r/FIREUK vs MMM UK

[Albatross]

I could be totally wrong, but who else finds folks on MMM UK to be a lot friendlier and generally less toxic? I sometimes get the feeling that r/FIREUK has a lot more people who appear to be the victim of.. for lack of a better word, envy. Don't get me wrong there are some fantastic comments there, but as someone who is a high earner / a few years from FIRE, my posts and others that are similar can quite easily get shot down unless a massive apology for being privileged in capitals is right at the top. MMM UK and MMM in general doesn't seem to have this (as much) but I'm not sure what it is.

Another gripe with r/FIREUK is a tendancy towards encouraging people to retire with huge amounts of money in order to fund a lavish lifestyle - whilst that in itself is commendable - it's almost as if people aren't as interested in minimising expenses,  and doing things like DIY, cycling, simplifying lifestyles etc (things that MMM himself espouses).

Do you guys and gals feel the same, and if so, any idea why the communities seem to be different?

Maybe I've got it totally wrong.

[Morning Glory]

Im not familiar with that particular  sub reddit but i believe you. There's something about reddit's algorithm that encourages toxic behavior.  The ranking/up voting system turning each sub reddit into an echo chamber probably has something to do with it. Whoever agrees with the majority opinion more gets more eyeballs and over time this causes a drift to extremism on whichever topic the subreddit is about as people with more moderate opinions leave because they arent being heard and the fringe ones get fringier. This nonsense has caused real life violence.

Mmm is friendlier because the mods don't allow bigotry or trolling,  and because there isn't a "like" button so all posts have an equal chance of being seen.

[Affable Bear]

I agree with Morning Glory, im not familliar with that forum but for all of Reddits popularity the forums seem to all end up the same and are garnered towards seeking attention rather than having anything of honest value or discussion.

I might be wrong as I dont use Reddit but whenever I stumble across a forum I tend to instantly disagree with everything on on there and click away.

I think people seem to focus too much on the FIRE aspect of MMM, I like to think FIRE is a natural side effect of MMM. Yes spending less will help you reach FIRE quicker and you need less to reach it but it's not just about that, I think it opens you up to a new mindset on how to view life in general.

Taking a more simple approach to life where you only focus on the the things that truly matter and ignore the rest can be so rewarding. If you are passionate about something concentrate your dicretionary spending there and cut everything else, then work in efficiences so you spend significantly less on your passion but you still get 90% of the fun. For example you could buy a fancy pants electric bike for £1000s or buy a DIY kit yourself and upgrade your bike for much less. At the start this can be a little like a chore but after applying this methodolgy to a number of passions you start to learn new skills, feel better about yourself and save money doing what you love. I might be wrong but thats what I take away most from it, my overarching goal is FIRE but the work is reshaping my life concentrating on the things that matter most.

 

[Manchester]

r/FIREUK stresses me out.  I find there to be loads of posts along the lines of...

"Hey, I'm wondering why I have no money, I live in a huge house, spend £1k per month on utilities, buy everything brand new, go out drinking 8 times per week and earn £20k pa.  Any spare money I have I use to invest in crypto.  I really want to retire early but I don't want to cut back on my lifestyle, what can I do?".

[Affable Bear]

"Hey, I'm wondering why I have no money, I live in a huge house, spend £1k per month on utilities, buy everything brand new, go out drinking 8 times per week and earn £20k pa.  Any spare money I have I use to invest in crypto.  I really want to retire early but I don't want to cut back on my lifestyle, what can I do?".

This was so painful to read >.< abort abort abort

[TacheTastic]

In one simple short post @Manchester has made every user of this forum want to avoid r/FIREUK for fear of their eyeballs bleeding.

[BDWW]

Just a general thought, curious how much does the residual classist nature of the UK play into it?  My impression is that both from a legal/regulatory standpoint and attitude, DIY in particular is looked down upon by many.

I work in agriculture and one of the common things I hear from those (farmers) in the UK is how much more appreciative and supportive the American public (at least in certain areas) is of agriculture compared to the UK.

edit: Just to clarify, wondering if that attitude plays into at least a mild aversion to embracing some of the tenets of Mustachianism.

[Affable Bear]

I work in agriculture and one of the common things I hear from those (farmers) in the UK is how much more appreciative and supportive the American public (at least in certain areas) is of agriculture compared to the UK.

edit: Just to clarify, wondering if that attitude plays into at least a mild aversion to embracing some of the tenets of Mustachianism.

I think there is a massive underappreciation of farmers in general in the UK but I think that’s more down to ignorance rather than a general attitude of negativity. A lot of people (including myself) go to school and learn very little of how difficult farming actually is. It's hard graft and something I am not sure I could do but I can imagine it is also rewarding especially when compared to the 'corporate' environment most of us slave away in.

[Manchester]

In one simple short post @Manchester has made every user of this forum want to avoid r/FIREUK for fear of their eyeballs bleeding.

Lol, I will say that there is a lot of good information on there too. 

I just find there are a lot of people with no real understanding/motivation to improve their financial situation looking for the silver bullet that doesn't exist.

[Albatross]

Taking a more simple approach to life where you only focus on the the things that truly matter and ignore the rest can be so rewarding. If you are passionate about something concentrate your dicretionary spending there and cut everything else, then work in efficiences so you spend significantly less on your passion but you still get 90% of the fun.

I think this is what annoys me about r/FIREUK - it's missing this element. I'm very much into DIY, cycling where I can, enjoying a few simple things with family etc. Whenever I post something about living a simpler (and thus cheaper) life, there's always someone who says "nope you'll regret living in poverty and subjecting your wife and kids to that sort of life", even though it's like a £35k budget a year or something. Even though that figure is higher than the median household income.

Then on the same subreddit people get all envious when someone comes along with a big salary and decent savings.