Nomadic-ERE Year 5 - Wanderlust Prevails

[2Birds1Stone]

Today I woke up to my alarm at 6:30 AM, only to see a group text message from my new boss asking everyone on the team to be in the NYC office.

Quick shower, packed my bag, and out the door I went. Two hours later and I'm finally at the office. Curious what the reason was behind us all coming in, turns out his bosses boss is in town, and he wants to look good by having the whole team here. I get to spend $40 on my train commute and 4 hours of the day for this shit.

Now I've been here 5 hours and the time is standing still. It's good to be able to fuck around on the internet, but mostly my mind is wandering to "what if" scenarios on getting fired.

I can't seem to nut up and just quit, would be much easier if they made the choice for me. September is a long time to wait to find out if I will get the ax. Trying to determine if it's possible to do anything (or not do, hehe), that could sway the decision in my favor, without getting terminated for cause (no unemployment insurance if terminated for cause).

Also, I wonder about health insurance situation whilst traveling the USA in van. It looks like most insurance on the ACA and even Medicaid require you to apply for whichever state you live, and do not cover you out of state unless it's a hospital emergency. Bankruptcy due to lapse/lack of health insurance is a big fear.

[classical_Liberal]

Also, I wonder about health insurance situation whilst traveling the USA in van. It looks like most insurance on the ACA and even Medicaid require you to apply for whichever state you live, and do not cover you out of state unless it's a hospital emergency. Bankruptcy due to lapse/lack of health insurance is a big fear.

Even in an emergency there is balance billing in most states. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2 ... ce-billing

This effectively renders an ACA plan worthless to full time travelers. The best you can do is get one with a very wide network and hope for the best. Another, IMO better, option is a health share. They are private pay so have no network. Usually religiously based, so they will not cover "sin" related illnesses, nor anything preventative or preexisting. But they have a really good track record for covering emergency type situations or new diagnosis which require immediate intervention, if you meet their guidelines for membership. You can buy into one of these for $50-$75mo on the low end for higher ($5000) "deductibles".

But put this in perspective. You are 33 and healthy, outside of an accident, the odds of you getting an extremely expensive to treat illness are very, very low. Even then, most do not require emergency, do it now, interventions. So planned medical tourism is an option as well.

[2Birds1Stone]

..

[2Birds1Stone]

My experience has been that the most terrifying part is right before leaving a permanent job. And then you (the proverbial you) don't work for a few weeks... and the world doesn't explode... and you're not on the streets dying of hunger.

I was re-reading this evening and wanted to thank you for this nugget of wisdom.

ETA : Plan now (and hold me accountable!)

Depart work when any of these conditions are met;

1) Get fired
2) Get laid off
3) 3% WR crosses the trailing twelve month spending level
4) March 31, 2020
5) Work becomes unbearable (the juice ain't worth the squeeze)

[Jin+Guice]

Just dropping by to offer my usual words of encouragement that you can and should quit. I see you keep finding excuses to kick the can down the road. No problem, as long as it isn't stopping you from doing what you really want to be doing. I also want to remind you that, currently, you have enough money almost certainly never run out. You are working to decrease those odds ever so slightly.

[CS]

You're welcome.

Personally, I have always quit under condition 5 but I don't think I have much of a tolerance for being constrained in a job. And usually it was because they were getting in the way of something else I wanted to do, but not always. Sometimes it was just too much.

The person who always supported me when I was freaking out about taking the leap (multiple times) has been my mom. She's told me that every time she moved on a better thing came along. Her exact words - "don't worry about it."

[2Birds1Stone]

Just dropping by to offer my usual words of encouragement that you can and should quit.

You know, I've actually typed up a resignation letter and chickened out a few times.

I'm working on bringing my spending down to a more spartan level, lower than it's ever been in my adult life. So maybe we can trigger #3 sooner than later, though this whole recession thing might put a damper on that.

#1 and #2 are very likely in Sept/Oct, especially since I'm playing Office Space on repeat.

#4 seems far off, but it really isn't, especially when you consider the things that need to happen between now and then to make a clean brake for 12 months of travel abroad.

#5 is an interesting one, and here is where I keep kicking the can down the road, although per my PM this morning, it's not all that bad right now

Musings

It feels good to slowly get back to some outdoor training. Got back on the MTB on Saturday for a 2 hour trail ride, and ran a few 5k's over the past week. Weight has stabilized around 205 lbs. Gym has been consistent.

