Interesting article, couple to FIRE on $22k/year

Agree! There's more holes in that story than swiss cheese.

 

Exactly.

Years ago, I took the bus from London to Paris (via the ferry). Didn’t realise the bus station was nowhere near the centre. Got there at ~5am - and I had no francs to get the subway into the city centre. A stranger took pity on me sitting on the kerb - looking lost -and gave me a few francs. I ended up meeting some completely unknown Americans at the train station and sharing a couple of rooms with them at a cheapish hotel (showers cost extra - so we just washed in the basin!).

Decades later and it’s still a fond memory.

 

$22k is tight, but if we didnt have a mortgage we would be on around $30k with 2 kids, drop that by $2k if we dropped the 2nd car.

Its an interesting situation, people on this forum are often suggesting $100k+/year to retire on, I wouldnt know how to spend that. I have never earnt over $75k in my life and even when I did I was banking alot of that money.

Alot of great stuff in life is free, beaches, parks, libraries, friends and family.

Just like many people not comprehending how we can be genuinely happily (not deluding ourselves) on sub $40k/year, we cant comprehend how people need to spend $100k/year to achieve happiness.

Suggesting that someone living on a low amount of money is a frugal monk not experiencing the joys of the world is as wrong as suggesting someone needing $100k is an obese glutton, devouring crates of alcohol and caviar on a daily basis to feed their hedonistic lifestyle.

 

Yep....Have to agree.
Everyone is different & have had a different life.

Personally, I've been retired since 46yo (about to turn 60)
My wife only retired about 4 years ago.
We live the same way we always have.......
We don't gamble, drink or smoke, don't buy fashion, go on plane trip holidays or cruises - never have (& maybe never will). Don't eat out a lot. We've never bought a new car.

We've spent a little in the last few years on a 4x4 & caravan (2nd hand) but not much else, we do spend on small items from time to time, electronics & other stuff that interest us.

We're probably living on 50K a year - been selling our rentals slowly over time.
Still have a few left to get us to the pension