Hello! Welcome to ThinkSaveRetire.com, a blog about early retirement. And financial Independence. Do you want to retire early? Not just early, but super early? What a coincidence, because I did too! I retired from full-time work at the age of 35.
What does "retired from full-time work" mean? It means that I no longer hold down a full-time job and, hopefully, never again will. I may work occasionally on projects that I enjoy - even for money. When that work stops being fun, I move on to other things.
Our lifestyle no longer depends on any source of income. Today, any money that we bring in by working for fun is icing on the cake.
These pages follow my journey from a traditional working stiff to an early retiree through a series of easier-than-I-thought steps of living below my means with frugality, maximizing savings and, perhaps most importantly, knowing what makes me happy in this life.
For a little more background on me, visit the About page. But for a lot more substance, here's what you need to know about my journey and how to get the most out of this little blog. And who knows, YOUR journey might look a little something like mine.
And, check us out on YouTube! If you'd like to follow our journey visually, click over to our YouTube channel, A Streamin' Life, to see our beautiful faces as we travel around the country. You won't regret it (I hope)!
https://youtu.be/r5Vk1cHnGDs
My most popular posts
Check out the ten popular posts published on this blog (in order of title length, just 'cause):
- Why minimalism sucks
- My Retirement Renaissance
- The awesomeness of not being important
- Screw it! I am retiring by 36 and here is how
- How to master your early retirement lifestyle
- Your ultimate guide to being successful at anything
- Our Financial Independence date, new and improved
- Are million-dollar early retirees ruining personal finance?
- The thing that surprised me the most about early retirement
- Think you need a 2,400 square foot house to feel comfortable?
How I achieved early retirement (Must Reads, please!)
To me, retirement isn't just about "not working". Retirement is about choosing what to do with your life outside of the restrictive confines of a 10-hour / day job. I've written about my path towards early retirement a few times on the blog.
For example, here is a collection of "Must Reads" if you want to get the most out of my journey:
- I retired from full-time work at the age of 35
- My wife and I want to travel the country on $30k a year
- I understand that I'm not perfect and never will be; perfection is not the goal
- We meticulously budget our expenses, though I also admit when budgets don't work
- We are not minimalists; we simply live below our means
- Attitude is everything, and thinking positively is a powerful force
How to achieve early retirement
My thoughts on retiring early are simple. Remember, "retirement" means different things to different people. Don't let society dictate to you what retirement "should be". That is entirely up to you, my friends.
- First, ignore the retirement police and naysayers.
- And remember, a high income is not the only way to retire early
- Understand that the stock market is about long-term success
- No need to be a genius to retire early, just a little flexibility
- Also, financial independence and early retirement are very different