Early Retirement Extreme Forums

In answer to your question about mould - the key is to keep humidity in your flat as low as you can. I grew up in an old house with coal fires in the lounge and dining room only. It was standard every morning to 'air the bed' pull the sheets and blanket/quilt towards the foot of the bed to let any h...

Good thoughts! I have been agonising over whether to use a financial planner to help organise my investments once we sell our home. On the one hand, I know the theory and can construct a balanced portfolio with the appropriate degree of risk but on the other, these guys have been delivering growth o...

I see from @jacob's handy sticky post on this forum that I am pretty delinquent on the regular posting recommendation. Apologies, life has been very busy. The eBay grind continues. After grousing about pernickety buyers last time, I decided I would see the good in everyone. I bit my tongue in a disp...

In answer to your question about drying laundry, we bought a dehumidifier. We hang the washing on three clothes driers, close the windows and turn on the dehumidifier and close the bedroom door. It uses 300W and from my research it's more energy efficient than a tumble drier. Impressed with your 2.2...

Finances - we are doing fine, I’m comfortably confident that we have enough assets to support us in retirement as soon as we can extricate ourselves from our ongoing commitments. With the part-time work DW and I do, we are running a surplus over our living expenses, which we have used to fund some t...

Excellent update! I get your unease about your church situation. As an Anglican, I tend to find churches being too liberal/socialist in outlook. I laughed at your comment about the water and the fish being the same in Mexico. You're right to invest in the relationship with a new neighbour though. I ...

Interesting discussion. I got interested in barefoot running after reading 'Born to Run' but haven't ditched the socks and shoes yet because my running route has the risk of sharp stones and broken glass. I bought a pair of Xero trainers, which are good and a pair of Xero sandals, which I use when v...

I enjoy following your journal. You and your wife have benefited tremendously from your live/work arrangements in cost terms as well as in the quality of your lives. Occasionally in life, really good opportunities present themselves. My take is that the unit manager vacancy is one of those. You appe...

@Hristo, I have been enjoying the to and fro of debate on your journal. I share many values with you, and respect your commitment to your faith. I am a lapsed member of the Church of England but a staunch believer. In searching for a new home, I looked at buddhism, quakerism, catholicism (I was impr...

I have kept up the running and have been easy on myself by taking a break over the holiday season. December was expensive for motoring costs as DW’s car needed an expensive repair to pass its MOT test and my Mazda needed a new coil spring for its MOT. We went away for the holidays and took DD with u...

@Lemur - kudos to you for analysing your situation and options in what appears to be an objective and dispassionate way. I hope your break works for you and that you switch off from thinking about your work issues during that break. When I've been in stressful work situations I attempted physical ac...

Thanks, @chenda. I have an HSBC Premier account, so I'll ask them. I didn't find anything from trawling their website.

A UK company, whose stock I bought many years ago, has been acquired by a US corporation which has been split into several companies quoted on NYSE. I now receive dividend payments through the mail of around $20 to $40 each time. I would like to be able to pay them into a US$ account and save the ca...

Another month of austere living/high saving. Our new electricity tariff is going well. We are managing 45% of our consumption on the low 'night' rate. The weather has got much colder since the end of September. We are using our central heating system minimally, to take the chill off the house. I’m w...

It’s about time I posted an update. With the UK in lockdown for most of this year, it has been relatively easy to restrict our spending and to save money. I'm pleased that I am resisting the temptation to buy stuff. I bought a grey t-shirt and a casual shirt in the end-of-summer sales, but nothing e...

Sorry to have exhumed an old thread but I've been looking at this recently and thought I'd throw in my 2c worth. There are some videos on YouTube about financing cars. The presenters/influencers seem not to be aware of FIRE principles and admit they are buying high end supercars (Ferrari, Lamborghin...

A fascinating blog post and worth reading. His process of 'helping' his wife find purpose by suggesting solutions reminds me of the insights provided by the classic 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus'. For me, $30,000 per year spending wouldn't count as 'lean' and certainly miles away from ERE...

Well done! I'm envious because I need an effective indoor warm footwear option.

I have written about how much easier it is to accumulate possessions than to dispose of them. Looking at your list and the 6 things you have to remind yourself, 5. Some unused objects represent idealized versions of myself, that I never achieved. Saving them doesn't change that. strikes a chord for ...

I've had crap interview experiences, where the interviewer's questions just seemed weird. Some people look at the C.V/history and make judgements about the candidate's values, thinking and motivations then ask a series of questions to confirm their views. My mental model for a recruitment interview ...