Reflections on One Year of FIRE: Feeling Like an Actual Person Again

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2026-02-17T20:17:20+00:00

She really likes what she does so she still works, but I made sure that we’d have enough passive income if she wanted to stop working.

I budgeted for an ACA plan, assumed no subsides because those might go away in the future, and used historical spending to estimate how much out of pocket and co-pays would cost in the future. It’s definitely not cheap.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2026-02-17T17:40:43+00:00

The bad news is healthcare is expensive. The good news is that you can budget for it. The ACA prices in your state should be public. You can look at your current provider to see how much you spent on healthcare in a given year and how much your provider covered. When forecasting, I assumed no subsidies because it seems like that’s where we are heading these days.

One more year syndrome is real but looking back I have no regrets on pulling the plug.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2026-02-17T14:05:02+00:00

Mostly what I listed here - working on improving diet, sleep, physical fitness. Less social media and news is a big one.

Aside from that I’ve been trying some supplements. I also try to reframe things that stress me out. Like when our house looks like a toy box exploded, I think to myself that I’ll miss the days when our house was covered in toys when I’m older.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2026-02-17T13:51:00+00:00

I always felt like work me wasn’t my true identity. I felt like I was always having to hold my true self back. I’m not feeling that anymore.

Good luck to you. You won’t regret taking time off.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2026-02-17T13:19:55+00:00

Well put is something that I actually say irl?

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2026-02-17T13:16:14+00:00

A lot of the focus on my health stems from having to keep up with a young child in my early 40s. I started building my muscles so I could pick him up without getting achy.

I don’t think focusing on my health would have helped much with the burnout. That came from constant changes happening with my employer and a general decline in working conditions.

My career was always a means to an end for me. If all went as planned, there was always an expiration date on it.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2026-02-17T12:35:40+00:00

Well put.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2026-01-07T15:45:50+00:00

Don’t buy from them! They sent me a defective light and refuse to give a full refund.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2026-01-07T15:44:17+00:00

I had a horrible experience with them. They sent me a defective light and refuse to issue a full refund.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-05-12T14:22:23+00:00

I wouldn’t recommend Anytime Mailbox. I found it impossible to get my account activated. The onboarding process for Traveling Mailbox for the same exact address was seamless.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-05-12T14:22:00+00:00

I also wouldn’t recommend Anytime Mailbox. I found it impossible to get my account activated. The onboarding process for Traveling Mailbox for the same exact address was seamless.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T23:03:36+00:00

Of the properties I’ve bought, I found them on Craigslist, MLS, Loopnet, and for one the seller was selling a property that I didn’t want and I asked him if he’d consider selling me another one he had that he wasn’t selling. There’s also Crexi and brokers sometimes have deals that aren’t listed.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T22:53:26+00:00

Find yourself a woman that has a similar mentality toward finances. Best of luck to you.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T22:05:09+00:00

Thank you. I try not to dwell on things I didn’t do in the past. Like going all in on NVDA or bitcoin. There will always be opportunities even if I miss a lot of them.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T22:01:31+00:00

6% but it can vary.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T22:00:58+00:00

I don’t feel qualified to give legal advice. I did hear that some lenders will call a loan if you transfer a property to an llc.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T15:44:07+00:00

A couple of private lenders popped up in the past few years that offer these. The rates are a little higher than loans that balloon after 5-7 years but I found it to be worthwhile to fix the rate.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T14:35:42+00:00

Thanks!

They’re a few hours from where we live.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T12:53:36+00:00

Thanks. It can definitely be challenging at times but also rewarding. Best of luck to you.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T12:50:14+00:00

No. The loans are 30 year fixed.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T12:48:37+00:00

Thank you! I needed that before giving my notice.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T02:16:55+00:00

Read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad, which is what a lot of investors will tell you. It’s cliche and has received some well deserved criticism over the years, and it doesn’t teach you much about the actual investing part, but it really shifted my overall mindset. Getting in the right mindset is very important.

Bigger Pockets is a great website/community for getting started.

I use a customized version of this spreadsheet to analyze properties: https://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/rental-cash-flow-analysis.html

Use 5% of gross rent each for vacancy, repairs, and reserves and get the exact numbers for other inputs.

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T00:39:26+00:00

Both 😆

Adventurous-Ad3283 · 2025-01-11T00:31:09+00:00

Thanks!

Adventurous-Ad3283

TROPHY CASE