What to do when FI

Simple living, extreme early retirement, becoming and being wealthy, wisdom, praxis, personal growth,...
User avatar
Jean
Posts: 1890
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:49 am
Location: Switzterland

What to do when FI

Post by Jean »

I quit working 2.5 years ago, and it's working moneywise.
But I have no purpose besides keeping what I have, which requires really few maintenance.
I'de like to get a job, but any real job requires me to work full time, which isn't compatible with how I like to organise my time.
Traveling and video games are only fun.
Mountaineering is fun too but risky and some people would like to have me around for some more years.
Any temporary job would allow me to increase my future expense level (which might be usefull with kids as I plan to have), but I'm not even sure I'll need the money, and this money might be dwarfed by the profit I'll make by selling the house.
Creative work (writing, music) is nice and satisfying, but I'm not sure it's worth anything to anyone

So my goals are:
-Create something that is somehow valued by other humans.
-Keep my SO happy with me and have 2-4 kids.
-Have a lot of time to spend with family and friends.
-Build a source for food and heat that doesn't require money.

My ressources are:
-A house worth between 200'000.- and 300'000.- with a 53'000.- debt at 2.6% per anum. It is now rented out for 750.- a month.
-A Master degree in material engineering with good grades (maybe top 10%), from a well ranked school (EPFL). It was easy to get.
-A supporting network of friends mostly active as artists in a broad meaning.
-A strong voice
-A body able to walk 50km a day with 35kg for weeks in a row
-Some ability and enjoyment for music
-Some ability and enjoyment at being comfortable outdoor
-Some ability and enjoyment for planning ahead

I live in my car expenses are around 300.- a month + taxes

Despite it looks like a lot of ressources, I don't believe I can do anything that could be valuable to other peoples.

What I need from you is:
-Questions
-Kick my ass so I get to work, produce something and show it to people so I might believe it's worth something
-As kicking my ass on a forum won't hurt me enough to get me to work, some suggestions and manipulations to motivate me into doing something

Thank you very much

James_0011
Posts: 392
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2016 12:00 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by James_0011 »

Why do you need to make others happy? what about yourself?

BRUTE
Posts: 3797
Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2015 5:20 pm

Re: What to do when FI

Post by BRUTE »

brute bets Jean can't do it

User avatar
Chris
Posts: 773
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:44 pm

Re: What to do when FI

Post by Chris »

Jean wrote: I'de like to get a job, but any real job requires me to work full time
...
Any temporary job ... but I'm not even sure I'll need the money
How do you rationalize these two? If not money, what is it that a full-time job will provide for you that a temporary job will not?

There are quite a few temporary/contract jobs out in the world. Not needing money and having the ability to travel is kind of rare, and are qualifications that you possess.
Jean wrote: My ressources are:
...
-A body able to walk 50km a day with 35kg for weeks in a row
Of the resources you listed, this is the one you're most likely to lose over time. Use your body while you can!

Some ideas:
  • Walking across a continent, or even circumabulating the globe
  • Wandering around the country, solving people's minor problems (paying parking meters, rescuing cats from trees, etc.)
  • Emulating Johnny Appleseed, spreading trees everywhere you go
  • Joining a snow patrol, triggering avalanches and rescuing skiiers

FBeyer
Posts: 1069
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:25 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by FBeyer »

Strong as an ox? Looking for part time work? Why is it that Mr Jean does not become a freelance personal trainer? If I recall correctly, your list of physical accomplishments is rather impressive.

Or what about packing a minimal set of shit and become a journeyman? Travel, build shit, meet people, earn a bit of money.

User avatar
Jean
Posts: 1890
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:49 am
Location: Switzterland

Re: What to do when FI

Post by Jean »

I'm happy as long as I don't think about what I accomplished during the last months.

If anyone can do it, I can do it. I know at least a few people who have a happy family, are mostly self-sustaining with a lot of free time, and that continue to provide enjoyable content.

Temporary jobs only provide money (which I might wan't to use to pay my mortgage), real jobs provide complex problem that might be satisfying to solve.

I don't wan't to travel to far or to long, because I wan't to keep my relationships here.

Rescuing skiers requires paper qualification and probably contacts I don't have (and I don't wan't to live in those area).

Freelance personal trainer is a good idea I never had, but I would mostly make my clients walk up mountains with stones in their backpack, and I don't see anyone paying for this.

To sum up this first row of question:
I don't wan't do get hired by anyone, because it feels impossible. I just wan't to build something, and leave it there for people to enjoy.
But how to find out what I should do? Or why do I need to feel that I should do something, to do it?

