After we quit Christmas 12 years ago, my husband and I started traveling to Mexico every December. And in place of all the holiday rituals we left behind (decorating, parties, baking, shopping, etc….), we created a brand new ritual of our own. We call it our “annual retreat”. I’ll warn you now, it’s intense! I’m…
Category: FIRE
Everywhere I go this week, I’ve faced the usual holiday small talk: What did you buy on Black Friday? Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet? Did you get a real or fake Christmas tree? Are you hosting a Christmas party? Are you putting up lights outside this year? Do you want some Christmas…
Today’s Thanksgiving holiday got me thinking about the role of giving in the journey toward Financial Independence and Retiring Early (FIRE). When I searched the mountain of writing by FIRE bloggers, I found surprisingly little describing how people conceptualize and practice giving. I’m not sure why bloggers who are comfortable sharing all their financial data online don’t…
I’ve been traveling this month through Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal. For me, traveling means meeting lots of new people. And sooner or later, they all ask: “so… what do you do?” When my husband and I respond “we’re retired”, it inevitably generates lots of questions. And the most frequently asked question on this trip has…