I'm writing to share my story and my gratitude to the FIRE community, as my current lifestyle wouldn't be possible without the strategies I learned and implemented starting here with MMM.
My wife and I have been on a lean-FIRE track since returning from the Peace Corps in our mid 20's and realizing we didn't want to work 40+hr weeks until our 60's. We lived on about 25-30k/yr for the last 6 years and worked two government jobs (her state, me federal). Now in our early thirties, and with our first kid (6 months), we've begun downshifting. My wife quit her job and retained a 10hr/week contracting side hustle. I have spread out my federal leave benefits, allowing me to work 24 hours per week without taking a pay cut for the next 12 months. At that point I will negotiate for part-time work, or quit. I work one 4hr evening shift a week at a local grocery store, which combined with my employee discount pays for most of our food. We share a 2015 Honda Fit, purchased used in cash. In 2021 we bought a house for 600k which significantly upped our monthly housing cost. (We were previously Airbnbing out a spare room+bath of our small rental house). But we are building a carriage house that we will Airbnb for about 2-3k/month to offset the mortgage. We have saved about 900k at this point and consider ourselves nearly FI.
I love how much time I get to spend with my wife and our son, our friends, and our interests outside of work. I am grateful for this community and the strategies and confidence to live this way. I wish others the best in pursuit of their own non-conventional dreams.
