man, i think every day 'why don't i just quit.' i think it's because we're so close we can taste it. but for me it's also that i'm not 'miserable' at my j.o.b. I'm just ready for the next thing, but don't know what that is yet.
i'm hoping that it'll come to me in the next year or two while i keep building the stash. but yes: the commute thing is ROUGH in this town and it may be worth 'spending' the money to improve your quality of life. just today a mustachian buddy of mine leased a car she could take in the HOV lane. NOT a great choice for FIRE, but a GREAT choice to reduce the life drain of her current work/home thing.
i think if i've learned anything at all from this cult, it's that what we're doing is making choices about where to invest our time & money. it's not about 'not spending' money, it's about using it consciously. sometimes that means eating caviar. sometimes it means choosing not to. unless you enjoy podcasts that much, might be worth improving your quality of life and cut the commute.
p.s. it's good to talk to some one in the home city about this stuff :)
I've thought about an HOV sticker car. Even went to a few lots to look at them. To find one with any life left in the batteries would cost close to $20K with tax and license. I'm a contractor and my assignment was only supposed to be three months (ending 4/28). It recently got extended through the end of June and it looks like it will get extended again through August. After that I
may get transferred to a client 12 miles from home, if there's work...
I'm so close to FIRE and plan on selling my primary driver as soon as I do, or sooner. Wifey has a good car and I will have other choices for where ever I need to go (bicycle, motorcycle, bus, train, skateboard, walk...) I agree that we're all making life style choices and trade offs, but $20K is a big hit for two to four months of benefit.
And you're right, one can try to imagine living in LA, but there's nothing like it.
Great idea with a large bond/cash allocation and I hadn't considered a paycheck a bond, but from a cash flow perspective, sounds good. Just no return of capital at the end.
Let me know if you need a realtor for the local condo decision. I know and regularly refer quite a few, so could likely find an expert in nearly any area in LA (the benefits of having lived here all my life).