Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Thank you!

My breakfast is plain Oat porridge and tea each day. That cost me about 10 cent. I get one of the three daily meals for $3 per month. That is a pretty good start.

I seldom eat out and I cook my own food most of the time. Some costs are in the borderlands between food, entertainment and other. My satellite TV is included in my rent.

In December the savings rate was quite average for me. I got paid some extra at work, but I also spent some extra. The spending on entertainment was especially high. I bought a trip for next year's vacation including hotel and airplane ticket. I expect to have additional expenses next year for getting to the airport at the Swedish capital and spending one night at an airport hotel. The food spending in December was a bit inflated by me buying beer.

I will make an additional post where I summarize the year 2016. Below you can see the data for December.

Report US$

Earned income 3685

Expenses
Rent 436
Transport 80
Food 233
Entertainment 362
Other 192
Total 1301

Savings 2384

Savings rate (%) 65

Nice work, so you decided on the vacation. Where are you going?

Would be interesting to see a summary of your investments and net worth. Now at year end. Plan to do one myself next time I get onshore. Spending New Years Eve on the North Sea

Happy New savings year Forskaren

frihet wrote:Nice work, so you decided on the vacation. Where are you going?

I will be going to Ukraine in July.

I will be working on the stats for 2016 and update the journal when finished.

Happy new year!

For 2016 my savings rate was 67%. My expenses are shown below:
Annual
Expenses US$
Rent 5228
Transport 2070
Food 2568
Entertainment 1528
Other 2121
Total 13515

My largest cost was the rent I paid for my apartment. My second largest expense was food and the third largest expense was “other”. Transport ended up at fourth place, but that doesn’t include that I already own a car and that I someday may have to buy another.

My present investment situation is as follows (not including retirement accounts):

US$
Stocks 557236
Debt 28836
Car and stuff 6529
gold 3711
net worth 538640

I am currently at 2.51% SWR, so I can probably consider me FI for the moment. I got a quite pleasant problem of finding out if I want to increase my spending in some area, since I like my work and will continue to work despite being FI. My problem is that when it comes to taste in clothes, food, cars and housing I don’t mind simple and cheap. For example, my favorite beer is cheap cold lager beer.

Amazing SWR .

Good choice to go on vacation

It's not like you need to save up a lot more.

Ukraina that was an intressting destination. Let us know what you thought about it afterwards.

I have not updated my journal in some time.

This year I don't keep a detailed track of my spending, but I save 50% of my salary automatically, so savings rate 50%+. My net worth has increased by about $78000 so far this year.

US$
Stocks 631960
Debt 26503
Car and stuff 6682
gold 4009
net worth 616147

Wow. These are great numbers. What is your WR? Why do you still work?

@MDFIRE2024

My WR is probably in the 2-3% range.

Currently I like my job, so I keep working. I am looking for some fun and expensive hobby, but I seem to like inexpensive hobbies. I am even starting to get tired of traveling as a tourist.

What could cost a lot would be a if I formed a family. That is one reason to keep working while that option remain open.

Interesting. Some aspects remind me of myself. I scrolled through your journal and discovered that you are 37 or 38?
For your age these numbers are great. Wow. I also do like my job (currently). Therefore my main reason to become FI is not work related. I hope I will always have meaningful work to do in my life.
What do you do? Let me guess: IT?
Have you found a girlfriend lately? This is on my mind. How would it be to have a girlfriend and/or family? How will this effect my plan to become FI?...
Since you have a very good basis, you can enjoy life and decide where you want to go in your life.
But why do you think about expensive hobbies and things to buy? Does it make you happier? Just listened to the podcast on madfientiest here http://www.madfientist.com/vicki-robin-interview/ with Vicki Robin of "Your money or your life". It was interesting and worthwhile. They talk also about a lower saving rate, if it makes your life happier. Maybe you find it also good.
Well. Many questions. As I said your situation and thoughts remind me of myself, therefore I feel that I had to answer.

@MDFIRE2024

I am not working in IT, but I work with R&D in another technical field.

I am currently single. Many girls that is availible in the 30-35 age range seem to have problems. Perhaps I am too picky.

Expensive hobbies and stuff does not necessary buy happiness.One thing that is certain is that a lack of money could cause problems and unhappiness. For some people although, some very expensive hobby could be the center of their life, including owning horses, cars and boats. I am exploring what I like, but most things that I like is work related, cheap or average expensive.

Have you considered starting your own journal?

@Forskaren
I have considered it, but I haven't tried it. I do my monthly financial controlling. Truth is, that I don't want to spend too much time about it, because I'm trying to figure out my life around ERE. Does this make sense? Right now I want to find a good balance between thinking about financial matters and living my life as I want it to be. Therefore I also question my saving rate. Well, anyway, it is your journal.

Thanks for sharing your view. Would like to here more about your improvements next month.

I'm also very sorry for what happend in Stockholm. Must be a very tragedy. I hope this terror is going to end someday.

I have come across several people in Sweden who claim that Sweden is too expensive for them to retire in, and I have looked at Swedish real estate enough to know that they are wrong. After you have retired, I will see if your journal can change their minds.

Forskaren wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 10, 2017 9:25 am

I am currently single. Many girls that is availible in the 30-35 age range seem to have problems. Perhaps I am too picky.

You seem like a really smart guy, so I'm assuming you know this. But just to be clear, that doesn't change when they turn 36.

@tlevine
Some things is expensive in Sweden, while others things is almost free (education, healthcare etc) due to the tax system. If you are a bit flexible about where you live, what you eat, what you do and what you buy, Sweden can offer good ERE value.

@ Jason
I mean that after 30 it is mostly leftovers and that the good women already taken, especially outside of the major cities. In my part of Sweden it normally means one or several of the following, several children, low education, mental problems, social problems, economical problems, ugly, fat etc.

Tjenixen! How are things going, impressive work beeing done here!

HI Forskaren. How are you? Still working? Hope everything is fine in Sweden?