Consider what you would do with your time if you retired early. Sure your current job might suck, but being bored for 30 or 40 years might suck too. Especially on a shoestring budget.

If you had to give up travel, eating out, expensive hobbies to retire early, what are you going to be doing all day? Might be better to switch careers and do something you enjoy for 10-15 years.

I think it would really suck to be bagging groceries at 80 because one retired during the prime earning years and they ended up spending more than they thought in retirement.

Unless you just want a part time job out of boredom or it's a cheap way to socialize.

All I know is I won't be hanging out with the FIRE folks in retirement. They'll expect me to pick up the tab or want to come visit me for a cheap vacation or simple won't want to leave to the house because you know - gas costs money, going out for lunch costs money, golf costs money, beach parking costs money...

Being frugal is a good idea but there is a difference between having money and being careful with it and being frugal because you have no other choice.

The upside of hanging out with FIRE folks is you don't feel the need to keep up with the Jones. Peer pressure can be tough on the wallet if you hang with a spendy crowd.

I'm probably more of a natural FIRE folk anyway. We clip coupons, garden, go camping, go hiking, do a lot of activities that don't cost money.

My father-in-law retired at 47. High school grad, never went to college. Worked for the state of CT in the highway department.

His tips would be:

- Very rarely go out to eat. Take out pizza on payday.
- Fix your own cars.
- Don't bother with things like cell phones, movie theaters or cable TV (until retirement)
- Buy a cheap piece of land and build your own house. Later buy some cheap land and build a weekend cabin.
- Work a lot of overtime.
- Retire with a state pension (good luck that that these days).
- Have a smart daughter who gets a full collage scholarship.
- Buy a two family house in the state you plan to retire in. Rent it out for 10 years. Then move into half and rent the other half.
- Sell the house and cabin back east and move west.
- Fly Fish 267 days out of the year in Montana.