Early Retirement Extreme Forums

@olaz

I do something very similar. Since I'm 27 and still in the accumulation phase, I'll often say 3 different truthful things depending on how close to somebody I am.

Coworkers: I'm saving up so that I have enough cash to transition later in case this role goes away/changes/they give us an unbearable boss etc.
Friends you hang out with: I'm saving up so that I can quit my job and then possibly do something 20 hours a week/part time/my own business etc.
Parents, wife, sisters: The full ERE/FIRE dream complete with links to blog posts and grand plans about living off of passive income.

No. It is not something most people are asking about either.

I would tell my mom or my grandma that I slept in the car if it came up in the convo. I'd tell them "Oh yeah, I slept in the car last night. It was grrrrreeeeat, been a long time since I tried that but man was it neat to do again!" IMO, you're doing a disservice to your parents/grandparents if you lie about things like that, and furthermore lying about it results in shallower relationships. The excuse of trying to reduce their worrying is nonsensical, and of course they're gonna worry anyways, but if you're just upfront about these things they get used to your particular 'quirks'.

Since this post was dredged up, I just read it for the first time and saw that it was C40 who was the OP! Have your family and friends had anything to say about your van adventure, now that you're a good few months in? I imagine you aren't telling them you're couchsurfing your way around the US.