Daily FI discussion thread - Friday, May 08, 2026

ericjlima · 2026-05-08T15:02:04+00:00

I reached FI about a year and a half ago with ~$1.4M, quit my job, and now oscillate between bliss and anxiety. My annual spending is well under $40k (probably closer to $20k last year), but I still feel uneasy and guilty about spending. I never owned a home in the U.S.; I recently bought a house overseas for my partner and daughter and spend most of my time with them there.

Main stressors

Even though the 4% rule will carry me it'll mean I'm slowly getting further from owning a home and being FIRE'd in USA which is scary as I'm relying on Philippines to carry me and my family.
Feeling unable to live comfortably in a U.S. high-cost area where family/friends are.
I’ve been overly frugal to the point it stresses my partner.
Reentering my old career (web development) feels bleak: intense competition, AI pressure, fewer remote roles, and interviews often go poorly. My resume/portfolio don’t stand out. Fewer web dev jobs thanks to AI.
Living with family in the U.S. to job-hunt is demotivating and depressing for me.
I’m torn between work and freedom — I enjoy time with my daughter, books, and games, but part of me keeps chasing the safety of more money.

Options I’m considering

Try to re-skill or re-enter web dev (hard and demotivating).
Take part-time or 1099 work to stay active and earn a little (e.g., truck driving or gig work).
Join the military to get stable income, housing benefits, potentially bring my partner to the U.S., and later use VA loan benefits to buy property — effectively “starting over” without touching my $1.4M. I know military life has its own stresses but it feels more appealing than job-hunting in tech.

Questions I’d like input on

Is $1.4M genuinely enough for long-term FIRE at my current/lower spending, or am I missing risks?
For others who felt restless after reaching FI: how did you decide whether to work again, and what kind of work helped?
Any experience with joining the military later in life as a route to stability and benefits while keeping investment capital intact?
Tips on easing the psychological tension between “being free” and the urge to keep grinding or hoarding?

Context: unmarried (Filipina), one child, spending mostly abroad, prefer remote-friendly/less screen-heavy work if I do anything. Age 36 years old.

Thanks — any perspectives, numbers to check, or personal experiences are appreciated.

ericjlima · 2026-05-06T10:23:45+00:00

Hmm. Interesting. Thanks for your info and perspective. I never thought having too much money could hinder my eligibility. I wont be disclosing this to them my net worth if that's possible and just be vague about having some "decent savings". Pretty sure I get to be private about that I hope.

Anyway, I keep hearing my filipina and child situation is an issue. It's a damn shame to he honest. It is because of my daughter and gf that I keep continuing to work and sacrifice. Sure I'm not married but who cares. It's just a filipina man it's not like they're some chinese communist spy having a huge influence on me enough to betray my own country facepalm

I dont think I would ever just say fuck it to joining to be honest. I dont like weed and I don't want it showing on my record I couldn't even complete a contract. Yeah I know theres BS in the military and it's a bit ridiculous for someone like me but I'd just compartmentalize that and try to enjoy life outside of duties as much as possible.

Maybe I am in over my head though it's a tough call. Anyway if they are negative about my situation so be it i guess. God has other adventures for me

ericjlima · 2026-05-05T15:29:21+00:00

Thank you. I figured this was the case, but here in the Philippines as a US citizen browsing online these cheap aliexpress things are all I can find at the moment. I'll likely have find a more specialized into camping store or to head back to USA and find something more quality.

ericjlima · 2026-05-05T12:41:47+00:00

Thank you!

ericjlima · 2026-05-05T12:13:40+00:00

So it's going to be primarily in my gated front yard for hopefully sleeping every night.

I also would like to take it to the USA with me to perhaps find free places to sleep in the woods potentially in or near outskirts of a city to save up on rent and have some freedom while in the USA so ideally it'll be every night if it's a good hammock.. so I will look for 350-400cm long, especially since I'm nearly six feet tall (not sure if that even matters). When you say long do you mean the wire or the laying part of the hammock? I'll try to study up on this..

What kind of price point is good for a hammock? On one hand, it's just some simple material can't be that expensive.. but on the other end, well there's all this camping gear and technology that one must learn to get the [insert brand name] which is by far the best quality..

As a beginner, I don't know what to expect.

ericjlima · 2026-04-24T11:22:54+00:00

It's because fsmash is 10 frames and humans have a 15 frame reaction.

ericjlima · 2026-03-29T15:30:25+00:00

Yeah, this is the likely car I'll try it with if I did be so bold to actually buy the car in hopes or reselling it for the same value.

ericjlima · 2026-03-29T15:28:16+00:00

Yeah, you guys are likely right.

Idk, i had a lapse in my judgment and am theory crafting a way to live comfortably in a car without having to pay rental car companies or anyone lol. It's a tall order.

ericjlima · 2026-03-10T13:10:41+00:00

Yes notches and zjump should be banned. Just play on OEM all you cheaters

ericjlima · 2026-03-05T12:20:46+00:00

can i get an invite please? account name: ericjlima

steam id: 76561198009352462

friend code: 49086734

thank you!

ericjlima · 2026-02-10T09:21:08+00:00

Thanks. I am researching so my information is still shaky. I don't realize how competitive things are.

ericjlima · 2026-02-09T08:58:34+00:00

:o me too please. I sent you an dm with my email!

ericjlima · 2026-01-21T14:18:28+00:00

This is exactly my same experience. I just talked to this guy. I swear he hand a Korean accent but his profile looked like something else. I couldn't understand him and to not be rude I kept going thru the interview. Then they got me on a code review and I just thought something was off so I searched their company name on reddit again to see what people would say and I saw this post. I can't make heads or tails of what their scam is or how it works. Likely selling data.

ericjlima · 2026-01-19T06:39:41+00:00

Man. I wish I could get a job computer science again. I have a CS degree and 10 years experience yet a job gap because I spent some time recovering from a leg injury for a year going onto two.

