EuropeOrBust
Dryer sheet wannabe
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2021
- Messages
- 23
Hello!
I've been a lurker for a long time and I love learning about people's lives/stories/strategies (we actually started a retirement blog about 18 years ago, but there wasn't really an audience for it back then). I'm so appreciative of how generous everyone is on these boards.
Getting to it, during Covid, we realized that although we were good savers (go DINKs!) and had a loose idea about living some or all of our time in Europe eventually, we really didn't have a plan. We were just simply "too busy" to focus on it; living in our home 24/7 freed up some time! We started working with a financial planner for the first time—given a potential move to Europe we know *we* needed some help to plot out the next, few years of moving money, taxes, etc. And when we did the math, we realized that we could, in fact, FIRE. Although at 54 (me) and 61 (DH), I don't know that we're necessarily "early."
BUT, although we're tired of working like crazy (both started work at 11 yrs. old), we're sort of addicted to it—and the money it's brought us. Growing up poor (like government cheese-level poor) will do that to you. We've had all the lessons in our lives (cancer, tragic family deaths, etc.) that have shown us, in no uncertain terms, that life is SHORT—and yet, we're both really hesitant to shut off the money spigot.
I'm curious as to how people have gotten past the emotional (and sometimes spending) hurdle of less money, and how more free time was/is, indeed, priceless.
I've been a lurker for a long time and I love learning about people's lives/stories/strategies (we actually started a retirement blog about 18 years ago, but there wasn't really an audience for it back then). I'm so appreciative of how generous everyone is on these boards.
Getting to it, during Covid, we realized that although we were good savers (go DINKs!) and had a loose idea about living some or all of our time in Europe eventually, we really didn't have a plan. We were just simply "too busy" to focus on it; living in our home 24/7 freed up some time! We started working with a financial planner for the first time—given a potential move to Europe we know *we* needed some help to plot out the next, few years of moving money, taxes, etc. And when we did the math, we realized that we could, in fact, FIRE. Although at 54 (me) and 61 (DH), I don't know that we're necessarily "early."
BUT, although we're tired of working like crazy (both started work at 11 yrs. old), we're sort of addicted to it—and the money it's brought us. Growing up poor (like government cheese-level poor) will do that to you. We've had all the lessons in our lives (cancer, tragic family deaths, etc.) that have shown us, in no uncertain terms, that life is SHORT—and yet, we're both really hesitant to shut off the money spigot.
I'm curious as to how people have gotten past the emotional (and sometimes spending) hurdle of less money, and how more free time was/is, indeed, priceless.