I’m not typically too much of a worrier. I can be pretty analytical and objective in making decisions and don’t let my emotions get the best of me too often. In approaching the big decision that we made this year – to early retire and enjoy a life of financial independence – I used a number of analytical lenses to ‘pressure test’ the possibilities. Once … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – No Worries
My former boss at MegaCorp announced his pending retirement last week. It was big news with a number of people calling me and telling me about it from the office. He was immediately moved out of his role and put into ‘special projects’ until his final day on April Fool’s 2017. It’s exactly one year from when I departed, although I didn’t come close to … Continue reading From The Office Door To Door County
We are heading to Green Bay to see a Packer game this weekend and spend a few nights in Wisconsin’s Door County. In preparation, I’ve been reading a book about Packer great Bart Starr and the glory days of the team in the 1960s. Coach Vince Lombardi led the team to five NFL championships in seven years and was famous for his quote on winning … Continue reading FIRE Station Fun – Winning Attitude
More than 15 years ago, some colleagues and I were talking about how effective we were in building our savings. We were all making a good living, but some were more successful in building their net worth than others. One colleague – a single guy with a snappy car – mentioned that he started out being a good saver, but had recently been spending too much … Continue reading Stop Saving, Start Spending In Retirement?
This post is part of the MrFireStation.com series called Life After FIRE … For MANY years, when we would go to church the weekly program would announce what the Retired Men’s Group was doing that month. It sounded FUN. They were golfing, they were listening to an expert on a local business or project, they were raising money for a good cause,or they had a speaker … Continue reading Life After FIRE – Fitting In
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
My mind has been thinking back to school days lately. Three weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit my old elementary school in Michigan for the first time in over 38 years. This past Friday, our son graduated from high school with a big ceremony at the Cathedral and and enjoyed his all-night senior party at school. He went to the same high school … Continue reading Summer Break – Class of 2016
One of the benefits of early retirement is that you have extra time to look back and reflect on your life. I have already an intense habit of this and have always spent a fair amount of time researching and remembering “days gone by”. It’s a curious trait. I have read that in the early 1900s, ‘nostalgia’ was actually classified as a form of depression. … Continue reading Retirement Reminiscing – My Old School
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
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