Our son is working part-time this summer and is off to college this fall. He is pretty good with his money at this point of his life and shows a lot of interest in frugal living and how money works. I like to think that I am helping teach my son about financial independence & the opportunity to retire early (FIRE) by setting a good … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Price / Value Equation
To start with, the 30 Day Decluttering Challenge we embarked on for the month of May, required an extra full 15 days of June. That said, it is complete! And we over-delivered the number of items that needed to be decluttered by a wide margin. The challenge started last month with this POST. The goal was to eliminate a set number of things each day … Continue reading Decluttering Challenge – Complete! (Late)
When it comes to trips, I agree with the saying that the journey is as much fun as arriving at the destination. Likewise, there is something fun about thinking about your future and imagining how you might want it to look. The visioning part of any effort is where we fall in love with our goals and are free to imagine anything we want to … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Up Your Imagination
I often tell people that my decision to retire before I turned 50 is either the smartest or stupidest decision I ever made. I am not sure which it is yet. The fact is, there often is a razor thin line between absolute brilliance and utter foolishness. Only time will tell which side of the line you are falling on and by then it is … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Taking Life’s Risks
Not long ago I had lunch with my recently early retired friend Russ, who gave me the inside scoop on snowbirding from wintery Minnesota to sunny Florida. Russ and his wife, Tracey, are new to the lifestyle, having bought a condominium on the gulf coast of Florida last year, which they can enjoy now that he retired from MegaCorp at the end of January. They … Continue reading Early Retirement “Snowbirding 101”
Today is the last day of my son’s Senior year in high school. School ends at noon on Friday, and he is off for the summer before leaving for college in the fall. He is a terrific kid and it has been a great joy to watch him grow up. Last night, we had a wonderful time attending a an event in the park to open … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Aging Richly
It has been more than a month now since I early retired from MegaCorp and adopted my new life of leisure. It feels like I am still “skipping school” and am expected to go back to work at some point. The good news is that I’m not going back to anything and enjoying my time immensely. It is wonderful to have all of the time … Continue reading Milestone: First 50 Days of Early Retirement
I am always paranoid about recurring, subscription fees that are like the little leaks that Ben Franklin warned us about. These kinds of fees are certainly much more common today than they were in Ben’s time. Some are big and easy to understand – utilities, internet access, or a boat club with monthly dues. Others are quite insidious in their nature. They hide in our … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – The Little Things
Starting on May 1, my wife and I began a project that a friend suggested called the “30-Day Decluttering Challenge”. The concept is simple – on the first day of the month, get rid of one item. On the second day of the month, get rid of two items. Continue to do so until the 30th day of the challenge, when you get rid of … Continue reading 30 Day Post-Retirement Decluttering Challenge
Today we have an extra special guest – for the first time ever we are joined by the wonderful MrsFireStation – who will share her own thoughts on Captain Sparky’s escape from corporate life and our new life of leisure in early retirement … My background … I’ve been a stay-at-home Mom for 18 years and our son is a senior in high school and … Continue reading The Better Half – Thoughts From MrsFireStation
