Not A Blueprint 'Retiree'

[Mateosh]

Good morning from Lakeside Guatemala.

I retired myself in my late 30's, then went back to work for two years (long, stupid stories), then retired myself for life in 2012. I am on the cusp of turning 46 (ksjdflkjfakjf) and well, after perusing a few sites like this, albeit most forums about 'retirement' seem to cater for the blueprint retiree, I realise just how crazy I am to have retired myself on what I have, the journey to getting to what I have, and well, I look forward to sharing my experiences with like-minded people, and hopefully can eventually shake this feeling that I'm the only person out there in my age group who is free.

 

[Mateosh]

'Dryer sheets'? One of the reasons that I was able to retire young is because I would not waste my money on dryer sheets or even invest in a dryer.

 

[diehard1997]

Welcome to the forum. You're not alone. I pulled the plug 9 months ago at 38 and have zero regrets. However, I do have a dryer

 

[Mateosh]

Don't you think that dryer sheets are giving off the wrong message? Dryer sheets, for me, are unnecessary luxuries (I get the same effect with a dash of Downey), and having a dryer, well, one must be retired on quite a bit of dosh to be able to factor in the extra electricity used to merely dry clothes. Which brings me back to the fact that, I believe, more and more, that I must be crazy to have retired myself on what I have, and what I feel I need, which is not very much. I truly look forward to learning about other non-blueprint retirees individual paths to their respective freedoms, (that was an awkward read) and will go from there. By the way, I have always air-dried my clothes, having lived in cultures where it was the norm. I'm currently challenged on the lake, as my veranda doesn't get the sun until 3PM each day, which means that my clothes take longer to dry. But then again, I am no longer in a rush to get anywhere.

 

[REWahoo]

Don't you think that dryer sheets are giving off the wrong message?

This is an equal opportunity early retirement forum and we don't discriminate based on what appliances someone owns or what products they choose to use. There are many ways to achieve the financial independence necessary to retire early, extreme frugality is only one of them.

 

[dontworry]

Ahhhh, Guatemala!!! Our children were adopted from your beautiful country. We had the pleasure of visiting five times and will hopefully take another trip there eventually. Are you on Lake Atitlan? How is safety there lately? Welcome! By the way...we have a dryer and use dryer sheets. But, we aren't anywhere near retired yet .

 

[Mateosh]

Wahoo..I understand that...I just don't see the connection between dryer sheets and the amazing feats we have all achieved to get to where we are today, be that through being frugal and global, like myself, or the more tradtional routes, like having a well-paying job, or inheriting a lot of money. I judge nobody. Ever. Unless they have bad tablemanners.

 

[Mateosh]

Don't Worry...For sure, Guatemala is one of the world's best kept secrets. By the time I arrived here, a year ago, (another long story), I had travelled to around 45 countries, and not once did I hear another traveller talk about this country. Ever. And the lake? Holy cow!! What an extraordinary place! I live right on it, in San Pedro, with a direct view of Indian Nose, the water lapping under my balcony. It's paradise. Maybe we can meet one day!

 

[Mateosh]

Oops, re: safety. I feel really safe here, albeit I have been robbed, but that was my own stupid fault. However, I managed to get one of the items stolen, my computer, back, which is usually an unbelievable feat, but I knew who had stolen from me, and then told key locals up at the market, and whilst I had forgotten about the unfortunate event which happened nearly a month ago, and in the meantime had gone to Xela to get a new computer, in the background the locals were working hard at putting pressure on the family of the person who did this to me, and voila, it was returned, with more memory on it and a couple of super programs. He he he he.

 

[REWahoo]

...I just don't see the connection between dryer sheets and the amazing feats we have all achieved to get to where we are today...

Then the "confused about dryer sheets" statement fits you perfectly!

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Mateosh]

Touche!

 

[JoeWras]

You can explore the FAQ area for the full story on dryer sheets. But I agree with you, why even use them?

As for people like you... there are others on this forum. Sometimes you'll see EER for Extreme ER. Quite a few folks going it in their 30s, or with very little.

That's not my cup of tea, but hey, you are welcome here. I enjoy reading those perspectives.

Frankly, I think there should be a forum topic space for EER. They have "Young Dreamers", but probably need "Young and Doing It Now".

 

[Mateosh]

It will be interesting to explore these forums more. Are the 'young dreamers' doing it now but expect to work in their later years, or have made it young and prefer being free to continuing with their careers? Time will tell as I navigate this site. I am interested in retirement away from the usual sense of retirement because a) I am doing it and b) it is quite surprising what one discovers through doing it, which is, there aren't that many people out there doing it. Why? Another huge question that I am exploring. Thanks for the welcome, folks, and when I get time, I will peruse the part about dryer sheets.

 

[chris66]

Congrats on finding what works for you. I'm too enjoy hearing many different perspectives. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

 

[NYEXPAT]

Welcome from Oceanside Peru! I also retired 27 years ago at age 33 and like many moved overseas. I have met many in SA that have tried and succeeded and many more that have tried and failed and went back to the straight world (working stiffs). But in the end it is all about the journey in life and not what age you retired. I consider myself fortunate not to have spent my life analyzing spreadsheets, debating withdrawal rates, pondering asset allocations and the myriad of other topics, others seem to obsess about. I take it one day at a time, as that is what has always worked for me.

 

[Letj]

You might want to checkout mrmoneymustache.com and earlyretirementextreme.com

 

[Walt34]

'Dryer sheets'? One of the reasons that I was able to retire young is because I would not waste my money on dryer sheets or even invest in a dryer.

It's a bit of a long-running joke about being frugal:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f47/whats-the-deal-with-the-dryer-sheets-44456.html

 

[kevink]

Nice to read your posts Mateosh, and greetings from the shores of a much less majestic but still pretty nice body of water: Lake Chapala, Jalisco, México.

My/our situation doesn't sound all that different from yours, and it's refreshing to hear from someone who's doing the frugal ER thing. I used to visit Atitlán frequently, starting in the late 80's, when I was a coffee buyer, and have nothing but great memories of the place. Hoping to bring my wife down for an extended visit this fall/winter. How do you find it during the rainy season?

Look forward to hearing more from you, and perhaps swapping a few stories.