DutchGirl's journal

Where are you and where are you going?
radamfi
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2014 5:46 pm

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by radamfi »

I still visit this website every so often, just to read your journal. Originally because I wanted to retire in the Netherlands but it has become a good story in its own right.

People might remember me being very upset about Brexit a few years ago which would make it difficult or impossible to retire in the Netherlands. I realised about a year ago that I might be able to get Hungarian citizenship and I have just been accepted and have just applied for a passport! So that is a great relief for me, however I still feel sorry for those millions who are unable to get dual citizenship with another EU/EEA country.

I have just retired at the age of 46 and I'm now learning Dutch full time at home.

chenda
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Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:17 pm
Location: Nether Wallop

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by chenda »

Congratulations radamfi that's great news! Yes Dutchgirl's journal is a great read :)

DutchGirl
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by DutchGirl »

My boyfriend's back to work, on a new IT project, and he loves it. He's gotten access to new "toys" (a.k.a. high-quality expensive technology that he hasn't used before) and he enjoys finding out how they work et cetera. It's good to see, although it also makes me a bit jealous. I wish I was that happy to go to work! I do know that sometimes his pleasure in work reduces as well, for example when he has to tie up the loose ends or when he has to write documentation.

Today was my day off this week, and I'm looking forward to a week during which I'll have two days off and two other days where I'll only work half days. It's good to slow down a bit. The weird thing is that I feel guilty if I'm doing nothing on a day off, even when I know that I needed that time off and that I need to do "nothing".

Today I actually didn't do nothing. I walked over 14k steps, I went to the supermarket (where the lady in line behind me decided to get within 3 feet of me because who cares about Corona when one can be done with shopping 15 seconds sooner, right?), and I made a new recipe for the first time in the slowcooker. It was chicken with Italian flavours, and due to the enormous amounts of liquid it actually became Italian chicken soup. Next time I'll know to put in less of the liquid ingredients. Oh, I also conquered some planets in the game Creeper World during the day, beating back the blue liquid that tried to overwhelm me.

I'm impatiently waiting for my next payday which will be this Friday. To be continued...

PS. radamfi, that's awesome! I know that in the Netherlands, a lot of libraries offer free Dutch lessons and "taalmaatjes" - language buddies - to practise Dutch with. I don't know whether currently, with Corona, they allow for online lessons as well. That would be nice for you! I found this link from the library in The Hague: https://www.bibliotheekdenhaag.nl/leren ... fenen.html

radamfi
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2014 5:46 pm

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by radamfi »

DutchGirl wrote:
Wed Sep 15, 2021 12:35 pm
PS. radamfi, that's awesome! I know that in the Netherlands, a lot of libraries offer free Dutch lessons and "taalmaatjes" - language buddies - to practise Dutch with. I don't know whether currently, with Corona, they allow for online lessons as well. That would be nice for you! I found this link from the library in The Hague: https://www.bibliotheekdenhaag.nl/leren ... fenen.html
Thanks for the link!

I've been learning and practising on my own for some time as a hobby. I've finished the Dutch Duolingo course, as well as the English Duolingo course for Dutch speakers. I'm now trying to build up my vocabulary using Clozemaster and reading bilingual texts.

I probably ought to practice with someone else but I've always been shy at doing that and I'm self conscious about speaking the language aloud. My priority has been to learn to read Dutch and to understand other people speaking Dutch, rather than speaking Dutch myself. I want to be able to speak too, eventually, but that is lower priority given how good Dutch people are with English. Of course, the dream is to have good enough Dutch so I don't need to resort to English.

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

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by DutchGirl »

radamfi wrote:
Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:26 am
I probably ought to practice with someone else but I've always been shy at doing that and I'm self conscious about speaking the language aloud. My priority has been to learn to read Dutch and to understand other people speaking Dutch, rather than speaking Dutch myself. I want to be able to speak too, eventually, but that is lower priority given how good Dutch people are with English. Of course, the dream is to have good enough Dutch so I don't need to resort to English.
I remember this from learning English. You feel very self-conscious in the beginning. Hopefully you'll be able to get over that, because it still really helps if you're able to speak some Dutch. This is why a taalmaatje could be good, because they are there specifically to help you improve your Dutch skills, including speaking Dutch. So they're not expecting anything near perfection from you and you're there to learn. Maybe that helps to get over the hesitation.