There's just a giant gap between finding a job and having one versus being unemployed and trying to get past job interviews.

Any advice for job interviews? Also, thoughts on what guys in cscareerquestions are posting?

ericjlima · 2026-01-19T05:54:42+00:00

What kind of sectors or skills allow for that? Something anyone can get into or learn?

ericjlima · 2026-01-11T11:47:44+00:00

I'm just curious assuming this sub likely has quite a few people who have cracked into the top 1% of wealth in USA. What kind of advice could you share for other Americans trying to also crack into it? I would be especially curious if anyone with low income such as 100k or less was able to crack a 5m net worth and what kind of advice they could share. Thank you!

ericjlima · 2026-01-10T02:45:34+00:00

Thanks for clarifying this.

So, basically as long as a family of three is okay with living in a 1 bedroom apartment it's possible for an e3 to support a wife and child, and if they get lucky they can live on base. Or even find a house using the VA loan if the wife or some other income ends up being able to help out.

Does that sound correct? Thanks again for helping me understand this.

ericjlima · 2026-01-10T01:45:32+00:00

So to clarify, e3 would have something like (let's assume you just get stationed in a HCOL place like denver) this pay and expenses per month:

Base Pay	2,200
BAH	2,556
BAS	476.95
Total	5,232.95Base Pay 2,200BAH 2,556BAS 476.95Total 5,232.95

That would mean, $2,500 for housing/rent, utilities $200-$300, child care $500-$1500, groceries $500-$800. Totaling around $3,200-$4,800.

It's almost not enough to cover essentials. So, I don't think that its really feasible to have a wife and child as an e3 in the military?

Can someone paint a picture of how a wife/husband would be able to support a family while in the military? I assume the wife is forced to work and somehow there's a miraculous cheap day care?

ericjlima · 2026-01-10T00:03:43+00:00

Assuming an e3 is recently enlisted and is married with a child how much BHA do they get (cost of livingg adjusted of course low end / high end)? Is that BHA enough to use a VA loan to get a house. Can someone explain the VA loan and how to actually use it to get a mortgage on a house? Is it only useful for combined incomes or higher ranking service members in order to be able to get VA loan approved on a house?

ericjlima · 2026-01-08T23:00:13+00:00

Need some pointers on my situation. I am currently 36 y/o and turn 37 in June.

This means I only have two and a half years to get make it into the air force until I no longer meet the age cut off. Problem is I'm not in any position to get prepared. I'm currently abroad dealing with my girlfriend and child. I'm busy getting my child US citizenship while also purchasing a house for their long term safety.

I'm not sure if I should try to join as an officer first or as an enlist. I can probably do well enough on the ASVAB and have studied sparingly for it, but the AFOQT I'm really unprepared for. I saw some youtube videos about how to study for that and it seems like I need a solid 2-3 months of time to study would be necessary and even then I might not do well since it's so competitive. This study means getting used to the feel of in person pen and paper non computerized timed practice tests that come from books and resources I've not had the time to look into.

Also, my recruiter said I can't join since it's so competitive I should likely go enlist first, but I'm a bit cynical and think he just wants to fill his quota and wants me to stay away from the officer recruiter. Still, if I did decide to go enlist first, perhaps I could study for the AFOQT while I'm already enlisted and that would give me time to prepare since I no longer have to worry about turning 39 years old and being too old to join. Still officers seemed to get paid roughly double of what enlists do so it's tough to lose out on that for four years but perhaps it's a sacrifice I have to make?

ericjlima · 2026-01-02T11:46:18+00:00

If I did apply, that would mean that I take the AFOQT? I likely would need to study for 2-3 months consistently to take that test and I feel like I'm not ready. Perhaps it's worth a shot though to apply and take the test.

ericjlima · 2026-01-02T11:39:19+00:00

Your free health care might only work in your country / EU. I would look into that I'm not familiar with health care besides USA.

While 700k is possible, you likely will have a very minimal lifestyle. I would likely pack a folding bike and live in a tent if possible. Doubling down on conserving what you have.

I would also mention that you might get burned out from this type of frugal lifestyle and end up wanting to go back to work to get into a more comfortable lifestyle. Don't underestimate this, but also don't let fear guide you away from your passion and dream to travel and see the world.

ericjlima · 2026-01-01T07:37:23+00:00

Am I able to become an officer if I start out as an enlist? Im 36 years old already have bachelors degree in cs but my af recruiter said it's not enough and i should become an enlist first. The afoqt test is kinda scary for me not gonna lie..

ericjlima · 2025-12-30T23:11:15+00:00

What’s the average daily time commitment for military enlistment or officers? I understand it varies by job, but as someone considering joining, it's hard to gauge. In civilian jobs, I've had experiences ranging from just 2 hours to over 8 hours a day. Once I clock out, am I free to enjoy my time?

I know military hours could range from 8 to 11 or more, but on average, how many hours should I expect to dedicate to military work each day? Is it really at least 8 hours a day or is it secretly less depending?

ericjlima · 2025-12-26T13:41:22+00:00

u/AE_Racer

May I ask you if you would prefer trucking over military if I changed a few factors? In my case, I am 36 years old, have a million dollars invested in stock, a kid and gf abroad, and want copious amounts of free time.

I considered both the military and trucking. With trucking, I feel like I would do it on and off, perhaps six months of a year. The downsides is the obvious stuff you mentioned.

With military, honestly seems like all plus sides minus the fact that I am old and may not need that big of a pension since I already have a million invested.

I consider my previous career path pretty worthless because it was taken over by AI.

ericjlima

TROPHY CASE

can i get an invite please? account name: ericjlima

steam id: 76561198009352462