JL1 said: You seem to mention this often, but you seem to have a pretty solid lifestyle. Is this desire to save money an internal or external motivation?
Mix, I guess. I have been a practitioner of frugality for almost 30 years, but I always seem to ratchet down my income to match my expenses (I took my first mini-retirement when I was 22) , except for short-term specific saving goals. It's not that I don't care about future me, but although past me was quite unhappy to have to work over 40 hours/week for the 6 years she did it, current me is quite content with her current, very part-time, challenging-in-a-good-way and varied work load, so I don't know why future me would be happier not working at all.
Actually, I would say that my internal motivation would be more in alignment with reducing my expenses even more rather than saving more money, but it gets down to a bit of apples for apples if, for example, I do something like buy and renovate a dilapidated duplex, because I would really just be doing something like trading the 3.5 days I have to teach each month to pay my current $300/month shelter expenses for a part-time job as an owner-occupying landlady.
Ego said: Fearless, shameless future-you might have the answer.
Yeah, I guess I could just continually practice becoming more fearless and shameless. I will enter note to jump naked into the Detroit River on the Spring Equinox 2046 on to my calendar.
Toska2 said: I get my motivation from my disabled elders. I see very few lugging books in winter.
Being close to monetary FI means I get to pick and chose my "battles". If choosing to lug books when it's only 50°f+ , it's a worthwhile win.
Well, I'm already 51, and if I project back to age 35 and then forward to age 67, I don't foresee a likely total decline in my ability to lift 40 lbs. My monthly expenses are quite a bit less than I reasonably expect to collect in Social Security payments at that point. Besides, if my physical condition deteriorates to the point that I can no longer lift 40 lbs., I am pretty well out of luck in most realms of my lifestyle beyond making money. For instance, I wouldn't be able to jump rope with 5 year olds, shovel and cart truckload of woodchips, or attract vigorous lovers. My knee's are like gold to me. That is why it would be a far more rational choice for me to focus much more life energy on whatever I have to do to maintain my knees than saving any more money. Zone 00 way more important than whatever Zone money lives in. In fact, if it came down to my knees or cookies, I would definitely choose my knees, but how will I know?