FIRE

[Ferret619]

Thanks ferret

Sounds like you have a good balance, that's what is its all about with everything in life not just $$ lets not forget the guitars lol

yeah not quite right, being frugal = tight arse

minimalism to me is where people go an live off grid and stuff.. although i could never do it myself, i truly believe going off grid and living like our ancestors lived by growing/culling your own food/shelter/clothing will reconnect us back to what made us human in the first place. Away from all the distractions of modern life, it would allow our brains to think as they once used to and form closer bonds with our families and other humans

I like the idea of shrinking my world and focusing on issues around me-
To worry and take on the world woes leaves you pretty beat down

 

[SpeedyPC]

To worry and take on the world woes leaves you pretty beat down

Mason teaches you how to enjoy life without worrying what’s around you no matter where you go or travel into the world

 

[Ferret619]

Yeah—-kinda.

 

[nav1]

You are quite right-
It’s very much a personal journey and I’m very sorry to hear about the passing of your wife.
My wife and I arnt really materialistic, that said we both do have a mobile (iPhone 4/5 respectively) a car each (under 3k each) and the usual comforts like a TV, a computer for work and so on.
I think there is quite often an interesting comparison where being frugal gets called minimalism.

Absolutely!!
Frugal is not minimalism and minimalism is not utilitarian.

I classify myself as utilitarian. I still buy what I need but I don't chase after the newest and latest everything.

House, furnishings, vehicle, clothes, air conditioning, a couple of TVs, laptops, mobiles, stereo etc are all a part of my life because I consider them basic necessities.

After this set-up, I'm content and don't feel the need to chase the latest/newest of everything. I buy clothes/shoes as when needed, my mobile is about to turn two years old and still going strong, as is my laptop (Lenovo Carbon X1; 8GB RAM, i7 processor). I generally find laptops run nicely for about 8 years at which point they are too slow and irritating to keep using, so I've a long way to go until I'll need a new one.

We eat out at simple restaurants once or twice a month (nothing fancy) and watch a movie at the cinemas once a month.

 

[Ferret619]

Despite some delays we are making progress, the first house is being visited by tradies next week to get the property ready for sale in the early new year, following this we will be buying a slightly larger place and then selling another.
So sounds like we will be busy!

Since starting the thread i have concluded I don’t actually care for the FIRE movement, the principals are great but the group think mentality in the online communities I have spent time in have developed some rather ugly tenants and have developed attributes and attitudes that are very similar to those of eating disorders and it gets quite ugly actually and I try to enjoy learning about money.

 

[Rabid Badger]

I only really jumped onto proper financial planning quite recently. My wife and I had a couple of properties in Sydney, but we hated the stress of tenants, strata meetings and body corportate bullshit. So we sold everything, moved down to Vic and were able to buy a good house for the kids and to be nearly debt free.

Now in terms of F.I.R.E, I like the idea of quitting, so that I could spend more time with the kids, but I actually like my job (teacher) and I get school holidays to do that. We now try to follow Scott Pape's Barefoot steps. This works for us. It means that we both plan for the future, but also live in the moment too. We love to splurge now and again. We have also set up the three jar system with the kids and they love it too. Many have already said it and we all know it. Life is short, so try to enjoy yourselves.

 

[Mitcon]

I think it's very important today and tomorrow it will be even more important if you wish to maintain any sort of a lifestyle... I've been retried 23 years.. Best thing I can suggest is remove yourself from consumerism and learn to live-within your means, keep active and eat well.. learn to minimise waste, it's not only better for your wallet but good for the environment as well.

 

[Ferret619]

I’m just trying to learn all that I can to make the most of this opportunity-
owing a house large enough to support our family long term and being debt free at 31 offers a lot of freedom which i don’t want to squander.