Early Retirement Extreme Forums

The only time I got compliments on my hair were when I started cutting it myself in 2013. I suppose doing it myself gave me the confidence to just steal a haircut style from some guy I saw waiting for pedestrian lights once ;). The truth is, I hated going. I did not like being touched by people I di...

I'm not sure about the name, but I tried to get into meditation, but to no avail. It wasn't a negative experience, I just got very bored. Yoga was part of my turning point for well being. It works much better for me to clear the mind, as I needed my body occupied. At the time I joined a yoga studio,...

I ride a lot but never leave/lock it for errands. That is going to change when I move in a few weeks. Like unemployable, I have 2 ulocks, one for the back wheel, one for the front wheel/frame/post. I've been watching the local cycling social media and people claim to have a bike stolen with a ulock ...

I would guess that not having a phone might make you more interesting to hypothetical computers analyzing our behaviours, so they might pay you special attention ;). I would say that mine is always left at home in my day to day. I don't have a data plan on it, and my PAYG is incredibly expensive for...

I have minimum smartphone influence in my life, but it is still there. I just try to keep the phone running for as long as possible -- mine is a 2013 phone that I run LineageOS on to still get security updates. The touchscreen is starting to go, and even the LineageOS updates run out next year as my...

I just work with the assumption that society/civilization will decline over my life. So I already wrote off 4% as a fluke, 3% as the new 4%, and 2% as my own threshold. I'll make it in a few more years, once my share of the house is paid off. I assume I will receive nothing from the CPP or OAS pensi...

I'm inclined to agree with Stalhmann however out of curiosity, I did sign up to see what this 7 day makeover involves. I have a fairly weak prescription (measurements range from -0.5 to -1.25). Prior to the pandemic I only used them now and then (driving, occasionally at my desk). When the pandemic ...

@theanimal, Thanks, that was enlightening. I think in the past I heard of safe browsing / phishing protection, but it was definitely off my radar. I spent some time this evening looking at the Firefox code, and by no means was I thorough, but it seemed to confirm what I read afterwards: https://supp...

@theanimal It is true that Firefox defaults to the Google search engine. It is also true that it defaults to DNS over HTTPS, so your DNS traffic goes through CloudFlare for Americans (it uses CIRA here in Canada), but is now hidden from your ISP; your mileage may vary depending on who you trust less...

I feel this. The ground for security always shifting beneath my feet. I tell myself in part it is because of the Canadian housing market is bonkers. But I know that is only part of the story. After all, it is hard to make money faster than the house prices climb here :P. Inflation? No such thing. Mo...

With regards to the OP's question, I think there are a few different aspects baked into it. Emotionally, I try to tell myself that in the event of a paradigm shift, I may/will be forced to change my strategy. It may mean the end of early retirement as I had defined it previously. It is difficult to ...

Lately I've been using plain red lentils as the "rice" for a stir fry. It works well enough for me.

I've been getting help with an injury recently and the advice I got was straightforward: this new injury is the same as all of my others in the past, despite being in a different part of the body. I do all the work with my quads and lower back, since that is where I am strongest. Even my posture ref...

I do all of my long term tax planning assuming capital gains and eligible dividends (Canada) are taxed as "other income" rather than the 50% exclusion rate for capital gains, and the lower (and in some provinces negative) tax credit for eligible dividends. Essentially the same as employmen...

I'll be honest and say I'm not sure if I completely follow all of these discussions. I've self-identified with many things over the years, and slowly I feel like they've been chipped away. I hold affection for my home province, but alas, I can no longer identify with the stereotypes others push upon...

The issue with the supply chain now is that even if the workers are found to man the docks, warehouses and trucks, there is a huge backlog we need to work through. My friends in the business tell me it will take years for them to fully recover. And as we all can guess, a lot can happen in a year to ...

I know the talk is mostly about romantic relationships, but this thread reminds me of Alain de Botton's "On Love." https://youtu.be/Ctz6eJ3Pr94?t=881 "Everybody from close up is trouble." It still makes me laugh. I know I am not always easy to live with. I am quirky, opinionated ...

My introduction was realizing I hated my job and the fact I couldn't live like that for another 30 years. When I eventually was laid off, I had no external direction for the first time as an adult -- my creative energy came back, I felt vindicated and very confident I could entertain myself. Once I ...

I hope the PinePhone does well. Lots of open source phones have been tried and failed. I am tempted to order one to contribute to the ecosystem. It is mostly a development platform at this moment, but it checks the boxes for easily replaceable parts, especially the battery, and a theoretical long su...

Depends on what you mean. I have a 2014-era phone with LineageOS and I use VoIP (voip.ms) on it as my phone line. Works when I am in WiFi. Battery life is excellent compared to the old cordless headsets I had before. Plus bluetooth headset. I don't really spend much time looking at it besides the od...