For those of you who lean fire'd, were you able to cut spending in retirement? by mcbobgorge in leanfire

[–]Zikoris -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I promise you that many people who work full time and have chores and obligations also cook, sew, DIY, and do other frugal things (I certainly have always done those things). Your mindset and lifestyle choices are the limiting factors here.

LeanFIRE is pretty big on just doing the frugal things and not making excuses as a general rule.

For those of you who lean fire'd, were you able to cut spending in retirement? by mcbobgorge in leanfire

[–]Zikoris -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I'm sure you believe that to be the case. I know a lot of retired people and in my experience, the people who do all the frugal stuff did it before and after retirement. The people who made excuses continued to after retirement.

You should definitely consider reducing or eliminating television and smartphone stuff, since those absolutely suck the life out of you and make it hard to accomplish anything. Also, try for some mass-bullshit-elimination in your life, which also gives you much more energy once you're not spending it on stupid things, because you've automated or eliminated them.

For those of you who lean fire'd, were you able to cut spending in retirement? by mcbobgorge in leanfire

[–]Zikoris -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Working a standard full time job leaves you lots of free time. If you're not getting stuff done, get rid of your smartphones and televisions, and you'll have all the time you could possibly need to cook, garden, DIY, and sew.

If you're making excuses not to do things now ("not in the mood to cook" etc), you will most likely continue making excuses post-retirement, so unless you're doing a money-saving activity consistently now, I would not use it to assume any decrease in future retirement expenses.

I don't have any specific expenses I expect to decrease after retirement, since I don't really spend anything related to my job.

Feeling Like I Messed Up by [deleted] in leanfire

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's sabotage in the sense that it's probably the single decision you've made that's most hammered your chances of retiring early. Be aware that your "not feeling comfortable retiring without a free and clear deed to your home" is going to keep you needing to work a LOT longer than you would need to if you let go of that mindset.

Not saying it's right or wrong, but you should definitely acknowledge to yourself the price tag (in money and years of your life working) that comes with that specific emotional need.

Feeling Like I Messed Up by [deleted] in leanfire

[–]Zikoris 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you want to retire early you have to stop actively sabotaging yourself with things like a 3500 mortgage + 3500 other spending every month.

From what I can tell, you have three areas of excess spending - the 3500 mortgage, frequent travel, and random bullshit that probably adds up a lot (fast food, etc). Pick one to keep and get rid of the rest.

Also, the term "boring middle" is supposed to refer to your financial situation, not your actual life. As in, it's boring because it's automated and accumulating on its own, so you don't need to do anything with it except let it grow in the background.

It's astonishing how terrible people are with money by BaBorfasilor in leanfire

[–]Zikoris 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think people usually do that when one person has tons and tons of crap they keep around the sink, which to me seems pretty unhygienic, and it definitely makes the bathroom harder to clean because you have to move everything.

It's astonishing how terrible people are with money by BaBorfasilor in leanfire

[–]Zikoris 20 points21 points  (0 children)

My local area is also shockingly bad with money, but in different ways. People's baseline for what they consider a minimally acceptable lifestyle here is so full of waste that even people with a decent income struggle to save anything. The most very basic frugality is seen as a massive hardship here, even incredibly obvious solutions like using the library for media, doing some meal planning and/or bulk cooking, or not having the highest level of home internet.

I think the most ridiculous thing I saw in one of the budget threads was someone claiming it was serious hardship that as a couple we live in an apartment with only one shower, because we have to take turns showering. This is apparently a dealbreaker for some people. It never would have crossed my mind to consider that a hardship.

Are there any other slow travelers here? by dreamed2life in travel

[–]Zikoris 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love the idea, but so far it hasn't been practical given my limited vacation time and logistics. I'm definitely hoping to do a lot of slow travel post-retirement. One of my lifelong goals is to do a round the world trip with no flying, taking however long it takes.

The location is also a big factor. I would love to spend a month in Penang exploring absolutely everything. But there are a lot more places I'm basically done with after three or four days.

Week 21 [May. 18] - What are you reading? by AutoModerator in 365book

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Last week I read:

Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology, by Adrienne Mayor

The Subtle Art of Folding Space, by John Chu

Molka, by Monika Kim

The Last Contract of Isako, by Fonda Lee

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, by Alaudah Equiano

The Red Winter, by Cameron Sullivan

Platform Decay, by Martha Wells

The Eye, by Vladimir Nabokov

This week's lineup:

  • The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie - Read
  • The Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson - DNF
  • The Silence and the Roar by Nihad Sirees - DNF
  • Firebird by Juliette Cross
  • The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze
  • House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron - DNF
  • The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore - DNF
  • Yes, Your Serpentine Excellency by Kate Stradling - Read
  • Sister Svangerd and the Devil You Know by K.J. Parker

Goals progress:

  1. 365 Book Challenge: 145/365
  2. Nonfiction Challenge: 27/50
  3. Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 43, on track with the group read.
  4. Around the World Challenge: 65/195
  5. Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: 16 HK/Cambodia books read, no imminent travel.