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by sky »

What fascinates you?

Question: what material would you recommend to build a small shelter (tiny house) that would last a long time, require little heating, be able to be constructed by hand and be inexpensive?

FBeyer
Posts: 1069
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:25 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by FBeyer »

Jean wrote:I'm happy as long as I don't think about what I accomplished during the last months.
Okay then. What is the last thing you accomplished that you are happy about?
Why not make a big self-help list of things you've accomplished in your life that you're proud of. Dig through them and find out what they all have in common, no matter whether the common denominator is esotheric or not, and go from there.

Sit down and build a web of goals.
Start with everything you think you'd like to have in your life. Everything. The choose the things that are both urgent and important and create a web of goals that will accomplish those things.

FBeyer
Posts: 1069
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:25 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by FBeyer »

Jean wrote:... walk up mountains with stones in their backpack, and I don't see anyone paying for this.
Uuuuuh ever heard about this totally new thing... It's called crossfit and people post instagrampictures of bloody hands and hospital injuries as part of their 'training'?

What you need as a trainer is to get people MOTIVATED and on track. You're only providing entertainment IFF that is what the client needs to get fit.
Nothing motivates me more than someone big, strong, badass, knowledgable, and humble. I think it's the same for a lot of people. You get there in tiny steps at a time, but you need to take those steps. That is what the trainer is for IMO... also to correct form.

User avatar
Sclass
Posts: 2791
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Re: What to do when FI

Post by Sclass »

Pretty common to wind down and get bored in retirement.

If I start spending too much time sitting around getting depressed I start a project of some kind. Oddly the projects use many of the same skills I'd used while working as an engineer. I think I have a need to do that kind of thing. Just sans management.

I don't want to work for anyone else. I hate bosses. So I don't even volunteer. A friend said I should help with the sets at her playhouse recently. They needed wiring, special effects, lighting and carpentry. Sorry, no. I couldn't stand the thought of her telling me how to do things all day.

So there is the challlenge. I need challenging work but I don't want a boss. Personal projects fill some of the void but it gets lonely.

Friends in retirement is odd too. I feel a little out of place in the local cafe where they chat, play checkers and drink coffee. When I sit down they think something is wrong with me like I'm chronically unemployed or on some kind of disability. When I explain I made enough money to retire twenty years earlier than they did it gets ugly. That was one nice thing about living in the Bay Area, being 40, retired and hanging at Peet's was well understood. The guys in my new locale talk about how to get the most out of social security and medicaire.

I used to laugh at these old guys in my old neighborhood who put on these silly engineers hats and worked on their steam trains in the garage. Their wives made sandwiches for them and called them in for lunch. As a teen I thought it was hilarious. They were retired engineers. I get it now.

It can be a challenge. I've seen many older friends wind down after having the burden of work lifted off their shoulders. I had a 80yo landlord who played 18 holes a day. I asked if it got boring on the same country club. He said yes, but he explained that his world shrunk so much he had to do this.

I get my inspiration from Ego. He is really good at filling his days with interesting things and then sharing them here.

Everyone is different. I make an effort to do things. It's just too easy to sit down and get old.

I'll post up some updates on my DIY projects in the DIY section. Recently I got into breadmakers for dough kneading. I had to hack the controller in mine to get it to cycle the way I kneaded :lol: . Just bought a walking foot industrial sewing machine. I'm hot rodding it with a dc motor and servo control (my own algorithm) to get the low speed stitching more controlled. Stay busy!

User avatar
Jean
Posts: 1890
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:49 am
Location: Switzterland

Re: What to do when FI

Post by Jean »

@Sky
Under what climate do you live?
Also I don't know prices for material where you live.
In Switzerland, it's nearly cheaper to have three layer of glass than a wooden facade.
Run all the calculation for the insulation, It's easy, and it's worth it.
And if wood is cheap where you live, most of them (wood essences) last forever if you don't let them stay wet, they will look nice in the future if you don't let them get wet. You do this with a roof broader than the house.

@FBeyer
Thank you for your suggestion!
Buying and renting out the house was satisfying, some music I made was really satisfying.
Concerning being a coach, my friends see me as strong, but I'm not big (6 feet, 183ibs), but with what you said, I think It would be a good idea, but I think I might look quickly like a guru. Still a good idea.

@Sclass
I studied engineering because It was easy and i tought it was going to be usefull, I didn't wan't to be a freeloader.
But I get your point.

