Relaxed Return From First Early Retirement Trip

We are just back from our wonderful trip to Japan, where we spent the last two weeks.  We got home last Thursday afternoon and are finally adjusting to the difference in time zones (14 hours).  You can see from the pictures some of the sites we saw in Tokyo & Kyoto.  We were very busy,…

FIRE Station Fun – Big Wonderful World

When people have asked “What are you going to do in early retirement?” – I’ve often answered that it is a great big wonderful world filled with things I am interested in learning about and trying.  We are just back from our summer vacation to Tokyo & Kyoto and I am amazed at how much…

Changing Japanese View of Retirement

Deciding to retire early, just before I turned 50, certainly makes me a bit counter-cultural in terms of expectations for how long one works.  I have estimated before that only about 1 in 20 workers (5%) in the United States retire at 50, and the average age of retirement is sixty five.  Since we are…

FIRE Station Fun – Good Times

The whole Fire Station Family is out spending our money on good times this week.  We are on our summer vacation (to Tokyo & Kyoto) and not thinking this trip is money spent foolishly at all.  We each have our priorities that we budget for and travel is a big one for us.  Check out…

Relaxed Travel Departure

We are overseas as this post publishes on Monday morning in the USA.   We left yesterday for our summer vacation to Japan.  We are going to spend 11 days in Tokyo & Kyoto.  It is our first trip to Asia as a family and our first since early retiring in April.  Many people leave for…

FIRE Station Fun – Road Crews Reactions

There are people working all around us, of course – every day 24×7.  Especially during the workweek, but there are also many people working on the weekends.  That said, even after just three months of early retirement you start to not notice them as much.  Many jobs are ‘out of site’ – people that work…