Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Hi! I initially tried to get an account here when I couldn't reach riggerjack by text/call/email, I assumed he was still surfing this forum on his PC. Turned out he had dropped his phone in the tub and was actually sound asleep.
Then I never saw that I was activated here so I never really spend any time reading.

But honestly I do very much enjoy having a job that gives me money, I grew up quite poor and spent some years living out of my car as a young adult, so some of the extreeeeeme is a little triggering for me.

But riggerjack wants me to quit working in 1.5 years or 3-ish at the latest. I'm holding out for 3-ish because money is nice. I'm positive this is money-control issues on my part thanks to my past, but also I do like having nice tech, lol!

I'm sure you've heard about it from riggerjack, but the plan is to continue making small to medium money from the workshop he's just begun clearing for. He has way bigger plans than that, but I am looking at this real goal I can see happening, a place I can make stuff! I've been anticipating a shop for so long. I got to use the basement for a while before carpet, and then my old house-van when the weather was nice. Right now I content myself with sewing because I have a closet with four sewing machines in it and a bunch of fabric I won at an auction. It's not the same as woodworking, I miss it, but the tools are all put away.

Any questions you always wanted to ask riggerjack's wife? He can vouch, I am the real Mrs.

is it some inside joke wrt riggerjack activity on forum?

whatever is the case, welcome.

Welcome!

I empathize. I also grew up poor, and having a job and an income which isn't uncertain and hassle-dependent is a thing for me, too. Lots of people around here don't understand and criticize, but poverty does a number on you. I'm on the work-and-save route, personally. I know many here would have stopped working in my shoes, but I can't afford it yet.

Stahlmann wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 1:31 pm

is it some inside joke wrt riggerjack activity on forum?

whatever is the case, welcome.

No joke, he wanted me to sign up and read some stuff. Guess I should also read what he's up to here, lol!

daylen wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 1:56 pm

Welcome!

Thanks!

ertyu wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 2:02 pm

I empathize. I also grew up poor, and having a job and an income which isn't uncertain and hassle-dependent is a thing for me, too. Lots of people around here don't understand and criticize, but poverty does a number on you. I'm on the work-and-save route, personally. I know many here would have stopped working in my shoes, but I can't afford it yet.

I'm glad I'm not entirely foreign here.
After a lotta lotta therapy it is easier to see as my own insecurity rather than just "it's reality, of course, duh, don't be stupid I'm keeping my job" but it still feels just that real. How can I quit working already????? Well, soon... Too soon!!! Ahhhh!!!
But okay, I have almost all the toys I always wanted, except the silly ones like an amphibious car... And my "toys" make money, I have a few etsy sales to prove that to myself and more great ideas. Just have to get comfortable with the idea, and I'm not there yet...

The core of ERE is cutting back expenses to as little as possible and resilience, which seems like a natural path for someone with a history of being poor and who worries about history repeating itself. Plenty of us grew up with people who grew up during the Depression, so that mindset of poverty fear is not foreign and is not criticized, at least here. Don't want to speak for our Fearless Leader, but that's the reason this whole thing exists. Not directly because of the Depression, but because of the society created by the Depression. The cause will be different in the future, maybe, but the effect is the same.

5ts wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 3:05 pm

The core of ERE is cutting back expenses to as little as possible and resilience, which seems like a natural path for someone with a history of being poor and who worries about history repeating itself. Plenty of us grew up with people who grew up during the Depression, so that mindset of poverty fear is not foreign and is not criticized, at least here. Don't want to speak for our Fearless Leader, but that's the reason this whole thing exists. Not directly because of the Depression, but because of the society created by the Depression. The cause will be different in the future, maybe, but the effect is the same.

You bet I can strap together a fix out of things I have on hand, I am very resourceful like that. It's being forced to be that way that drives me up a wall. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" is just not something I'm ever going to live perfectly. Too much time being chastised for not having fully worn out a thing before not wanting it anymore combined with also being chastised for having worn out a thing...
But I like to imagine a fully functioning woodshop that somehow doesn't wear out... ball bearings and sharpening blades aside, things will break, I'll want a new thing, there will be a cool advance in tech, etc, etc.
So truly I need to prove that my hobby ideas will make money, while riggerjack dreams even bigger and thinks I wont need to do the hobbies I want to do. He doesn't have the drive to make artful things like I do, call myself an artist and he sneers, lol!

Anecdotal, but I have a friend who supports an entire huge family alone by woodworking on one of those craft websites. If you are an artist then it's possible to sell your art, or just do the art for the sake of art. I wouldn't want to be forced to do anything either. All of this is about having options and not getting locked into one path.

If you want to keep working you can. Nothing about ERE says you must retire, but it's about the option to retire. In fact, working is another layer of resilience, so you can continue to buy tech stuff or buying things you don't necessarily need. Sell your art too, multiple income streams are good.

Welcome! Ooo, this is going to be fun!

Everybody needs a room of their own in which to self-actualize.

It's good that you stopped by so that we can tell you how much we enjoy Riggerjack's participation here. While he and I disagree on many things, I believe we agree on the importance of having a place like this to air the crazy ideas bouncing around in our heads. Thank you for sharing him with us.

5ts wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 4:22 pm

Anecdotal, but I have a friend who supports an entire huge family alone by woodworking on one of those craft websites. If you are an artist then it's possible to sell your art, or just do the art for the sake of art. I wouldn't want to be forced to do anything either. All of this is about having options and not getting locked into one path.

If you want to keep working you can. Nothing about ERE says you must retire, but it's about the option to retire. In fact, working is another layer of resilience, so you can continue to buy tech stuff or buying things you don't necessarily need. Sell your art too, multiple income streams are good.

If I was positive I could do that I wouldn't hesitate to retire. But I doubt myself sometimes.

George the original one wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 10:30 pm

Welcome! Ooo, this is going to be fun!

Where's the fun? Me, I'm the fun!

7Wannabe5 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 6:00 am

Everybody needs a room of their own in which to self-actualize.

I'm actually even more literal than Riggerjack himself, so I can assure you that he has both an office and a container-shop all to himself, while I have a cat room / library and a sewing closet.

But from what I've already heard of you, that's not what you meant. Don't worry, he asked me to participate.

Ego wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 8:19 am

It's good that you stopped by so that we can tell you how much we enjoy Riggerjack's participation here. While he and I disagree on many things, I believe we agree on the importance of having a place like this to air the crazy ideas bouncing around in our heads. Thank you for sharing him with us.

I'm glad he adds some contrariness to others lives too!
Hoping to find the time to dig further into the forum to find some topics with my kind of crazy in them too.

Welcome! Riggerjack is one of my favorites. So glad you're here too!

Oh, good. You're here!

I'm glad he adds some contrariness to others lives too!

You should have known, after I proposed, then threw your engagement ring over a cliff, that I would do things differently.

Though living with a man with an agreeableness of 0 is a lot to ask of anyone...

I remember fondly, it used to be a 1.

Then you worked on increasing it. 0.

Welcome aboard Mrs Riggerjack aka Lady Rigger. Your husband and I have often wrestled vigorously but politely over topics of mutual interest. You truly must be a formidable lady to be running with Baron Von Rigger.