After dealing with some car issues, I've lowered my insurance to liability only. Seeing that the car is worth <$10k now, I don't think collision/comprehensive is worth it, especially with how little driving I'm doing lately.

Finished rereading Vagabonding this evening, dropped it back off at the library via electric skateboard. Fun

[slowtraveler]

It seems inevitable now, you'll quit as the circumstances line up. Just you're ready now and awaiting the perfect context. You're spending will likely trend down now with the intention. Nothing to really worry about.

Can I ask, what style of workout do you do? It's probably changed over time as you've increased your strength.

[2Birds1Stone]

Hi, st. It's definitely inevitable, though I'm not sure the context matters that much at this point. My job just tends to ebb and flow, and right now I'm riding a high. What goes up, must come down, and should make the decision (if it's ultimately mine) that much easier.

I'm going to experiment with <$1200/month, which may sound like a lot to some people here, but for me it would be a stretch. Only until we leave for our trip, no point in tightening the purse strings so much during a planned adventure like ours. At that point will still be sticking to the original semi-ERE plan rules I laid out for myself, keep total spending <4% WR, and draw from investments <3% WR, creatively closing the gap.

Since the beginning of time 90% of my training has been based around a simple push, pull, legs workout. I rotate those three days, and train 3-5 days a week. The focus on each day is heavy free-weight compound lifts, with some accessory work added in as time permits. I tend to spend 45-60 minutes in the gym per session. Push - barbell press, crossovers/flies, dips, side lateral raises, + 1 tricep exercise, Pull - Deadlift, pullup, rows cable/barbell, and 1-2 bicep exercises, Legs - squats, leg ext/curl, +1 calf exercise. For the compound stuff, I do 3-4 working sets of 5-8 reps, and 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps on the accessory stuff.

I've dabbled with other programs, Bill Starr 5x5, Mad Cow 5x5, Smolov Russian squat program, Smolov Jr bench program, and a custom powerbuilding program under the guidance of a coach.

I know I've mentioned it here in the past, but I experimented with a lot of different training styles, periodizations, all while manipulating nutrition to get the best results. Both for myself, and over a 100 clients from 2011-2014. It's definitely something I would consider getting back into when I am no longer working FT. Though the market is absolutely saturated with online coaches today, and everyone is a "guru".

[2Birds1Stone]

Musings - Mid Month Update

Howdy y'all. Thinking out loud, and maybe sharing too many details here

The past few days has been good living. Training consistently at the gym, for 10 sessions so far this month. Did my first bicycle ride on my triathlon bike, Sunday morning, hit 40 miles @ ~16.7 mph pace. Still running sparingly, but enjoying it when I do. I've increased my caloric intake which has resulted in an almost immediate 3-4 lb gain.

Have been enjoying the eSkateboard quite a bit, using it for errands or simple pleasure of getting around the neighborhood as an alternative to bicycle. Yesterday I made my way to the library, proceeded to work there for 4 hours, and rode back home. I did check out the ERE book for the 4th time, and reread the first two chapters.

It's quite good, Jacobs breakdown of what needs to happen to make change. Yet again, the book feels different on another re-read. Partially because I've been creeping up Wheaton levels, and much of the low hanging fruit has been picked. The discomfort with current situation is not so great that I have been sufficiently motivated to jump off the cliff, yet vision of the future is very clear and alluring. One point that spoke to me this time around, was around the perceived cost of making said change. So building on this post from last week;

ETA : Plan now (and hold me accountable!)

Depart work when any of these conditions are met;

1) Get fired
2) Get laid off
3) 3% WR crosses the trailing twelve month spending level
4) March 31, 2020
5) Work becomes unbearable (the juice ain't worth the squeeze)

Some thoughts on these around perceived cost,

1 & 2, if they were to happen now, would be giving up 15 paychecks of net income. Every few weeks the monetary cost is lowered.

3 would demonstrate my practical ability to live on <3% WR, thus dampening the blow from giving up guaranteed high income, and maybe giving the courage to turn that spigot off.

4 has a time/opportunity cost, as in trading the potential to travel to SE Asia this winter for an added layer of security.

5 would satisfy Jacobs statement on making the current situation feel bad enough to force change. Which throws everything else out the window.

Based on this, and current level of comfort, don't think quitting immediately makes sense. I will even go as far as saying that it might be worth applying the 80/20 rule and milking current situation till it's out of my hands.