I'd offer to help, but right now I feel inundated in work and more work. Silly me - I'm close to my original net worth goal and I'm working harder than I was 2 years ago. But yeah, blame COVID19. All this work means I earned more money this year than perhaps any previous year, which sped up my progress to my goal.

Now I still don't know how to shape my life going forward. But I know that I can now and that's already a good feeling.

radamfi
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Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2014 5:46 pm

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by radamfi »

Have you decided what your new net worth goal is yet? Do you think you will quit immediately after reaching that?

DutchGirl
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Location: The Netherlands

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by DutchGirl »

So I think my new net worth goal will be 300k, up from 240k euros. So that's like a 25% increase in errr, ten years of time?

...awww, shoot guys, looking back I see I missed my anniversary: first post here was Sat, 17 Sep 2011 .

So from 240k to 300k, a 25% increase in ten years. I can and will partially blame that on inflation (240k back in 2011 is like 281k now, says inflatiecalculator.nl ), but part of it is also moving to a bigger, more expensive, house - but one that we will be happy to continue to live in for the next decades.

Please note that the money is for my half of the expenses I share with my boyfriend, that I have additional income of roughly 10k/year annually that has a high chance of continuing as long as I want; and that this money "just" needs to cover me until normal retirement age. I have accumulated lots of pension rights and social security rights not reflected in this number - I'm confident that these will more than cover all of my expenses in retirement even when looking at them pessimistically.

Right now I'm definitely working too much. My plan for now is to scale back before Nov 15 to normal working hours, enjoy those normal working hours (ahem, that's 24 hours/week... but irregular ... but yeah, just 24 hours/week) in November, December and January, and then perhaps decide to reduce these hours to 18 or 20 per week for the next year or two while waiting for my net worth to go to 300k, markets willing. (And yeah, I'm very lucky that working 18 to 20 hours per week will fully cover my expenses so that I can just let my investments do their thing undisturbed in the meantime).

But I've also thought about quitting the job I had this last decade in a few months, perhaps trying to find a different one, or seeing what projects come my way. I don't fully know yet, but I think I'd better not decide on that right now, but wait until things have calmed down a bit.

chenda
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Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by chenda »

DutchGirl wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:08 am
..awww, shoot guys, looking back I see I missed my anniversary: first post here was Sat, 17 Sep 2011
Congratulations Dutchgirl :)

@radamfi - I've seen some good Dutch film and television series recently; once you've learnt the basics watching them with English subtitles will help I'm sure.

radamfi
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2014 5:46 pm

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by radamfi »

DutchGirl wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:08 am
...awww, shoot guys, looking back I see I missed my anniversary: first post here was Sat, 17 Sep 2011 .
Just look how far you've come in the last 10 years! You had a mere 13k in your pot back then.

I was lucky in that I discovered FIRE (although I didn't know what it was called until I started reading Jacob's blog years later) about one year after starting work. I realised then that I hated work and from then on I had dreamed of retiring early. However, despite being technically FI some years ago, I suffered from 'one more year' syndrome for several years. I had forced myself to drop to part time work about 6 years ago but then after the Brexit vote I felt it necessary to work full time again, thinking that I might need to 'buy' EU citizenship in the future through investing in one of the 'Golden Visas', such as the one in Portugal. Now I'm Hungarian I no longer have to worry about that. After spending so little in last year's lockdown, I also realised I could live off even less money that I thought, which gave me the final push to fully quit.

Basically, given what you've written over the years and also just now, you may also 'suffer' (if that's the right word) from that syndrome in the future as you sound quite risk averse, like me. But, on the other hand, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are FI even if you keep working, especially if you enjoy whatever you do next. I don't regret working those extra years as it gives me a bit more leeway if things go wrong in the future.
chenda wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 11:12 am
@radamfi - I've seen some good Dutch film and television series recently; once you've learnt the basics watching them with English subtitles will help I'm sure.
I watch programmes on NPO Start (the Dutch equivalent to the BBC's iPlayer). Paying subscribers can watch in the whole EU but of course because of (you know what) that doesn't work now. However, a VPN gets around that, for now. Worst case scenario is the BVN website ("Best of Flanders and the Netherlands") where Dutch/Flemish people can watch Dutch language TV when they go abroad. They have Dutch subtitles which I can understand fairly well, especially for children's programmes, and I can look up words I don't know. The main problem that I have is that I can't translate the words quick enough so I keep stopping the video every few seconds. The youngest children's programmes would probably be best for me at the moment but they don't have subtitles.