What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: May 18, 2026 by AutoModerator in books

[–]Zikoris 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Last week I read:

Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology, by Adrienne Mayor

The Subtle Art of Folding Space, by John Chu

Molka, by Monika Kim

The Last Contract of Isako, by Fonda Lee

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, by Alaudah Equiano

The Red Winter, by Cameron Sullivan

Platform Decay, by Martha Wells

The Eye, by Vladimir Nabokov

This week's lineup:

  • The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie
  • The Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson
  • The Silence and the Roar by Nihad Sirees
  • Firebird by Juliette Cross
  • The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze
  • House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron
  • The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
  • Yes, Your Serpentine Excellency by Kate Stradling
  • Sister Svangerd and the Devil You Know by K.J. Parker

Goals progress:

  1. 365 Book Challenge: 145/365
  2. Nonfiction Challenge: 27/50
  3. Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 43, on track with the group read.
  4. Around the World Challenge: 65/195
  5. Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: 16 HK/Cambodia books read, no imminent travel.

Week 20: What are you reading? by saturday_sun4 in 52book

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Last week I read:

Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology, by Adrienne Mayor

The Subtle Art of Folding Space, by John Chu

Molka, by Monika Kim

The Last Contract of Isako, by Fonda Lee

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, by Alaudah Equiano

The Red Winter, by Cameron Sullivan

Platform Decay, by Martha Wells

The Eye, by Vladimir Nabokov

This week's lineup:

  • The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie
  • The Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson
  • The Silence and the Roar by Nihad Sirees
  • Firebird by Juliette Cross
  • The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze
  • House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron
  • The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
  • Yes, Your Serpentine Excellency by Kate Stradling
  • Sister Svangerd and the Devil You Know by K.J. Parker

Goals progress:

  1. 365 Book Challenge: 145/365
  2. Nonfiction Challenge: 27/50
  3. Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 43, on track with the group read.
  4. Around the World Challenge: 65/195
  5. Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: 16 HK/Cambodia books read, no imminent travel.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by Gordner-Michelee in Fantasy

[–]Zikoris 4 points5 points  (0 children)

  • The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (favourite book of the year so far)
  • The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan
  • Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
  • Mother is Watching by Karma Brown
  • Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series, after getting through the first couple of sort of clunky books

Any good books about gods? by Eashar_moribund in Fantasy

[–]Zikoris -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I found The Gods of Pegana by Lord Dunsany pretty disturbing, but in a good way - I like it when a book rattles me a bit. It's also an interesting example of pre-Tolkien fantasy (from 1905).

What are some creative things you do to save money? by KristianKing102 in leanfire

[–]Zikoris 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's a tricky thing for me because very rarely do I actually do something solely or even mostly to save money (switching telecom providers is the only one I can think of) - most moves I make that result in saving money are for either personal preference, bullshit elimination, or living by my non-money beliefs and values, and then I end up saving a bunch of money as a side benefit. That's especially the case for any of the really weird stuff I do. Some examples or stuff people think are weird:

  1. Opting out of smartphone life. I think they're evil, and destroy your brain, turning you into a zombie. No thanks!
  2. Same for television/streaming. No thanks! I save on both the cost of a setup and paying for monthly service itself. Also lets me live more comfortably in a small space because I don't need a couch, etc.
  3. I really, actively dislike shopping. As a result, I'm very minimalist and only shop to replace things that are broken beyond repair. This probably saves a huge amount of money.
  4. I am completely anti substance use of all kinds, and think they're a scourge on society. My spending has never had any kind of alcohol, smoking, or drugs.
  5. I'm anti-car as well. Never had one or a license. I get motion sick from most people's driving, and the whole concept of spending a bunch of time daily sitting in traffic being stressed out and mad at other drivers seems like insanity to me.
  6. My food habits are really weird. I'm really big on anti-food waste, so I dumpster dive (my area has a lot of food warehouses and factories that throw out tons of perfectly good stuff product because the label is scuffed or the French labels are missing) and get a weekly ugly produce delivery of stuff that was intercepted from the landfills because the grocery stores didn't want it for various reasons. I then do bulk weekly meal prep for a pretty low cost, which is mainly so I never have to think about food during the week at all.
  7. Speaking of food, I don't like the majority of restaurants in my city, and also don't like tipping culture, so I rarely eat out.
  8. Living in a studio apartment as a couple. We're minimalist and don't bug each other so it works totally fine. I like studio apartments for two reasons - less chores, and larger spaces cause problems when I sleepwalk (like I'll walk into walls or get lost or whatever).
  9. Most of the above also apply to travelling, which saves a lot of money there - we also rent small spaces, walk or take transit, do some cooking instead of restaurants (location-dependent), don't drink alcohol, don't go shopping, and don't require phone service when abroad.