Going back to the Plato's Cave analogy. I've been mostly out of the cave for the past 2 years now, dipping back from time to time. Sometimes by choice, others by fear. Life outside of the cave is wonderful, and there is no way I could ever go back there long term. I liken my plans for next year to venturing so far from the cave, that it's likely I lose the entrance for a while. I'm going to take my time with the rest of the book, trying to soak up the wisdom I missed the first few times. And who knows, maybe it will inspire further action and inching toward the next Wheaton level.

[Bankai]

That's close to a quarter-million PLN which is enough to buy a flat in many smaller cities. For 9 months of work. Sounds good to me.

Re immediate mass gain, I'd like that even if it's not all lean. For me, it's like 3 months of 7 meals a day to get 4 lb up.

[2Birds1Stone]

@Bankai, indeed! And if we are in for a recession in the coming months, it would be a huge increase to the cash/fixed income side of my portfolio for future investment opportunities. And it's only 7 more months of work, at the worst. I certainly don't want to leave some easy money on the table, but if it starts to suck, or one of the other conditions are met, it's go time without the extra $$

It certainly wasn't all lean weight -__-

Chapter 3 - Economic Degrees of Freedom

I read this chapter last night and finished this morning. This isn't a new topic for me, and one that I put a lot of thought into, but need to act more on. Jacob posits that we identify with aspects of all four of the categories in the diagram. It's certainly been the case for me, though my most recent history is very much in the salary man corner.

Early on in my career, I was pursuing side hustles and freelancing, where I would have considered myself more of a business man, and a working man, though as a working man, my "contracts" have never been short ones. I lack the specialization to consider myself a true salary man, and it's been two years since I've actually had to regularly sit in an office. I haven't quite taken the work breaks associated with the working man, being too afraid to go without a job (because it looks bad to have gaps in your resume, yo), but not necessarily needed the income immediately between gigs.

The biggest realization and confirmation of what many of you comment in my journal and others, is that without practical application, money alone does not create any slack in the system. Meaning, if I'm too afraid to leverage X years of expenses in portfolio value to actually do something other than maintain current trajectory, it's basically as if that money didn't exist (barring any real emergency that could be solved with money). My coupling to the financial system, specifically my income is almost non existent for basic subsistence. I HAVE over the past few years found creative solutions to problems without going and buying a product or service, so it in that sense I'm dipping my toe in to the Renaissance man quadrant, but I'm acting like a blatant salary man in that I've jumped from one career type job to the next over the past decade, with only two breaks that were longer than a month.

I no longer need to live any semblance of a salary mans lifestyle. If work impedes my lifestyle in any meaningful way, it doesn't make sense to give up my agency and autonomy for a steady paycheck.

I should probably combine Jacobs recommendation of learning skills/finding new activities in the form of hobbies or meaningful part time work, where the primary goal is learning the skill, and the income only a side effect. This would move me toward the working man/Renaissance lifestyle I'm consciously trying to work toward.

Having a good experience running several business in the past, albeit for others, some opportunistic dabbling here can be very beneficial in creating a resilient and diverse life. There will have to be opportunities identified over the coming decades to either start a small but profitable business, or be the matchmaker of ideas and doers for a small fee.

This all ties in with chapters 1 & 2 very nicely, because all of this is fun to think out loud about, but it requires action to mean anything.

[2Birds1Stone]

August was when Sr. management indicated the workforce was "safe" until, hinting that they will be trimming the fat in Sept. Not much for me to do at this point but wait and see how things feel, and make a decision based on that.

Not proud of my activity level this month, thought it was an improvement over June, where due to accident I didn't really run/ride.

20 Miles Ran
83 miles biked (43 MTB, 40 Road)
89 miles walked (WAAAAY down from June)
15 weigh-lifting sessions
2.3 lbs gained

More than half way through the ERE book. Confidence in the strategy is building, but not quite ready to pull the plug yet. Will keep y'all posted on how things unfold in the coming weeks.

[2Birds1Stone]

Musings

"Summer" is "officially" over here in NY. At least for households with kids, or those employed in education.

For us, this is the best part of the year. The weather cools down, the air is dryer, and everything is nice and quiet on weekdays. I tend to pick up the MTB and running as it's better weather for it, and we always end up making more fires in the backyard and enjoying the earlier dusk. I remember working an office job until around this time in 2017, and hating getting home when it was dark. Now that I'm "working" from home, it's fantastic.

