I’ve been fascinated by the subject of early retirement over the last couple of years. I’ve been reading many books on the subject, including the “original” Extreme Early Retirement, the 4-hour work week and a few more. I’ve started following a few blogs, like Mr. Money Mustache and Side Hustle Nation.
There are several main “themes” in all those sources:
- Get more money – whether its getting a raise in your day job, find more income sources such as side hustles, the purpose is the same – diversify and increase your income
- Spend less money – stop wasting your (hard) earned cash on stuff you don’t need, and on stuff you can do/make yourself.
- Make your money work for you – invest your money smartly, and based on your risk profile.
- Live your life better – eat healthily, exercise steadily, be mentally strong… you know the drill.
Some of the writers are quite fanatical about things, others much more laid back. Personally, I don’t like taking things to the extreme – living in Israel makes some of the recommendations plainly unpractical. Being a father makes others unreasonable, and others risky.
For my part, both me and my wife do our best to work hard to earn a living. I also spend some of my personal time on side hustle. We are always looking for ways to reduce our expenses, without hurting our quality of life too much. We try to save and invest as much as possible. We keep a relatively healthy life, and we both exercise routinely.
All in all, I think we’re on the right track.