Thank you in advance.

I could write a piece about “failed” plans. I’m 51, earn good money, and have been frugal longer than you have. But, I’m still not financially independent. “Acts of God” and bad luck have delayed my financial freedom, but voluntary simplicity was still worthwhile for me. I would have been if serious trouble if it hadn’t been for my frugal lifestyle.

A simple lifestyle gave me the space I needed to weather the problems without stress. It also gave me the freedom to choose work I enjoy and makes a real contribution to my community.

I’m healthier than my college classmates. Most people think I’m ten years younger than I really am. I think that’s because of the low-stress lifestyle I’ve chosen. Health and happiness are more important to me than living in a big house that I could not have kept when unforeseen circumstances arrived.

I anticipate being financially free in the near future, but I’m not likely to completely retire when that happens. My community needs people who do what I do. I enjoy having balance between work and leisure.

I’d be willing to write about my experiences if you would like that. Or, maybe I just did.

I am am a 40 year old male with a wife & 2 kids living in a large Australian city. I have been planning/investing for retirement for the past 10 years by investing in property(4 in the past 10 years), paying off our modest home within 2.5 years and never having a car loan. Property investing in Australia is common and has been very good in the past 10 years as values have more than doubled. During this time my salary went from $50k to $70k and my wife was on a similar wage until the first of our children arrived 5 years ago. Many friends with similar jobs bought their first house at the same time, upgraded a couple of years ago and have a large mortgage, car loans etc

After working for a large corporation for almost 10 years and putting up with the usual games from middle management I had enough and quit. Knowing I had enough funds to last for several years without working, I took seven weeks off and and have never felt so free. I like to call this time my ‘mini retirement’.

I took an opportunity to do some IT consulting work after my ‘mini retirement’ and have continued for the past 1.5 years. Although I am currently working about 40 hours a week, I very much enjoy the ‘consulting’ style of work and the lack of accountability to many layers of middle management.

I plan to take shorter consulting jobs over the next couple of years until the age of 43 or 44. More regular ‘mini retirements’ will keep me focused and make working enjoyable. This will hopefully allow me to pay off another property and generate $35k income from the combined rent. $35k should pay for a good basic lifestyle as long as inflation and interest rates don’t escalate to crazy levels.

http://www.cluckpluck.com

I’ve been hoarding my money and living frugally for the last several years. The only thing I really spend money on is training. I’ve been taking sailing classes and an working toward my Captain’s license, and PADI Divemaster Cert. By my 35th birthday, I should have a boat and a year’s worth of living expenses.

Also, I’m transitioning my professional skills from a high-end graphics skillset, to a more internet-based one. That way I can work from pretty much anywhere.

There’s a more to it, but that’s my plan in a nutshell.

About my plan: I’m a recent college grad and finding a career I can be passionate about has been a rough experience, hence the early retirement plan as a backup plan. I’ve been thinking $800k but may settle for less (half of that amount is to fund a house and a kid). Anyway, should be doable in 7-14 years (16k savings in year 1, increasing by 7%/year net of inflation), depending on the career.

That said, my goal is to find a career that is so engaging I don’t want to retire. Because I know that, once retired, I’ll want to do something out there in the world and make a difference. Look at Jacob. He’s been trying new ‘careers’ too.

PS: all numbers in today’s dollars.

When my SO’s daughter leaves the nest I’m hoping I can convince her that we should make some cutbacks. I think I could sell her on living in a shack on a beach in some remote location.