We spent this long weekend outdoors as much as possible. Went to a wedding on Saturday, mountain biked both Saturday and this morning, and enjoyed plenty of time in our yard reading. I'm almost done with the ERE book, and thanks to some recommendations on ERE, picked up Micromastry from the library. September will be an experiment in frugality, with a goal of spending less on our discretionary expenses, namely entertainment.

The cat is out of the bag regarding our 12 month trip and refusal to work. We saw a ton of extended family at the wedding, and since we are engaged 2 years, the big question was when/where. We gladly told everyone we were eloping during out 12 month honeymoon, and throwing a party for family and friends when we got back. Mostly met with enthusiasm and a lot of folks sharing that they wish they'd done something similar, or avoided a traditional wedding all together.

I'm refocusing on activity level and health. My weight is still <210, but has been drifting up with wider swings. Gotta build the running mileage back up slowly, and be consistent about MTB 2x per week.

Looking forward to September! Things could get interesting very quickly. We are prepared to give out landlord moments notice that we will be vacating the apartment.

[classical_Liberal]

Autumn is the best! Congrats on the kind-of, sort-of, halfway wedding plans

[2Birds1Stone]

Autumn really is the best! When discussing with SO, what our ideal life would look like......total snowbirds with access to the best weather in the shoulder seasons. As cool as exotic destinations sound on paper, I truly wonder how I will do with the heat and humidity in SE Asia. Guess there's only one way to find out

Thank you! It's been in the works for just about two years now. We decided in 2017 that we will forgo a wedding and do a long trip instead, not realizing that it would end up being a 12 month jaunt around the world. Very excited for the future, but really focusing on the here and now. Life is really good on many fronts, and I'm sure we will look back on these times very fondly.

I do believe with the final* reread of the ERE book, I'm mentally and emotionally ready to dive into full blown ERE/Semi-ERE or whatever you want to call it. At this point I'm not sure anyone can define it, other than the practitioner. I've reread many journals here, both those in a similar place to myself, those who pulled the plug several years ago, and those a bit greener to the lifestyle.....and most have confirmed that it's time. There will never be a perfect time, so it's best not to let perfect be the enemy of good.

The biggest sign for me, personally, is that it finally feels like I'm EREing to something, rather than from something. Despite work being tolerable right now, the little voice in my head is saying "2B1S, you're absolutely ready to join the other side".

*there is never a "final", but as it's my 4th time reading, and I won't have access to my library soon, it's close enough

[Bankai]

Does it mean you're giving the notice or still stick to 'spring or till they fire me' plan?

[2Birds1Stone]

@Bankai, I sent you a PM explaining the details....but for the purpose of this thread the plan remains the same

Just for fun, if I had to approximate odds of each outcome, in the context of the next several months.

I would guess either 1, 2, or 5 have a greater than 50% probability for Sept, and 75% in October. I would give 4 a <10% chance, and 3 is simply out of my control at this point (would take a huge bull market surge).

I was re-reading this evening and wanted to thank you for this nugget of wisdom.

ETA : Plan now (and hold me accountable!)

Depart work when any of these conditions are met;

1) Get fired
2) Get laid off
3) 3% WR crosses the trailing twelve month spending level
4) March 31, 2020
5) Work becomes unbearable (the juice ain't worth the squeeze)

[2Birds1Stone]

This post is inspired by @Edithkeeler, and is completely unrelated to ERE.....

I've posted a bit about family and values here in the past (or maybe not, hah). If I did it was about materialism and the obsession with gift giving/receiving during the holidays/birthdays, and how it was a battle to "opt out" over the years.....which we successful did as of last year.

But anyway....it made me think about where this all stemmed from. My own parents, have put work and careerism on a pedestal. Despite my mom never holding a job, and my dad slaving away at a blue collar job for most of his life, working 80+ hours a week, barely seeing his kids....my parents always stressed education and having a good career. I always understood this, because when my parents grew up in communist Poland, education was not easy to get, and good jobs were received through friend/family connections, or through "party" affiliation. During the times my parents were in secondary school and university, it was hard to buy anything in Poland that came from the west. From food stuffs, to automobiles, to clothing, purchasing anything outside of the basic necessities was difficult, and also involved a "black market" or connections of some sort. So dressing in modern and clean clothing was seen as a big deal, and something that had high value placed on it. Holding a job/career that was harder to attain was also seen as very prestigious back then. Heck, even a college diploma meant you're better off that 99% of your peers. So having "things" for status symbols was a way of peacocking among your peer group.

