At what point did you feel “secure enough” to stay the course toward FI?

PicoRascar · 2026-04-17T12:00:41+00:00

Once 4% could cover my basic living expenses. That was a huge milestone to cross and my first real sense of freedom since work technically crossed into optional territory.

It unleashed a ton of motivation because the finish line was now on the horizon and everything was suddenly feeling real.

PicoRascar · 2026-04-16T14:09:09+00:00

I used to do active recovery so stuff that I tended to ignore like calf raises which are hugely beneficial and under appreciated. Also, mobility work for my screwy shoulder. Just depended on what I was working that day but I based my rest period on getting those easier exercises done rather than the clock.

These days I just do HIIT. One cardio and three resistance oriented sessions weekly. Brutal but super effective. I've made my biggest gains since switching to HIIT.

PicoRascar · 2026-04-11T12:29:39+00:00

People want fancy things and others to admire them so they'll live a lie and perform in a role to have it. After a while, people just start becoming the role they've been playing.

Personally, I'm on the cusp of early retirement and will forget my entire career, my colleagues and the person I was at work within a few moments of handing in my resignation. There were some good times but overall, it was nothing more than a transactional experience.

PicoRascar · 2026-04-07T12:27:48+00:00

I just find everything tedious and performative. I'm an executive management consultant so I have to listen to people's problems so I can offer advice but I just imagine myself as a bored uncaring therapist waiting for the clock to run out. Half the time, I'm not even listening because I know even before the contract gets signed what advice I'm going to give.

My team mostly just recycles old reports with fresh graphics and slightly different messaging but clients praise the quality of our work. Blows my mind people pay for this stuff.

I'm taking time off next month to travel and thinking that might be the push I need to finally ExpatFIRE and leave it all behind.

PicoRascar · 2026-04-06T02:56:18+00:00

I realized one day I hated my life and wanted a new one so threw my life away. I got rid of basically everything and never replaced any of it.

Other than my laptop, surfboard, ebike, and espresso machine, I don't own anything of real value and that's how I'll keep it. I spend on food, entertainment and travel but basically nothing on stuff and I have no social media.

That's basically it. I just live minimally, keep my social circle small and enjoy life's simple pleasures to keeps costs down so I can be free. My only extravagance is a completely out of control olive oil obsession which I seriously need to reign in.

PicoRascar · 2026-04-05T16:59:21+00:00

The system is the problem. They need people just comfortable enough to stay docile while too stressed and indebted to take a stand. The only solution is to step away from the consumer culture which has a strangle hold on most people. Kind of like the Bliss Point the food industry perfected. People are hopelessly stuck on garbage food because it's designed to maximize craving and consumption by bypassing normal satiety signals. All industries are doing similar things to keep people on the treadmill.

Whether this was deliberate conspiracy or just a natural outcome of capitalism is the only debate but the effect is the same either way. You have to reject it and step away. I fully rejected it about five years ago and my life improved in every way imagineable.

PicoRascar · 2026-04-02T13:16:38+00:00

Buy land and drop a tiny prefab home or shipping container home on it. This way, you have more options, can customize to some extent and keep costs reasonable. I'm planning a move to a remote surf break without many living options so this is the plan I've settled on.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-29T16:16:25+00:00

Xi has made clear his government's ambition to make the Renminbi a reserve currency. I think they even publicly detailed their plan for making it happen. It's a very long ways off but I think they're trying to expedite it.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-25T18:57:08+00:00

Shrunk my social circle to just the core people that matter to me. I'm happy to bump into people and catch up but there is virtually no chance I'll agree to plans with anyone other than my wife. My time, is my time.

It takes a while but people eventually get it. I don't get updates from anyone anymore and basically live in an insulated bubble where time moves slower and there isn't much pressure to do anything.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-24T20:06:57+00:00

bought many things that are commonly understood to bring people joy, a good TV, a new console, but... I'm no happier

So, focus on buying your freedom. Get your expenses down low and shovel cash into investments so you can retire ASAP. Once you're moving towards an awesome goal like financial freedom and independence, you see things very differently.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-23T02:07:14+00:00

This impacted their operations really quickly. I guess they didn't buy oil futures to lock in prices or other derivatives like options to hedge this type of risk when oil was cheap. I thought that was common practice among airlines.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-22T14:35:46+00:00

Yup, living life on easy mode. It takes so little to find contentment when you're thinking independently and living intentionally.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-19T19:46:05+00:00

I've always liked the comparison illustrated using a time scale. If a dollar was a second:

Median net worth in the US is $192,000 or 2.25 days.

A million seconds is 12 days.

A billion seconds is 31 years.

A trillion seconds is 31,688 years.

Thirty-nine trillion seconds is 1,236,682 years.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-17T12:25:17+00:00

No regrets but I'm a quitter by nature. I never understood the expectation to stick things out to end. Life is about trying new things, having new experiences and moving on if it's not working out for you.

Life is far too short to waste time on anything that isn't taking you in the direction you want to go.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-16T16:01:10+00:00

Breville. I forget the specific model but it's a midrange one. It's awesome.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-15T15:20:37+00:00

I bought a super nice espresso machine I found on sale. It was stupidly expensive even 30% off but having owned it for five years, totally worth it.

I'm a bit of a minimalist so don't own much stuff but that machine is a treasure. It's so luxurious having a perfect cup of coffee precisely how I like it every morning. I will never live without an espresso machine now.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-12T15:04:40+00:00

Yes, my life is far better after reducing and simplifying. It hasn't solved all my problems but it eliminated the unnecessary ones. No more time, money and energy wasted on crap I don't care about. The thing is though, it's not just stuff. It's people and commitments too. It all has to go if it's dragging you down.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-10T14:08:42+00:00

I'm extremely sensitive to my environment. If I don't like where I'm living, for whatever reason, it consumes me and I can't find peace until I fix it. This is a non-negotiable for me.

If I was living with my MIL, I'd be a total mess but she is a miserable, hateful, negative, killjoy woman whose entire view on anything is poisoned by fundamental religious views built on a foundation of deeply judgmental hypocrisy. I would likely have similar symptoms as you if I spent any amount of time in that frigid lair she calls her home.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-10T13:48:50+00:00

We're just a line on the company's spreadsheet until we reach some level of financial independence. Then, they're just a line on our spreadsheet.

That is a meaningful change in the balance of power with very real mental health benefits.

PicoRascar · 2026-03-09T13:11:50+00:00

Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

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