“I’m Semi-Retiring at 43!”
Got another fun email for ya today!
Got me grinning from ear to ear over here, and hopefully it inspires you to get out there and make your dreams happen too. Or at least try and get your expenses down even more – this woman is living off $1,000/mo! For a family of four!!
How does she do it? Clues – and her budget – down below ;)
Enjoy!! Y’all are killin’ it out there!
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Hello J. Money,
I love
reading your posts.
I have 43 work days left at my full-time job (minus any of the numerous sick days I have left to burn…shhhh!!
)
I’m SUPER PUMPED about it! I’ll be semi-retired at age 43!
I plan to keep my part-time job that I love at the local homeless shelter.
This summer I will also join my husband and two (homeschooled) sons at summer camp. We are gonna be serving up delicious vegetarian food at a peace building camp in our area. It will be his 5th summer going there to work – but my first!
I haven’t saved enough ($210K) to never wanna or need to work ever, but I don’t need a whole heck of a lot to live – under $1,000 per month does us just fine. No debt – house and our shared hybrid car all paid off & we eat a lot of rice and beans!
I have no plans to spend the $200K… just let it keep growing over at Vanguard. I’ll keep $10K out for any emergencies.
I haven’t seen any bloggers speak about earned income tax credit and child tax credit, but it’s worth mentioning that keeping a part-time job and earning only $8,000 a year would give a married couple with two children under 17 years old $4,000 in free tax money. That’s the bare minimum to cover our living expenses ($8k + $4k living off = $1k/mo)…
(Max EITC in 2017: $3,400 (1 child); $5,616 (2 children); $6,318 (3 children) + Plus up to $1,000 for up to 3 children in Additional Child Tax Credit – under 17))
I do think that once I’m in my semi-retirement mode that I will explore other possibilities to generate income doing things I enjoy.
I’m LOOKING FORWARD TO:
- More intentional time with family and friends…
- More time to read/learn new things, relax, cook, exercise and just be FREE to make the choice of how to spend my time on earth!
- Exploring the possibility of downsizing to a tiny house on wheels… or at least converting a sprinter type van to deluxe travel mobile!
- I’d like to check out intentional communities across the US and learn about permaculture, herbal medicine, yoga and have a huge organic garden!
- Maybe starting a blog?
But definitely keeping up with J. Money… You’re my F.I.R.E. hero dude!
Peace,
Frugal Vegan Mama
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What an email to get!! Did you catch all the gems there??
– Paid off house
– Paid off car
– Doing what she loves on the side (homeless shelter)
– LIVING OFF ONLY $1,000/mo (!!!!!)
I of course had to respond and try to get her to divulge more, and again she did not disappoint ;)
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Thanks for replying!
I’d been itching to share the info with someone… someone who wouldn’t judge or tell me I’m crazy for walking away from a decent paying job! Most people around me don’t get it. But I know in my heart that it’s time to walk away and embrace life differently.
I just really love following your stories/posts because you are so open and freely share where you were and where you are now. It’s always been a taboo topic to talk about money with many people I know–mainly family…but many are skittish to talk about it and when some do….I see that many are in poor shape financially.
Here’s the breakdown of our expenses: (we live in Kentucky and share one car and one cell phone. It’s very rare… like once or twice a year… that we eat out at a restaurant)
CATEGORY COST Electric $150 Heating Gas $75 Water/Sewer $75 Auto insurance (Full coverage) $37.50 Property Taxes $55 Homeowners Insurance $50 Internet $10 Cell phone $40 Trash service $17 Food $400 Netflix/Hulu $25 Fuel for Car (It’s a hybrid – electric & gas powered) $25 Misc. Household Supplies, Clothing, Etc. $40.50 ———————————————- TOTAL $1,000
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And that’s how the sausage is made, ladies and gentlemen :) An amazing thing… And approximately 500% better than our current spending of $6,000/mo – hah!
So yes – you need to start a blog, Frugal Vegan Mama!! We need you up in here sharing your tricks and secrets! Make it happen! (But first, quit that job and enjoy the freedom for a bit :))
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PS: For another dumping of raw thoughts like this, check out last week’s email if you missed it –> “You might get a kick out of our recent financial journey”
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[For more $$$ nuggets, head over to Budgets Are Sexy!]
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