Eventually my parents fled Poland, arriving in NY and having to start completely over. My fathers degree was meaningless, so he went to work in physical labor, eventually getting to put some of his engineering degree to use when he finally started his own small business. My mom became a lazy homemaker. Growing up, I rarely saw my father, and as eluded to in the ERE book, my mother let institutions raise me. Summers I was shipped off to Poland starting at age 3, and finishing sometime at the end of high school. Those summers were spent with my grandparents, who grew up in even crazier times. They were school aged kids/teens during WW2, with one grandfather in HS. All of them were home-schooled, both by their own parents, and a bit of good neighbors in a town or two over. Studying was forbidden by the occupying German forces, so it was done at night, in secret. One of my grandfathers jogged 20 km each way to a larger town nearby to bring books and writing materials for his towns secret schoolhouse. He had to avoid the main roads, because if caught, he would get beaten and likely get the whole family in big trouble (think work camps/death camps at this point). This same grandfather ended up getting recruited at the age of 15 to an underground army in Poland, called AK. Since Poland's government was essentially dissolved (and operating oversees very loosely with not much power), the Poles were not allowed to have a military. An underground militia was formed, and my grandfather was indoctrinated to this way of life by some fellow patriots in his village. The occupying Germans next door to his family home, used a neighbors barn to park their military vehicles, along with stores of ammunition, communication equipment, and maps. One night, my grandfather had to sneak in, and over a 2-3 hour period they took everything from the storage and it was distributed amongst the Polish militia. From that point on, he continued to carry out missions, teach the town folk to defend themselves, helped protect the schoolhouse, and was an overall fucking badass.

After the war ended, Poland became part of the USSR, and my grandfather finished "HS" and went on to university. Unfortunately for him, the new Soviet regime did not condone or accept the actions of the poles who organized in the underground militia, and the government made life rather unpleasant for them, including trying them for "crimes" committed during the war. All of this aside, he kept his mouth shut and finished 4 years of college, only having to do something along the lines of thesis before getting his diploma. I don't remember the exact year, but right before the thesis, the USSR government promised Poles amnesty for any military participation during the war, as long as they turned in any remaining weapons, and wrote what they did during the war. My grandfather was several hundred kilometers away at university, but had stashed some small arms in the family barn back home, so he had his father turn in the weapons, and wrote down his participation in the war, actions in the AK, and confessed to have been part of a few militia operations involving the disarming of retreating German troops toward the end of the war. No more than a few weeks go by, and he gets a knock on his door in school, taken away by USSR military police, and arrested. Proceeds to be interrogated, beaten, and tortured for over two weeks. They were trying to get him to snitch on fellow citizens who did not come out during false amnesty period. He was sentenced to 8 years in jail, which was turned to 6 years of work in a prison coal mine camp. Those 6 years, he describes as something he doesn't even want to remember. He was also beaten and treated miserably. After his release, he attempts to finish his thesis and get his college diploma....which he is told that due to his prison sentence, he would need to start over. Swallowing his pride, he does exactly that.....at the age of 36 he goes through college yet again, but this time whilst maintaining a career, and at this point starting a family. He graduates, but has a hard time finding work.....you see, in communist Poland, all industry is controlled by the government, the same one that sent him to work in a coal mine for 6 years. He is only able to find lower level work, rendering his degree almost useless. He works very hard his entire life, and never able to get promoted past a front line manager due to his last name and history in the war. My mother ends up getting discriminated in school, and even ends up getting rejected from several local universities because of her last name (and this is in the 70's now!). My grandmother was a teacher, who worked hard for very little pay during those times. It was hard to make ends meet even with two full time working parents, so anything my family had back then, was owned with pride, and sacrifice. On top of working full time, my grandparents purchased a plot of land outside the city, several acres, and over the period of a decade, they created a fruit orchard and vegetable garden, growing things that were unattainable in communist Poland back in the 70's and 80's. My grandfather recently told me, that for several years they made more money from the fruit harvest than they did from their combined salaries. They did ALL of the labor themselves, and my mom and uncle would help. They were pushed to get degrees so they wouldn't have to work laborious jobs like my grandparents.....and that shit rolls down hill with the generations.

This story is getting long, and it ties in with my paternal grandparents even more......so y'all will have to wait till I feel like sharing something super personal again.

[mooretrees]

Wow, history made real. Thanks for sharing and what a crazy badass grandpa! I'm excited to hear your thoughts as you get closer to cutting the work cord, I'm living vicariously through you.......