A Mediterranean islander says hi

[ForaDesSembrat]

Hi there!

I'm a 30ish Mediterranean islander who has been lurking on these forums for the last couple of months. I plan to start a journal soon, so I thought I'd begin by introducing myself.

Some background:
I grew up as an only child in a middle-class household. I had a nice childhood, surrounded by a very supportive extended family and a few close friends that I still keep to this day.

Like many folks from my place and generation, I moved to a large city on the continent to pursue an undergraduate degree. And like many idealistic 18-years-olds, I chose a degree based on what sounded interesting, not what would reliably pay the bills. Luckily enough, in the middle of my studies I came across the Mr. Robot series, which sparked an interest in programming. A few years later, after many fun nights tinkering with code, I landed an internship in the software industry, where I’m still working nowadays.

Between 2023–2024, I became increasingly disillusioned with my job and the corporate world. My curiosity and drive to build useful things were constantly hammered by the extremely bureaucratic and obstructive practices in my company. At the same time, I was going through a tough period with a health condition I've had since my teens, which made me start thinking about moving back to my hometown. It was back then that I also started reading about FIRE and investing topics. I had always been careful with money, but I had never dedicated any time to learn about how to manage it more intentionally. I read some blog posts by Mr. Money Mustache and Jacob, but I never thought about it seriously. Around mid-2024, I started investing some of my savings in index funds after learning that it was probably not a great idea to keep all my money in a bank account that didn’t earn any interest.

Around August 2024, I received an offer to start a remote contract as a freelancer. I didn’t think twice. One month later, I had brought all my belongings back to my hometown and concluded an large period in that city on the other side of the sea.

Past months and current situation:
In November last year, my family offered me the chance to live in a house they had inherited some time ago. It was an old house that required significant renovations, so we agreed that if I paid for them, I would be able to live there rent-free for some time. This was amazing news for me, as my hometown is a HCOL area where it's quite difficult for most young people to find an affordable place to live. Although I had to make a significant upfront investment, my housing costs for the next few years should be very low.

One month later, just a week before a one-year renewal, I was laid off after a sudden restructuring of the company’s budget for the upcoming year.

From an objective point of view, my financial situation was far from worrying. I had saved for a few years and had enough to sustain myself for some time. However, the lack of a professional network in my new area and the need to make some very unusual expenses for the house made me quite receptive to anyone promoting ideas around frugality and simple living. I started listening to the Advanced Retroadaptics podcast by AxelHeyst, which really clicked with me. His interview with mountainFrugal brought me to this forum, and soon after, I read the ERE book.

Nowadays, I’m still interested in reaching FI and quitting the corporate race as soon as possible. However, the ERE community made me realize that this should not be my main goal. It’s more about the lifestyle shift, about learning useful skills and enjoying living with less.

I started a new remote job in February. While the nine-to-fives usually feel unbearable, I’m having a great time in the evenings and weekends working on new skills. I recently started a vegetable garden, which has been an incredibly satisfying experience. I’ve also been enjoying the process of cutting down my expenses. Realizing that you can just live without something and that you won’t be any less happy at all is kind of addictive.

Overall, I feel very fortunate for my situation. After a decade away, I'm back home with my people, digging in the dirt, learning to live with less and slowly untangling from the corporate machine. Not perfect, but I feel I'm making progress. Looking forward to learning from and connecting with you.

See you around!

[Stasher]

Good Morning
It really sounds that you developed a strong MMM ERE foundation that has allowed you the confidence and objectivity to embrace things the world throws at you. All the best and welcome to the forums from a fellow island living member. (Canadian Pacific Northwest)

[ForaDesSembrat]

Good Morning
It really sounds that you developed a strong MMM ERE foundation that has allowed you the confidence and objectivity to embrace things the world throws at you. All the best and welcome to the forums from a fellow island living member. (Canadian Pacific Northwest)

Thank you so much for your reply! I'm a novice on this journey and I still have a lot of work to do to build confidence in managing life's uncertainties. But you're right that learning about ERE has been very helpful, at least as a framework to clarify what's truly important and what I should strive for.

On that note, I've recently been reading about Stoicism (How to Be a Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci), and I plan to start practicing it more intentionally in the coming months. As many have pointed out before, the emphasis on self-reliance and emotional independence really aligns with ERE's core principles.

I've just started reading your journal, and I have to say it's very inspiring. Your landscape photos are amazing I suspect I'll need to change careers eventually, and like you, I'd like to shift towards something more connected with nature. I now live closer to the mountains and have really enjoyed getting out for hikes.

I'll keep an eye out for your posts!

[Western Red Cedar]

Welcome to the forum! I look forward to reading your journal.