User avatar
Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by Ego »

Jean wrote: Freelance personal trainer is a good idea I never had, but I would mostly make my clients walk up mountains with stones in their backpack, and I don't see anyone paying for this.
Oh... you'd be surprised how much people are willing to pay for this. You don't even need to see the people. Just tell them to haul rocks by email.
http://mtntactical.com/fitness/mountain-athlete/

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by sky »

I would like a lightweight shelter that is about 2 meters by 3 meters. It should be able to be loaded on a trailer. The climate is the high desert in Southwest United States, generally with cold nights and hot days. The shelter must be able to withstand high winds and snow load. It must be designed so that a person's body heat will keep the shelter at a survivable temperature in cold weather, in accompaniment with appropriate clothing and bedding. Ideally the shelter would be under 250 kg.

7Wannabe5
Posts: 9369
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

I would like a fleet of small solar powered BEAM robots that could crawl into dumpsters or across dangerous urban landscape and identify useful sources of carbon and nitrogen, such as rotting greens and cardboard, and munch them up into a storage "stomach" and then scurry over to one of my vacant lots, munch a circle of grass down to ground level, defecate out a small hill of useful refuse-munch, and deposit/plant a seed of a variety of plant I prefer on that spot.

User avatar
Jean
Posts: 1890
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:49 am
Location: Switzterland

Re: What to do when FI

Post by Jean »

@Sky
A tent or an old car could fit your requirement.
But I checked the climate for albuquerque. It gets to -5C° at the lowest in january in average. I already had this temperature IN my room, and slept like a baby, so its survivable without any further insulation.
But if you wan't to sit and read without wearing gloves 12°C is better.

To keep 17K of temperature diference, with the about 100W of heat that your body produces at rest, the termal conductance (not sure about english word) must be 100/17 W/K or 100/(17*28) = 0.21 W/(K*m*m), which require about 10 cm of PUR foam. This is a lot, but you'll be warm with this.
Don't forget to but a vapor barier layer between the room and the insulation layer.

Under you climate both wood, steel and aluminum would age well and be ok for the outside layer, it's just a mater of taste and price. I would avoid plastic because they decay qiuckly under the sun. A non flat roof would be enough to accomodate the snow. Inside, it is a mater of taste, but if you use plastic (or even wood), wait a few month before spending extensive amounts of time in it, because of VOC.
Do you need more precise advices?

@7w5
Ain't that called a forest?

7Wannabe5
Posts: 9369
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@7w5
Ain't that called a forest?
You are on the right track. A simplistic way of defining the process of perma-culture is intelligent design towards accelerated succession. Humans can flourish in a variety of environments, but optimal situation is some variation of forest at back, open vista in front. This design tends towards maximizing production, minimizing effort and maximizing psychological comfort. Human beings can stand up and see over most grasses, but we have limited peripheral vision, so we are happy when we don't have to worry about what is behind us, and we can see what is in front of us. So, a carefully planned garden will have seating in front of a wall or trellis with a view to a pleasant focal point in the distance. Most fruiting trees thrive in conditions that replicate the boundary between forest and field; thick green mulch and dappled sunlight.

When I hitch up my hauling cart to my bicycle, and pull a bunch of cardboard boxes out of a dumpster, and then cover some of the grass/thistle/chicory mix on my vacant lots with the cardboard, I am mimicking and accelerating what would happen to that patch of growth if suddenly a thick canopy of trees were to spring up. A climax forest in temperate region is not a very easy environment for human survival. So, our ancestors learned to burn and chop clearings to promote the growth of more human edible crops. Now there is too much land that is degraded or devoted to mono-grass crops to promote our survival and happiness. So, the process needs to be partially reversed in many locations on the planet. My location is inclusive of a landscape of urban decay; burnt and rotting empty houses and factories, surrounded by weeds and scrub trees, inhabited by some humans who are inclined towards violent behavior. So, that is why I need some solar-powered robots to help with planting orchard trees and flowers.

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by sky »

My intent was not to set a task for you, but to show how easy it is to invent a project or challenge that creates meaning and could improve things for people. To be authentic, the motivation for the quest must come from your own fascination, of course.

Did
Posts: 693
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 7:50 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by Did »

Are your kids going to live in your car ? Maybe focus on finding somewhere for them to live when born.

User avatar
Jean
Posts: 1890
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:49 am
Location: Switzterland

Re: What to do when FI

Post by Jean »

I already have a house, it's big enough for two families.
But earning money to make the whole house inhabitable might be a good focus.

Did
Posts: 693
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 7:50 am

Re: What to do when FI

Post by Did »

Is your FI money dependent on the house being rented?

Post Reply