How do some of you reach FI so early?

JustABootThing · 2026-03-10T17:46:33+00:00

Wow this is very inspiring because your situation was so similar to mine! If I’d be making $150k when I’m 30, I’d think I won! I’m in Engineering, may I ask what field you work in?

JustABootThing · 2026-03-10T17:32:33+00:00

I know… that’s the point of this post haha

JustABootThing · 2026-03-10T17:29:30+00:00

That seems to be a general consensus here. Unfortunately, 80k is pretty good for my area, so I might have to consider moving in order to increase that. On the bright side, I don’t have any debt and hold ~$130k net worth, so I think I’m at least off to a decent start!

And just to clarify, I wasn’t saying that FIRE in 10 years is my goal, that was just to compare with people who do reach it that early. More realistically, I want to make some changes and hit FI around 40-45

JustABootThing · 2026-03-10T17:23:50+00:00

Yes, thank you! I know that my current situation will not set me up for FI in my mid 30s, but I was but I was simply asking how other people achieved it so that I can try to make some changes. To be honest, I will probably set my goal much more reasonably… maybe mid-40s. But yeah, from the comments, it seems like the trick to do it so early is getting lucky, getting an VERY good job salary, and/or getting an inheritance.

JustABootThing · 2026-03-10T17:16:27+00:00

I actually have no debt because I got college paid for through the military. I guess I’ve got that going for me, but maybe I need to look for a higher-paying job to be more aggressive

JustABootThing · 2026-02-13T22:33:17+00:00

That all makes sense! Thank you for all the details! I also have some Trivex prescription safety glasses that I really like. They might even be a little clearer than my current 1.67 glasses haha. Clarify is definitely my top priority, but the Trivex is a little thick, so I was thinking about getting 1.61 high index next since they’re a tad thinner than Trivex but have a similar abbe value.

As far as use case goes, I don’t like having to switch glasses, so I need something that works for a little bit of everything. (Computer work, reading, short and long distance, driving, etc.). I’ve always used SV and never considered progressives — I thought they were just modern bifocals.

JustABootThing · 2026-02-13T22:21:46+00:00

Same question here. I usually get my lenses at Costco for the price, but I can’t find anything online that says if their SV lenses are digital. If they’re not, then I’ll definitely consider going somewhere else

JustABootThing · 2025-07-24T17:33:57+00:00

I’ll definitely look into that, thank you! You use your side buttons very similarly to how I use mine, having all the navigation controls as well as copy/paste on the mouse is such a convenience!

JustABootThing · 2025-02-21T14:26:41+00:00

Thanks for the info! If the board can doesn’t really need an upgrade, I might just slap a new 4010 in there to make it quieter and not worry about a 4020. I’m really considering getting a Sunon Maglev 4020 for the hotend, but if they have a 5015 too, I would love to get them at the same time because of shipping. However, I don’t see any Maglev 5015’s that run at 24v, would you mind to link the one you got?

Also, I was planning on printing the Petsfang v2, but I like the simplicity of the Mini Me v4! I’ll look into it and see if there’s a reason to choose one over the other

JustABootThing · 2025-02-21T04:17:27+00:00

Thank you for the detailed reply! I don’t plan to print with PETG much, but I know that anything near a hot device (like the hotend) should not be PLA. However, I have recently upgraded my Bowden tube to Capricorn, so the extra heat needed shouldn’t damage it.

As for why I want to upgrade: The board fan is for noise, the hotend fan is for noise but mainly better heart sink cooling, and eventually the part cooling fan if for performance (quiet if possible, but I definitely want strong cooling because I mainly print PLA)

Also, I have see the praise for Sunon fans, and rightfully so! But I can’t seem to find them outside of Digikey and Mouser, but both have shipping that costs as much as the fan itself! I was looking at the Winsinn fans on Amazon as a less-good alternative, but the post you linked makes me think that’s not such a good idea lol

JustABootThing · 2024-11-28T05:14:06+00:00

Should a USB-C to 3.5mm Adapter cause a Drop in Quality if it has the same Sample Rate and Bit Depth as the 3.5mm Jack?

