Aardappel joins the ERE forums!

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aardappel
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 24, 2023 4:23 pm

Aardappel joins the ERE forums!

Post by aardappel »

Hello everyone!

I've been a lurker on this forum for about two years. After finishing the ERE book for the third time, I finally decided to create an account to connect with you. I also hope I can contribute back to the discussions, being thankful of having learned a lot from you all and wanting to learn more.

Some info about me:

I'm a guy in his twenties living in The Netherlands. I'm saving a large % of my salary, which I am able to do because I live with my family. I make sure to contribute to the household through acquiring food, making repairs, cooking, cleaning, etc.

Because I'm not satisfied with my office job, I have made it my plan to quit before the end of the year. Even though the job is for a large part remote, has semi-flexible hours and good benefits, it is not making me happy. I decided I don't want to just do something for the money anymore. This is possible due a combination of my very low wants + ok stash + ok skills + low responsibilities + privileges.

My stash is FU size at 22 years of my average expenses. My goal is 25 years, after which I will quit. If my expenses increase somehow, I will go for semi-ERE, since I am not opposed to working for money if it is something that makes me happy. I'm confident that I can pull ERE off because:
  • I want and can reduce my dependency on money further, replacing it with more skills and other forms of "capital" along the way,
  • I will remain open and look for enjoyable and value-aligned money-making opportunities for robustness and stash-growing that also makes my WoG more robust, and
  • my family and I prefer each other's company and they don't want/need me to pay money for letting me stay
These factors together allow me to be confident enough to do this while keeping in mind that my expenses could increase in the future due to any number of reasons.
Last edited by aardappel on Thu Jul 13, 2023 7:20 am, edited 5 times in total.

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mountainFrugal
Posts: 1117
Joined: Fri May 07, 2021 2:26 pm

Re: Aardappel joins the ERE forums!

Post by mountainFrugal »

Welcome. Sounds like a great set-up for saving. What are you interested in doing after you hit 25x soon? Or what specific skills are you interested in learning?

Western Red Cedar
Posts: 1200
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:15 pm

Re: Aardappel joins the ERE forums!

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Welcome aboard - I like your forum icon! I encourage you to start a journal.

Quadalupe
Posts: 268
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 4:56 am
Location: the Netherlands

Re: Aardappel joins the ERE forums!

Post by Quadalupe »

Hoi Aardappel en welkom!

Sounds like you are in a good spot right now and are thinking about the right things. A couple of questions:
  • Will you be staying at your family's place for a long time? Do you already have a backup plan of cheap housing if you feel the urge to move at some point?
  • What does your current WoG look like?
  • Would it be possible to negotiate a part-time job - maybe even 1 day a week - at your current job? Would that change how it fits in your WoG
  • What people are you surrounding yourself with? There are plenty of alternate thinkers, even in the Netherlands but it can be hard to suss them out.
Feel free to answer these here, in a journal or just for yourself!

Also, there is a Dutch meetup being organized somewhere in the next months, see viewtopic.php?t=12402. Might also be interesting for you.

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aardappel
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 24, 2023 4:23 pm

Re: Aardappel joins the ERE forums!

Post by aardappel »

@mountainFrugal

I want to develop a deeper connection to the food I eat by learning about foraging and/or growing food. Foraging is something I find fun and rewarding, and I now get excited finding dandelions in the cracks of the sidewalk :D (although I would not eat those at dog-level :oops:). Also, social skills and connecting with like-minded people is something I want to focus on.

@Western Red Cedar

Thank you and thank you for the encouragement, I will think about it!

@Quadalupe
Will you be staying at your family's place for a long time? Do you already have a backup plan of cheap housing if you feel the urge to move at some point?
My family and I are OK with me staying for a long time. I'm slowly getting rid of excess stuff so I can be flexible regarding where I live, just in case.

In 10 years things may look entirely different, but I expect my income producing and spending reducing skills to give me more flexibility by then.
What does your current WoG look like?
Here is an example of a WoG-aligned activity: bicycling (exercise, fun, low-waste) through nature (meaningful to me) to get unpackaged/local vegetables (healthy eating, low-waste, low cost) which I cook (low cost, fun, creative) for myself (health) and my family (health, being a good family member). I find this very satisfying. I'm not sure if it is an ERE term, but I like to think of "goal stacking". "What can I do to make meeting this need more WoG-aligned?" is what I ask myself.
Would it be possible to negotiate a part-time job - maybe even 1 day a week - at your current job? Would that change how it fits in your WoG
I have thought about working 1 day a week, but dismissed the idea initially. However, it would reduce the need for looking for an extra income stream when I ERE easier. I will give this idea some more consideration. Thank you for bringing it up, as it had not been on my mind anymore.
What people are you surrounding yourself with? There are plenty of alternate thinkers, even in the Netherlands but it can be hard to suss them out.
It is very hard to find them in my experience, me being fine doing stuff by myself and me not being very vocal or visibly living an alternative lifestyle. I started attending events with like-minded people, but have not made lasting connections there. A regular activity, such as WoG-aligned volunteering, might be more helpful and enjoyable for me. I have now decided to actively find something like this.

DutchGirl
Posts: 1644
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Aardappel joins the ERE forums!

Post by DutchGirl »

...If you're talking about growing food, I would consider
1. finding a parttime job at a farm (I found one in Friesland for a friend where they want someone to take care of the goats for 14 hours per week: feed them Tuesday morning, remove their waste products Tuesday afternoon, feed them Tuesday evening AND feed them Wednesday morning. My guess is that this is the regular caretaker's "weekend"). That could also be your parttime job.
and/or
2. WWOOF around (see https://wwoof.net/).

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