Turns out this accumulation phase shenanigans is a lot of work.

[steveo73]

^^^
That puts things into perspective doesn't it. Still it just makes me realize that I need to save more money.

[chenda]

You could consider living and/or working somewhere ultra cheap like Thailand for a while to boost your savings. Or semi-retiring and working part time with some assets behind you.

Personally I favour a hybrid approach combing low expenditure with asset accumulation combined with a very flexible work schedule.

[GandK]

I'd also point out that it pays to stay open to alternative methods of making money (other than top line career or bottom line budgeting, I mean). In many places in the US, healthy people can make about $200/mo selling their plasma to a blood center, for example.

[steveo73]

I was thinking about this and especially how much it sucks turning up to work each day when you would rather be doing other stuff. Does thinking about FIRE make this worse or better ?

[cmonkey]

I was thinking about this and especially how much it sucks turning up to work each day when you would rather be doing other stuff. Does thinking about FIRE make this worse or better ?

For me, focusing on where I've come from as opposed to where I'm going helps in the short-term day to day especially if I'm having a rough day. Think about where you would be right now if you hadn't taken previous action to get where you are today.

For example sometimes I will pull up an amortization chart on the mortgage I took out 4.5 years ago and look at the balance I would still have had I made only minimum payments. I would have paid $10,049.03 in interest (so far) and would still have a balance of $65,128.21 (down from 72K) instead of the zero debt and 200K in assets I have now.

[steveo73]

I was thinking about this and especially how much it sucks turning up to work each day when you would rather be doing other stuff. Does thinking about FIRE make this worse or better ?

For me, focusing on where I've come from as opposed to where I'm going helps in the short-term day to day especially if I'm having a rough day. Think about where you would be right now if you hadn't taken previous action to get where you are today.

For example sometimes I will pull up an amortization chart on the mortgage I took out 4.5 years ago and look at the balance I would still have had I made only minimum payments. I would have paid $10,049.03 in interest (so far) and would still have a balance of $65,128.21 (down from 72K) instead of the zero debt and 200K in assets I have now.

This is a good idea. I'm really struggling with work at the moment.

[SimpleLife]

Think about converging the need for money with the life you want to lead. 10 years to FI loving 80% of what you do is way better than 5 years suffering the whole way.

Grinding out the accumulation phase in misery is likely to permanently change you as a person, and not for the better.

I agree with the last statement especially. I was recently pondering my own situation. I've noticed that there were a few jobs that changed me as a person. I became more cynical. I do believe a few months or years of time off would help heal the emotional scars. But yeah, staying at a job that further makes you hate work is probably not the best decision. But it depends. Going to from working at a Gas Station to a Flower Shop is probably a huge improvement for most. Leaving a high income job for another job that you like better usually involves a pay cut for most people. And there is always the potential of more BS there. At that point, you may end up wondering why you willingly took a pay cut, to end up in the same boat somewhere else. Now you have to deal with BS and get paid LESS for it.

Alas, this is the dilemma that keeps me at my job.