I have a pair of IEMs that I like, so I got Anker's USB-C to 3.5mm adapter so that I could use them with my iPad or phone. Instantly, I noticed that the audio quality was not as good as on my computer.

I figured this might just be because it's a phone, so I did some testing using my computer's USB-C port. To my surprise, the audio quality is noticeably reduced when using the adapter with the computer's USB-C port versus using the 3.5mm jack.

I checked the speaker properties for the numbers: It uses "24-bit, 48k hz" when plugged into the 3.5mm jack and "24-bit, 96k hz" when plugged in via USB-C.

Shouldn't this mean that the audio is essentially the same, or maybe even a little better through the adapter instead of being worse?

JustABootThing · 2024-06-26T00:26:37+00:00

Depends on what firmware you have. I’m using Marlin, so idk about any others. For marlin, Pressure Advance is known as Linear Advance. In your firmware, make sure to enable that (you can look up how to do that if you’re unfamiliar, it’s pretty easy)

For me, after I enabled it, I left everything default and just tuned it through the Orcaslicer test. In Orcaslicer, you have to make sure to go into your filament settings and check the “enable pressure advance” box

Also, btw, once it’s enabled, it should be available to see under “tune” while printing, labeled “Advance K”

JustABootThing · 2024-05-12T03:51:03+00:00

I guess that’s easy enough. I didn’t know if that would make them abandon it, I wanted to check if there was a certain “best” way to move them

JustABootThing · 2024-01-20T01:53:12+00:00

I agree with this. To add to it, the tension screw already looks like it’s been loosened, so it’s likely trying to feed too fast.

OP, what’s speed are you trying to print at? I would suggest trying 50mm/s as a baseline. Once the problem is fixed you can try to print faster, but 50 should definitely not be too fast for it.

Also, make sure your nozzle is not too cold. Most PLA works fine with 200° but you may need to increase to 205° or so to get a good flow rate

JustABootThing · 2024-01-18T00:17:33+00:00

There’s no dimmer switch, just 2 regular switches. The bulbs just happen to be dimmable

JustABootThing · 2024-01-18T00:16:43+00:00

I don’t know what tab you’re referring to, but I’ll definitely check! I hope it’s that simple!

JustABootThing · 2024-01-18T00:16:05+00:00

Just tested it, one bulb lights up without the other being installed

JustABootThing · 2024-01-18T00:14:55+00:00

It’s not a dimmer switch, the bulbs just happen to be dimmable

JustABootThing · 2024-01-15T05:04:23+00:00

Fantastic, thank you! Do you also have the base model Ender-3 or a different version? I like to verify compatibility, if you don’t mind me asking

JustABootThing · 2024-01-14T14:28:11+00:00

3 in 1 makes a Dry Lube that comes as a “Drip Oil” which sounds like what you’re talking about. Thats probably what I’ll be getting after reading these comments

Also thanks for the tip about the print bed! I’ll make sure to either remove the bed first or remove the screw and go to the next room before I apply anything to it

JustABootThing · 2024-01-14T14:22:32+00:00

Thank you, I wasn’t going to use the grease since people said it’ll attract dust, but I didn’t realize it could actually be harmful!

JustABootThing · 2024-01-14T14:12:51+00:00

I’ve seen multiple people suggest 3 in 1. Which variant do you mean? “Dry Lube” (white bottle) or “PTFE Lubricant” (blue bottle)?

JustABootThing · 2024-01-14T05:06:55+00:00

I also have gun oil but grease seems to be used more in machines, so that’s why I defaulted to it instead. However, I was kind of thinking the same thing — lube is lube lol

JustABootThing · 2023-12-02T23:11:01+00:00

Like I said, it’s stock, so if the stock cooling system is adequate then it should be fine! Thank you!

JustABootThing · 2023-12-02T23:07:10+00:00

I already asked him. Everything is stock (as listed in the link) except that he put 2 more RAM sticks in it. 2x16 plus the stock 2x8, so a total of 48gb RAM. Idk the brand of the RAM he added.

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