Australian FI Weekly #75

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Welcome to another edition of #AusFIWeekly. You’ll find great handpicked Financial Independence links from Australia and abroad – brought to you by Michelle, a mid-30s semi-retiree sharing my FI adventures at FrugalityandFreedom.com.

In an effort to motivate my work-from-home butt into some exercise, I decided to buy myself a Fitbit this week. My default is to always go for secondhand, to enjoy the lower cost and to reduce my environmental impact. After successfully purchasing one of these used fitness trackers, I looked around me and appreciated yet again that I live in a sort of minimalist shrine to pre-loved goods. 🙂

What was your latest secondhand win? Let me know by replying or ping me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

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Australian Links

21 Things I Don’t Spend Money On (That Many People Do) – FIRE Your Own Way
“Every month I track my expenses in detail. This month I thought it would be interesting to tip that on its head and go through the inverse. That is, talk about the things I don’t spend money on.”

How Being Accountable To Others Can Help You On The Path to FIRE – LatestarterFIRE
“Wanting to be financially independent is an inner expectation. No one is forcing you to start your FIRE journey and stay on track. How do you stay on track? Are you an Obliger like me and struggle with being accountable to myself?”

‘My main focus is financial independence, not early retirement’ – Money Magazine
Featuring The FI Explorer: “Four years ago Jason reached a “lean” retirement target based on the average income (which includes part-time workers) but he decided to keep working to reach around the mean average full-time ordinary earnings of $90,500 a year.”

Six Months of (Early) Semi-Retirement – Adventures with Poopsie
“Because I didn’t work during the last six months, I think this was closer to an actual early retirement lifestyle than the semi-retired lifestyle I was planning on. In many ways, it has been as I expected: more time, less stress and less urgency. But in other ways, I have been surprised and that hasn’t always been positive.”

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International Links

Stealth Frugality – Early Retirement Now (USA)
“When I announced my retirement in 2018, not a single relative, friend, or colleague blurted out “Yeah, you’re such a cheapskate, no wonder you accumulated seven figures!” Quite the opposite, people wondered how we were able to save and accumulate so much without looking cheap to the outside world. Very simple, we were frugal, but we were able to hide that frugality very well. In other words, we were practicing Stealth Frugality = frugality without looking and acting like a miser!”

Financial Independence for the Whole Human – Playtirement (USA)
“When talking about what it means to be financially independent and happy, healthy, and doing good things for our planet, there is something sorely missing. And that seems to be more human-ness within the discussions.”

The Tyranny Of Time – Noema (USA)
“The clock is a useful social tool, but it is also deeply political. It benefits some, marginalizes others and blinds us from a true understanding of our own bodies and the world around us.”

But What If Something Happens? (And Your Suit of FIRE Armor) – TicTocLife (USA)
“Your years of saving towards financial independence is the insulation between you and all the problems out in the world. Will you still feel the burning hot emergencies out in the world around you? Yeah, sure, of course you will. But you’re much less likely to be toasted alongside them.”

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Missed one? Read the archives here. Or get in touch if you have any FI content recommendations.

Yours in pursuit of FI,
Michelle @ Frugality and Freedom

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