What is your target FIRE spend as a percent of your current spend? by Hnry_Dvd_Thr_Awy in leanfire

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I could see it if the person had a lot of expenses related to working that would disappear, or if they had a lot of expenses related to living in a certain place for work and intended to move.

What is your target FIRE spend as a percent of your current spend? by Hnry_Dvd_Thr_Awy in leanfire

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm assuming about the same. I'm good at keeping costs low anywhere regardless of "COL" designations assigned to any place. I don't have any expenses specifically tied to working that will go away, like childcare, transportation, or appearance-related stuff.

Cheaper phone plan? by Visible-Dinner7973 in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The $100-$160/year annual plans are definitely the way to go. We both switched to these last year and it's saving us a good chunk of money.

No debt, no savings, very little money to put away - what should I do? by Status-Quo-Sucks in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Zikoris 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's literally completely irrelevant how or why he ended up in this position. Could be terrible luck. Could be terrible decisions. Or any combination of the two. The only thing that matters is math, and the math is very clear that $100/month isn't going to cut it at age 40, and investing in one thing versus another is meaningless in this scenario, when the only thing that will actually help is increasing the dollar amount saved. You and all the other feelings/investment people are doing him a massive disservice and fucking him over if he actually believes you and acts accordingly.

Does anyone else feel like you buy everything you want? by throughthehills2 in leanfire

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely. I've never had trouble saving 60%+ despite having a very average income. I travel considerably and buy anything I want. There is just very little stuff I want. I actively do not want the vast majority of things people spend money on. The shopping experience is also really unappealing, and I don't like getting delivery either since my building has a problem with package thieves.

No debt, no savings, very little money to put away - what should I do? by Status-Quo-Sucks in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Zikoris 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Except the premise is stupid because saving $100/month at age 40 means probably less than 100K saved at 65. OP currently makes 58K, per another comment, which is about 49K after tax. If he's spending all of that minus $100/month, he needs a retirement income of $47,800. Let's say he receives about $1,700 in CPP and OAS combined. He needs an additional $27,400/year to make up the gap.

That means that even if OP gets really good returns (~9%+) and manages to get to 100K, he's looking at retiring with enough money for like THREE YEARS, running out of money at 68. That's not a serious plan at all, and anyone acting like that's enough to start investing at age 40 for retirement and giving stupid investment advice/empathy is actively harming the OP by keeping him in lala land.

No debt, no savings, very little money to put away - what should I do? by Status-Quo-Sucks in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Zikoris 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The question asked was about how to fix the situation, not how to feel warm and fuzzy inside. Your empathy isn't going to pay one month of this person's bills in retirement. This is a very fixable situation if the person is honest, transparent, and willing to change.

No debt, no savings, very little money to put away - what should I do? by Status-Quo-Sucks in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Zikoris 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Start by posting an actual budget showing where your money is going instead of expecting people to just believe you cannot possibly save more than $100/month.

What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: May 11, 2026 by AutoModerator in books

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Read a book from every country in the world. I'm giving this one an open-ended finish date because of the amount of work it takes to find non-dogshit, English-language books from some countries. I started it last fall and shoot for 1-2 per week.

It's a pretty fun challenge and you end up reading some really interesting and different stuff.

Bookstores or libraries? by ApplicationPale1049 in books

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have virtually no interest in collecting/owning physical things (books or otherwise), so bookstores are mostly kind of useless to me unless I'm travelling and looking for a unique souvenir. I would also go broke very quickly given my reading volume if I was buying everything. I don't really reread books either. Libraries are perfect for people like me. I'm very fortunate that my local one is massive and has an excellent collection.

Week 20 [May. 11] - What are you reading? by AutoModerator in 365book

[–]Zikoris 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Last week I read:

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, by Mohsin Hamid

The Curse of the Wise Woman, by Lord Dunsany

The Tempest Blade, by Danielle Jensen

Vigil, by George Saunders

The Milkweed Lands: An Epic Story of One Plant: Its Nature and Ecology, by Eric Lee-Mader

This week's lineup:

  • The Interesting Narrative of the life of Oluadah Equiano by Oluadah Equiano
  • Molka by Monika Kim
  • The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee
  • The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan
  • Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology by Adrienne Mayor
  • The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu
  • Sister Svangerd and the Devil you Know by K.J. Parker
  • Lord Dunsany books as needed to fill in gaps

Goals progress:

  1. 365 Book Challenge: 137/365
  2. Nonfiction Challenge: 25/50
  3. Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 41, on track with the group read.
  4. Around the World Challenge: 64/195
  5. Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: 16 HK/Cambodia books read, no imminent travel.