DutchGirl
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by DutchGirl »

radamfi wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 1:10 pm
Just look how far you've come in the last 10 years! You had a mere 13k in your pot back then.
Yeah, it's pretty awesome. This shit works, folks...! (And if you earn more than I do, it could work even faster).
radamfi wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 1:10 pm
Basically, given what you've written over the years and also just now, you may also 'suffer' (if that's the right word) from that syndrome in the future as you sound quite risk averse, like me. But, on the other hand, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are FI even if you keep working, especially if you enjoy whatever you do next. I don't regret working those extra years as it gives me a bit more leeway if things go wrong in the future.
When I had my mini-sabbatical in January-April, I learned that I regularly need to do some things that feel useful to me. My retired life won't be fun if I am just sitting on the beach every day. And it won't be fun if I just keep my household running and only talk to the cashier and my boyfriend all day. My current work does make me feel useful, but it has its downsides. So it seems like I need to find some thing(s), paid or unpaid, that make me feel like I'm contributing something useful for some hours every week. Or reduce the hours I work at my current job so that it interferes less with the rest of my life. Quit being so annoying and intrusive, work! :lol:

DutchGirl
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Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by DutchGirl »

Update... I walked for an hour this morning and thought it true (while, by the way, listening to a podcast of the MadFientist interviewing "our" Jacob). I then went home and looked at my spreadsheet and adjusted some numbers - as you do before you make big changes.

And then I sent an email to my workplace that per January 1st I'll be reducing my hours to 16 per week, from 24.

This will mean that my salary plus my (stable) side income will still cover my expenses, leaving my assets alone to grow some more. It's also possible that I will find some more ways to make some money, but that won't be necessary.

As for work it will probably mean going from working now often four days per week (2 x 8 hours and 2 x 4 hours) to probably working two or three days per week (they might give me 2 x 8 hours, or they might give me 1 x 8 and 2 x 4 hours). It will mean working less evenings per week. And it will leave more time to do other fun things with.

rube
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Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by rube »

Good move and congrats with this reduction in hours soon!

DutchGirl
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Location: The Netherlands

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by DutchGirl »

My teamleader, unhappy with me wanting to work less hours, during our phone call on this topic: "I will have to find out whether you can just one-sidedly say that you want to reduce your hours like that."
Me, thinking: well, if you somehow find out that my employer can force me to work more hours than I want to work - then I'll just quit, and I know that I am legally allowed to do that. So yeah, go and find that out and we'll know more then.
Me, out loud: "Well, keep me posted on that."

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Alice_AU
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Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by Alice_AU »

Brilliant! That's why they call it 'FU money' :)

Married2aSwabian
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Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by Married2aSwabian »

https://youtu.be/gj2iGAifSNI

A little background music for your next call with your teamleader. :D

DutchGirl
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Location: The Netherlands

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by DutchGirl »

Ha ha, thanks!!

sky
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Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by sky »

They are doing you a big favor by allowing you to work there.

DutchGirl
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Location: The Netherlands

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by DutchGirl »

That's sarcasm, right, sky? It's hard to distinguish sometimes when you are reading :D

Boy oh boy, so I'm looking forward to working less hours starting in January, but I also find it a bit scary, even though I will still be able to make ends meet from just my income, so that my investments can just keep doing their thing.

I guess I'll just have to see how it goes. I know that I can always add more hours to my contract again if I "had" to...

Just three more months to go and then my lazy life starts ;)

llorona
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Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by llorona »

DutchGirl wrote:
Tue Sep 28, 2021 3:55 am
My teamleader, unhappy with me wanting to work less hours...
Oh, well. Can't make everyone happy so might as well do what's right for you! :lol:

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

Re: DutchGirl's journal

Post by sky »

YES, sarcasm!

You might want to be a bit careful regarding what others are saying about you and how they may try to manipulate your job status. They may not know you have enough freedom chips to fly free, and they might think they can threaten you in some way to keep you working full time. Or they might try to damage your reputation in retaliation for leaving. Perhaps you might want to document discussions with bosses and coworkers, and recruit a friend/coworker to listen for rumors or comments about you (to report back to you). Games may be played.

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