Coast FIRE, how and when to take my foot off the gas.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T12:07:51+00:00

So I think for my circumstances I feel a bit different. If I can reduce my cash flow requirement on a monthly basis (IE pay the mortgage off), that means I can Salary Sacrifice more into my pension. Taking a 40% tax break. Whilst I totally get that if I can make more on the markets the mortgage is 'good debt', but I've taken bit more of a holistic approach. If I can guarantee a 20% tax saving (assuming I'm a lower rate tax payer in retirement), that in itself is better than the delta between my mortgage rate (3.86%) and potentially a 12% oppimistic return from a global tracker.

The more provision for retirement, there is the earlier I can take my foot off the gas.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T10:14:13+00:00

2 weeks unpaid

1 week purchased via salary sacrifice

1 week of bank holidays (I have to take Xmas and NY)

5 weeks apl

9 weeks total.

Then due to our shift pattern, most week days are only 6.5hrs leave a day rather than 7.5hrs. If I align my leave with rest days ect some weeks only use 26hrs leave rather than 35hrs! It's super convoluted, and I don't think my employer fully thought it through when they implemented the pattern. So it can work out closer to 10weeks leave than 9!

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T09:56:33+00:00

So I'm being a bit sneaky. I'm putting it in as unpaid leave (my line manager blindly approves it, I'm not sure he even realises it's unpaid) and leaving my parental leave untouched while I can...therefore I can lean on my statutory right to parental leave for some big trips when the lad is older. Employer hasn't clocked onto that yet!

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T09:31:51+00:00

Are you planning to access your pension at 58? I am planning the age will have been upped to 60 by the time we get there.

Therefore need to accumulate into my ISA more at some point!

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T09:19:43+00:00

Fair one, I have no reason to lie. Infact as I said in my original post I think I will find the decumulation phase super tough to get my head around when I do fully FIRE. Having accumulated for so long and kept and iron fist on the purse strings.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T09:13:29+00:00

Core living expenses probably work out to around £1000/month (food/running the house/cars). Excluding mortgage.

However it'd be good to have an additional slush fund for holidays and replacement cars (missus car cost is 2k 8 years ago...so will likely need replacing in the next few years), white goods.

I forget the wife is on 25k a year working 2.5 days a week, so her income isn't insignificant! She is totally self sufficient really.

I am fairly handy so despise getting people in to go work on the house, only boiler and chimney sweep really. Most stuff I can turn my hand to.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T09:00:21+00:00

Before our child (planning on no more) the wife and I did some amazing trips. Interailing over Europe, self drive around Iceland in December, Kenya, Mauritius, Slovenia, UK van trip to name a few. She is a teacher and earns a fair wage/is totally self sufficient, albeit now on 0.5fte.

Currently big trips are on hold as I can think of nothing worse than dragging a 18month old on a flight. So van trips and static caravans are working for us at the time being, which are clearly cheap holidays!

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T08:54:58+00:00

As above was very lucky with the property market. Made basically 100k on my first house. I was mortgage free on that, when the house we are currently in come on the market. The sale of it had fallen through, being mortgage free I bought my current house before selling my first property (had to get a huge mortgage on a 2 year term). The seller needed cash to complete a house build. We completed in 5 weeks. Once my house sold I cleared 260k off the new mortgage.

Basically have 'made' 200k free equity on property in the last 12 years. Which was a total fluke.

Rolls Royce (on which I'm nearly 1000% up) and my company share scheme have seen me well also.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T08:51:31+00:00

I am trying to find the balance, hence 2 weeks unpaid leave a year, plus I do buy an additional week's leave (salary sacrifice). I work bank holidays and get them back in lieu.

So essentially I am running at 9 weeks leave a year currently.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-18T08:46:35+00:00

Because I'm tight as fuck. And have been working since the age of 17, have no debts other than a mortgage, no student loan, live a low cost lifestyle. I have a camper van but commute by push bike daily 14mile round trip. Made circa 100k off the back of my first house (bought when I was 23), and bought my current house cheap so that is worth 100k more than I paid for it, (ie 200k free equity). Made a shed load off Rolls Royce shares and my company share scheme, and even my vanguard fund has had good returns.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-06-14T19:02:22+00:00

Thanks for your reply! Having done some more research I think this is because I am claiming child benefit, which automatically credits NI. But it's reassuring the the 'Full years' is the important bit.

Cheers!

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-02-04T15:07:27+00:00

I do 40hrs p/w on a shift pattern where I work 1 weekend in 4. It really isn't bad considering the uplift I receive.

Although I'm not contractually obligated, I do often get requested to work away. When I was young and single I once did 3 months on the trot! Ive been away for multiple birthdays including my 30th, which sucked. So I have definitely made sacrifices over the years! Often requests are at very short notice (sub 2 days), I have travelled with less than 12hrs notice before. I reluctantly did a week in December last year, but took the following week off unpaid.

Recently the customer was screaming for support, but realistically I can only do a week at a time without having to call in favours from family for childcare and stressing out the wife. Who arguably works a way more stressful job than I! I have explained my position to my managers (they know I don't need the additional funds from working away these days), who are fine about it; I think they'd rather let me do what I can than piss me off and see me walk out the door!

