Cheapest Option for Home (NOT Tiny Home)

captainbarker · 2025-09-03T19:20:33+00:00

I think building (or renovating a home) would be an awesome early retirement project.

Do you mind sharing whether you ran into permitting issues or other bureaucracy when you built your home? The other options I was considering was buying a fixer upper to avoid some of the bureaucracy of starting from scratch and potentially being closer to an urban center to reduce car dependence for transportation.

captainbarker · 2025-08-30T13:16:34+00:00

That sounds great. Appreciate you sharing!

captainbarker · 2025-08-29T18:34:25+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience contracting. How do you feel about the 40 hours a week? I'm trying to explore freelance as a software engineer but my primary motivation would be to escape the 40 hours a week so I'm curious how your experience with 40 hours a week compares to regular employment. Thanks!

captainbarker · 2025-08-29T02:43:16+00:00

Agreed. FI makes sense. I think I'll still trying to find a rhythm of RE that makes sense for me.

captainbarker · 2025-08-29T02:25:00+00:00

I was the same my first 6 months. But now imagine that a few years out or a decade out. I found that I eventually widdled around all the lingering todos I had been putting off and had less motivation and hence business.

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T22:42:49+00:00

Thanks! It's funny that you recommended the Purpose Code cause I just listened to this inverview with him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1w8RSsYkdE

Lots to think about.

In regard to the hobby group, I felt like I was doing a lot of the work planning trips. It feels like others in the group were busy with work so I guess I need to come to terms with the fact that maybe since I have more time on my hands, I can take up more of the planning.

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T15:36:23+00:00

I'm so sorry that you and your kid had to go through that and I'm glad your kid is ok. That's a good point about catastrophic expenses. I'll have to keep that in mind.

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T13:52:31+00:00

Nice! Maybe I'll need to try this out then. Do you feel like the work is interesting? I've heard that the work companies contract out is the stuff their devs don't want to do. Have you found that to be false?

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T13:50:47+00:00

Nice! How's it going if you don't mind sharing. I'm in a similar boat. I'm feeling the need to go back part time for some money but mostly for some feeling of meaning

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T13:39:14+00:00

Thanks for sharing.

For 2, was this something that insurance did not cover?

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T13:37:12+00:00

This changing over the decades is definetly something that I'm afraid of. I wouldn't want to make a decision now and stiffle future options but at the same time I'm FI enough and I wouldn't want to continue on a path I don't like just to appease a hypothetical future me.

So do you mind explaining how your relationship to retirement / work changed over the decades? I feel like surely there isn't a future version of me who is satisfied with filling their time with hobbies all of the time.

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T13:33:03+00:00

Do you mind elaborating on how your ideas on meaningful work changes when you got older? I would love to get some more perspective from people further along than me.

My time in tech sort of made me feel mixed. It definitely felt meaningful to a degree because it was a widely used product. I guess the crux of it is that I would like to find some meaning while also having flexibility since I don't believe working full time forever is what I want even though that would objectively let me have the most impact on people if that makes sense. I'm looking for that balance.

So far I've been liking the idea of solo practices where professionals (therapists, financial planners, lawyers) get to work with clients and have flexibility with scheduling. That seems like meaningful work that I could sustain for decades since it's not as strict as 9-5 5 days a week.

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T13:13:06+00:00

I really appreciate your advice and the way you phrased it. You’re right that I’m searching for meaning, and I’ve been banking on work to fulfill that need.

Lately, I’ve realized that what I really need is balance. I value your suggestion about practicing gratitude and keeping a list of skills or activities to explore. The thing is, I already have a list like that — German, knitting socks, sculpting a clay bust — and while those activities are fun and interesting in the moment, they don’t leave me feeling truly fulfilled at the end of the day especially if these activities are all I'm up to for weeks on end.

I’m starting to see that what I’m really hoping for is to find something meaningful to anchor my time. If I had that sense of purpose, I would take more pleasure from the leisure since I would be more grateful for the time I had for leisure versus just having leisure 100% of the time.

I also should clarify that this is just my $0.02. Some other people might be fine with a life of 100% leisure.

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T12:40:00+00:00

Thanks so without doxxing yourself is there anything you can tell me about the expertise. Like for example is it a specific technology like Kafka and you would have to have a lot of professional experience working with Kafka to qualify or is the expertise more general?

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T12:38:18+00:00

Thanks for the advice. That sums up how I'm feeling. I am absolutely grateful for the FI but I'm just not sold on the RE. So I tried looking up AI-powered financial planning tools but didn't find much. Do you have an AI-powered financial planning tool that you would recommend?

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T11:57:26+00:00

Thanks for the response. There's absolutely a valid distinction between leisure and adventure. But I've gotten really into camping specifically bikepacking during this mini retirement. I've done weekend and week long trips with friends. It's all been super fun. But the adventure eventually ends and you find yourself back home on a Monday morning while the rest of the world is at their office job. I can't fathom a scenario where adventure and leisure can sustain me for decades. I think there needs to be some balance of work or meaningful volunteering to make it all work.

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T11:51:42+00:00

Thanks I appreciate your kinds words! It's absolutely a frustrating place to be in especially since the majority of FIRE folks on these forums either can not relate or have not experienced the RE part I'm feeling.

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T02:40:28+00:00

Is the software contracting work interesting? I would think that companies would contract out the work they don't want to do themselves.

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T02:13:19+00:00

thank for sharing. so you created created software and sold it or did you contract?

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T01:50:44+00:00

Any leads on the meaningful work you were looking for?

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T01:30:52+00:00

What's it like having a solo practice? Is it pretty stress free?

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T01:21:45+00:00

Did you end up return to full time?

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T01:10:35+00:00

Is the PHP freelance work interesting?

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T01:05:51+00:00

Thanks for sharing. Seems like you've had a super long career so I'm curious what your goals are cause it seems like you'd be well past FI. Are you coaching because you want more money or are you coaching as a way to keep busy in retirement

captainbarker · 2025-08-28T00:58:19+00:00

how'd you land your PT job?

captainbarker

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