanning many of my grandfather's and mother's slides
  • explore our national parks

If money were no object, I'd:
  • build a tiny house on an empty lot in my neighborhood, move the family into it for a year while renting out the big house, and write a blog about our year of living simply.  At the end of the year we'd decide if we wanted to move back into the big house or stay in the tiny house.
  • rehab with historical sensitivity old, neglected houses and provide housing for low income people (a version of Habitat for Humanity, but with equal emphasis on rescuing the house, teaching DIY skills, and providing housing)
  • spend three months at a time in various countries (France, China, South Africa, New Zealand, etc.)
  • take a walking tour of Ireland
  • go back to school just for fun, taking classes in cognitive science, psychology, and public health

Thanks for the chance to fantasize!


MMMdude

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2014, 12:09:37 PM »
-exercise more
-walk my dog alot more
-do cheap travel (last minute deals are not something a working stiff can take advantage of)
-spend more time with family
-read more
-volunteer (sadly i do none now)
-keep the house/yard cleaner.  right now we are doing the bare minimum

Unionville

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2014, 12:24:47 PM »
I've been asking myself this question since I found out I was FIRE three weeks ago. I realize that most of the things I dream about I've already done, which is great to know I've lived a life I value.  Now I want to focus on spiritual development.  That was my first thought. It always gets shoved to the back, it seems.

NinetyFour

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2014, 12:34:12 PM »
I want to:

read lots of books
grow veggies
shed lots of belongings
exercise lots (bike, walk, hike, climb mountains, play hockey)
hike, camp, travel with camper
teach/volunteer overseas
learn Spanish

I forgot napping!  How could I have forgotten that?

And learning stuff by taking free online courses.  All kinds of stuff.  Just for fun.  To keep my old brain functioning.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2014, 01:44:58 PM by NinetyFour »

kudy

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2014, 12:38:11 PM »
Take action on more of my wacky business ideas, play around with entrepreneurship. Build community and strengthen relationships.

Here's a blog post I wrote about the topic.

pac_NW

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2014, 05:44:31 PM »
- write
- urban farm
- travel w my family
- coach kid's sports
- be really engaged w my community
- cook

Carrie

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #15 on: February 22, 2014, 06:03:58 PM »
I would:
- try my hand at gardening
- quilt more often
- work in our woodshop more (w/DH)
- blog/write
- restore an antique or muscle car (w/DH)

I can do a lot of this stuff prior to retiring - I just need my little children to be a little older.

Nords

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #16 on: February 22, 2014, 06:20:29 PM »
.

RapmasterD

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #17 on: February 22, 2014, 06:30:11 PM »
--Move with wife and daughter to Denver/Boulder area or Greater Seattle Area. Live in the San Francisco Bay Peninsula now.
--Volunteer either at a food shelter and/or a service that prepares and delivers meals to shut ins.
--Lose the 20 pounds I've gained in the last two years. Get more intensity into and out of my workouts than I'm doing now.
--Spend more time with my daughter.
--Regularly meditate.
--Drink less or no alcohol.
--Read more. 2 hours per day.
--Find a niche that works and start/build a blog.
--Start a more meaningful 'hustle' from that blog.
--Take online courses, likely in programming or at least HTML.
--Pull the lever in anywhere from a few months to five years.
--Travel outside of U.S. (and yes, Canada) every 2-3 years.

...Hmmmm....feels like I could do some of this now. Nice exercise!
« Last Edit: February 22, 2014, 07:19:35 PM by RapmasterD »

limeandpepper

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #18 on: February 23, 2014, 12:07:43 AM »
Mostly things I already do, but I would like to have more time for them.

- Sleep and wake up whenever I want (currently restricted to weekends)
- Spend more time with family and friends
- Read more
- Learn more and explore new things (e.g. language learning, potential new hobbies, researching/discovering stuff)
- Watch more interesting movies, documentaries etc
- Cook more (would be nice to have extra time for more adventurous or elaborate stuff)
- Do more walking, biking, other exercise, picnics, camping, and be outdoors more in general
- Travel more, with the possibility of spending more time in certain places if I feel like it
- Put more time and effort into creative pursuits (music, writing/blogging/creating ebooks, photography, etc)
- Put more time and effort into supporting boyfriend's creative pursuits
- Foster pets
- Do volunteer work
- Grow my own food, where possible

gooki

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #19 on: February 23, 2014, 12:55:41 AM »
1. Raise my children
2. Build my own home
3. Build my inventions
4. Take my time cooking
5. Explore the outdoors (walking, cycling, kayaking)
6. Cook food, give it away for free

lordrtype1

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #20 on: February 23, 2014, 05:14:25 AM »
These are the things I would like to do, but I probably wouldn't do all of them:

-Finish my the rest of my novels, and get them all published
-Go to Toyko, get ideas for living well with less
-Go to Vietnam, for personal reasons
-Go to UK, preferably Dublin, Edinborough, Manchester or London
-Volunteer full time in endeavors I'm already engaged in on a part time basis
-Not much else.