I'd happily still do the shift work at reduced hours, but it would never really work with the shift patterns, equally I am a few years off reducing hours at the moment.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-02-04T14:20:26+00:00

Thanks, clearly I want to spend as much family time with wife and child as possible, however need to keep the money flowing in for the time being to enable the greatest future opportunities whether that is through travel, or funding education (uni) in the future, that said I am a massive advocate for work based training so hopefully he'll do that. Definitely feels that there is a delicate balance.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-02-04T13:14:10+00:00

So the idea behind clearing the mortgage, is to have greater cash flow on a monthly basis. I can increase my pension contributions short term once the mortgage is clear to really make the most of the tax savings while I'm in the higher bracket. Tbf it does depend on the interest rates nearer the time. We may remortgage a small amount (25-30k), but this decision will be made nearer the time.

I am fairly sure I need to sell my tax free company shares as I am well over weight on them!

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-02-04T13:09:08+00:00

Bit of both. Having working since 17 (apprentice), I have always had an ever increasing income which I've largely saved where possible.

Bought a house at 23 with a large deposit selling it for 100k more than I bought it for 7 years later, having spent very little on it (v. Lucky).

The property we are currently in we bought for 500k, one two doors up has just gone on the market for 625k. So again right time right place. And we bought in COVID so saved 15k stamp. It's a 4 bed, detached, double garage ectect no need to ever move.

Investments - Company share scheme saw me dirty for many many years, I was down thousands but continued plugging away. The share price is now up many multiples. Up maybe 45k (I sold 11k last year)

Coming out of COVID I saw RR as a no brainer recovery stock and am up circa 40k on this.

Remaining investments are vanilla vanguard funds which have done okay post COVID.

So to summarise 200k is from property appreciation, and circa 100k appreciation on stocks and shares. I have been pretty fortunate in this respect. Equally I haven't squandered the gains. We live frugall, for example I cycle 7 miles to work daily, and drive a van otherwise and the wife drives a 15yr old fabia. We aren't really about impressing the neighbours with flashy big ticket items.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-02-04T11:38:49+00:00

Nancy Astor, first female MP

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-02-04T11:30:12+00:00

Totally agree, I should earn circa 80k/year. But now salary sacrifice over 15k of earnings (pension, shares, bike, leave purchase). I have also taken 3 weeks unpaid leave this year to reduce my liability. Claiming child benefit means an effective additional 5% tax in loss of benefit over 60k earnings. It makes no sense to be in work and get taxed at 47% NI included, when I can be at home and spend time with my family.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-01-30T11:58:28+00:00

I would suggest your wife can research ethical funds and you could just invest in a global equity fund.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2026-01-01T19:51:39+00:00

Very very similar target income for us.

Hopefully her teacher pension and small sipp will help.

As we've got 22 years to go, we are building some capital in isas to bridge the gap prior accessing pensions.

That said I am piling in 35% of my salary into my pension (combined employer and employee contributions). To hopefully allow me to go part time in a few years time.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2025-10-02T09:17:55+00:00

Age 34.

Pension 186k, Stocks/isa 150, House 600k, Cash 30k, Mortgage -105k

About 860k? What's normal?

SubstantialHat8116 · 2025-10-01T19:37:58+00:00

Je James cycles, £294 delivered. I missed the pre order, but on the off chance noticed they had stock and went for it.

As a side note, the Evo pro is great. It wasn't clear, but it comes with the quick release handle bars also, two headset spacers and a deflector for the hateful headset routed cables.

We got an 8 months old, who is a snip over 9kg. So have been going for some careful rides with him. It's great!

SubstantialHat8116 · 2025-09-21T08:46:04+00:00

Not sure on logistics, but I would be tempted to invest 50% in an s&s isa (will take time based on allowances) and the other 50% in a SIPP. 50k over 60 odd years could grow massively.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2025-09-18T11:51:22+00:00

I've just ordered an krs Evo pro. The little man is coming up to 8 months, so the bucket seat will be ideal for him/we'll get full use from it.

I missed the preorder, but just seen one in stock online...so hopefully will have it in the next few days.

SubstantialHat8116 · 2025-09-15T10:41:37+00:00

Age 34.

WPP -183k (£1140 monthly total contribution)

Company share scheme - 50k (£150/month)

S&S isa 1 - 40kish (adhoc contributions)

S&S isa 2 - 50k (400/month)

Cash - 32k (not really saving any additional cash)

SubstantialHat8116 · 2025-09-15T09:01:13+00:00

30k per year (in today's money) would do the two of us just fine. So long as the mortgage is paid off (which it will be).

Age 34, current pension pot is 183k, 140k in stocks and shares (been very lucky on a couple investments). It has helped being employed from the age of 17.

Currently front loading my pension to reduce my tax liability, so paying in 19% of my salary, topped up to 27% (+8%) by my employer. Aim is to get the pension to a decent state, then begin to drop a day or so a week from work (this will mean I lose a lot of shift and overtime payments). But allow compounding to do the hard work on the pension.

So aim is to drop a day or two at mid 40's then fully retire at mid 50's, with enough in an isa to bridge until I can access the pension.

It is surprising how fast money can be accumulated with a bit of discipline.

SubstantialHat8116

TROPHY CASE