Early Retirement Extreme Forums

@Cael Good question, and I realised it would take forever if i went through it item by item. In summary living the MM life I would be working full time, driving around in a car on my own, and would not have been able to look after sick family, who would be in a rest home. Having your own personal re...

+1 fpr dripping. if we have beef or chicken we mix the gravy in the bottom of the pan with about half a cup of boiling water, pour the scrapings into a small bowl, when cold place in the fridge. Keep for about a week I think, maybe longer. When ready to use take the fat of the top and use. A major m...

Apparently Albert Einstein said

"life is like riding a bicycle, you have to keep moving if you want to keep your balance"

Hi Retiredat 47 I'm not in a position to work, but when this changes I just see endless opportunities. I wonder why you're feeling so negative toward work. If I want to work and can't get a paid job I'm going to volunteer. Isn't there anything you want to try?

My advice for anyone, especially those who want to ERE, create opportunities that develop your skills. I've spoken with many graduates who believed that they're going to get a desk job and be taught everything, thats often not the way it goes. You are the one that needs to develop your skills. So se...

Cute post A bank person once asked me when I reached a milestone, so what are you going to do now. I said take a holiday in the spur of the moment. In truth living this lifestyle is what its all about, living simply and enjoying the moment. For me its just the final step after many milestones and ma...

On average once or twice a week, really like the budget kind. I find it easy to have one once a day as a routine, but when I do that I lose the special enjoyment of it. Only have it when I can sit down and savour it at home, one of lifes pleasures. I only enjoy it on my own, talking distracts the mo...

Bamboo is nice and surprising soft, I have trouble working out which is chemical version or natural. Thanks for the sock tips. I think part of the problem with DPs is i can't get the right size needles second hand, next time I use them will buy new. I looked up pellet manufacturers, we have one who ...

When i looked into solar power 10 years ago, when the house was built, the cheapest quote was $7.000 just to heat the hot water. I have heard of pallet fires, never met anyone with one. The house is either going to be substantially repaired or demolished. I'm waiting on others to do geotechnical inv...

Hi Bigato We have to have electricity even if we have solar because there are times when we don't have enough sun and some solar units use a little electricity, I'm not sure if they all do, but the ones I looked at did. Technically we can use wood, but noone has been able to design a wood fire that ...

Looked at solar power when this house was built, we are the ideal climate for it. For a small family the pay back period was more than 30 years, Because of really small demand theres lots of types with a poor record of reliability, Its the sort of thing DIY engineers find worthwhile, One day we'll s...

Have enjoyed reading all your thoughts. We don't have particularly cold winters here. Its winter now. The coldest it can get where we live is -10 at night, but this is very unusual, today was a high of 13 and a low of 6 degrees celsius which is about average for winter. The comment about camping hit...

Has anyone turned the hot water off and relied on hot water from a jug? How much did you save on the electricity bill? I grew up without a shower, washed in a basin, to me its normal. Will turn the hot water off one day, just can't at the moment. Does it hurt your hot water cylinder when you turn it...

I grew up frugal. Also we were in survival mode so we had to fend for ourselves. When other kids parents made sure they knew who their children were visiting etc I was out on my bike, returning home after dark no light. I remember other kids being given presents for significant birthdays, graduation...

I had a job which sapped my mental energy, I took a break and then left earlier than I expected, my level of tolerance had dropped. Since them I've had stressful careers and jobs, but they never did my head in, instead I get compliments on my calmness and mental clarity. Now I have a number of stres...

like the quote Chad. Attachment to things and status will kill you too. I don't feel an imposter, I feel very lucky. I also feel a tremendous responsibility to use this luck wisely. My house has a question mark over it, it may be demolished and rebuilt, otherwise it will be repaired. Letting go of t...

Balance. It's really important to me that at the end of the day I can see something I've achieved. Which means I concentrate on one thing most days eg cleaning. I have to learn to switch off. I'm thinking about creating a to do list with a range of activities each day. colour coded to include 1. act...

I don't trust the news. We have a daily newspaper. I'm often sending corrections, and they never correct the story. As recently as yesterday they were misreporting facts about a crime in our neighbourhood. We have enough problems without lies being printed to sensationalise the story. I really have ...

For those interested in cheap portable housing there's some designs on this page.

http://www.quakeaccommodation.govt.nz/a ... -dwellings

am put off by the focus on number
For me its no debt+mortgage free shelter+income earning assets enough to cover expenses+safety net
when you earn your first $100000 is a nice step along the way, but its not part of the vision.