My list is more concise than short, since the novels alone comprise finishing another 5-7 books (only wrote 2 so far), and when I say 'Go to ___,' I don't mean to vacation, more like for a least 90-180 days. Vietnam would be longer; with 70k I'd never have to return, and live extravagantly while doing it, If I wanted. (a friend vacationed and toured on about 35/day for everything.  GETTING there is the expense!!)

happy

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #21 on: February 23, 2014, 05:39:30 AM »
More time for simple living
- more time for family and friends
- more time to stop rushing i.e. to be able to move steadily through each day instead of "having to" fit too much in.
- grow more food
- get some chooks
- get a milking goat ( or a milking cow, if I could move to somewhere with more space)
- learn cheesemaking, soapmaking and get back to candle making
- learn how to water bath and pressure can
- wood heat my home every day in winter, not just the days I am not at work.
- spend time in nature..walking, hiking, swimming
-improve my biking and get an electric cargo bike to do the shopping
- learn to drive a horse. ( wild fantasy to hitch the horse to a buggy and drive to the shops to get the weeks supplies).
-do a permaculture design course.

highwayskies

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #22 on: February 23, 2014, 05:39:57 AM »
I'm thankful to sincerely just now realize that I would almost do exactly what I do now, just more of it:

1. Get as much quality time in with my wife and dogs
2. Train BJJ as much as possible with as many great black belts as possible
3. Involve myself in entrepreneurial projects
4. Work on musical recordings

If I could re-learn to slow down, without financial worries, I'd like to imagine I could

5. Spend more time growing, cooking good meals
6. Reconnect with nature (be/sit/explore outdoors like when I was a kid)
7. Have long conversations with people I like

Trirod

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #23 on: February 23, 2014, 06:37:43 AM »
I have plenty I want to do, including

 Restore a 1969 Volvo 1800S that has been sitting in my garage for 15 years
 Finish remodeling my house
 See more of my family back in the UK (instead of the week or so every 2 years)
 Hike. A lot.
 Move somewhere with great hiking (I.e. not Northwest Ohio)
 Read more
 Finish building out my woodworking shop
 Learn Spanish
 Travel to Nepal

That should keep me busy for a few years at least

desk_jockey

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #24 on: February 23, 2014, 07:54:43 AM »
My wife knows she wants to volunteer with animals.  But for me I’m so immersed in the work life that it’s difficult to know what exactly what I would label the “dream”.   

I have lots ideas of what I want:
* slow travel ,
* spend more time outdoors,
* volunteer for habitat for humanity,
* connect with people & teach,
* learn another language,
* learn another anything, and
* continued professional  engagement part-time or short project when the work is of interest to me.

But these ideas aren’t yet a concrete dream.   

I strongly suspect that the dream and plans for the next stage of my life will really only start to come together in that first 6 to 12 months decompression period after RE.   

jhartt3

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #25 on: February 23, 2014, 08:37:53 AM »
I want to coach and teach wakeboarding in the summers behind my boat. Run a day camp for kids. And have free events for less fortunate kids.

DanBrewMan

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #26 on: February 23, 2014, 10:24:53 AM »
-Brew beer
-Take up wood working
-Learn more useful life skills like plumbing, electronics, etc.
-Live in a little cabin in the foothills of the rockies
-Hike as much as I want
-Take 2-3 day backpacking trips that start and end at my front door
-Travel around the US and the world
-Travel to see family for long trips often
-Grow an incredible garden
-Cook absolutely everything

If the money is there:
-Open a little start up brewery
-Build my own little cabin

Sounds so nice... Thanks for asking.  It reminds me just how much I want FIRE and has given me an extra shot of motivation.

Appletree

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #27 on: February 23, 2014, 11:47:09 AM »
I have just simple dream.. to be home without hurry, stress and people :D I have to admit that I'm now burning my candle from both ends (even when things are now better). I just want to enjoy life, fix my house, brew beer and fish.

I'm too much away from my family and it would be great to be more with wife and kid. I'm working hard to get there and dump rat race.

Unionville

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #28 on: February 23, 2014, 12:36:07 PM »
I want to coach and teach wakeboarding in the summers behind my boat. Run a day camp for kids. And have free events for less fortunate kids.

I like your goals, especially the free activities for less fortunate kids.  A little investment goes a long way.

steveo

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #29 on: February 23, 2014, 01:00:30 PM »
What I do now:-

1. Jiu-Jitsu a couple of times per week.
2. Walks a couple of times per week.
3. Exercise every so often (apart from 1 & 2).
4. Play Chess.
5. Read.
6. Post on the Internet.
7. Work.

What I would do if I was retired:-
1. Drop number 7.
2. Do some more house work.
3. Maybe live in different areas a bit more often. This is a tough one though - do I sell my house and all the possessions (lounge's, TV's, bikes, stereo's, dining tables etc) so that I can live in different areas easily or do I buy a cheaper house in a cheaper area as a base or do I just live where I already live. This is my no 1 concern with retirement - where will I live and what stuff I will retain.

wtjbatman

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Re: What is your FIRE dream?
« Reply #30 on: February 23, 2014, 02:56:18 PM »
No surprise there are lots of the same FIRE dreams here.

Travel (want to get an RV and travel that way but current gf/potential future wife is not a fan of RVs)
Fish
Enjoy the outdoors
Fish more
Write a real book

I have to agree with Dan, just reading this question makes me think and dream and give me extra motivation to achieve my dreams.