My Quasi Approach to FIRE in Australia

I came across the concept of Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) in 2017 through an interview with Mr Money Mustache on the Tim Ferris Show. I had just established a modicum of financial stability in my life and was interested in ensuring it was put to good use.

I liked some of Mr Money Mustache principles — reduce costs and invest in index funds to generate income — but I couldn’t get on board with the ultra-frugal lifestyle that he espoused. I figured it might be something that would grow on me when I got sick of the day-to-day work grind, so I parked any further thoughts of FIRE for another day.

I kept learning about personal finance without encountering FIRE until 2020 when I came across the Aussie Firebug podcast on Spotify. I binge listened to a few episodes and have stayed mostly up to date with the podcast since then.

What I found interesting about the podcast was that host, Matt, had gone through the frugal-as-hell stage early in his FIRE journey but was now a little bit freer with his dollars. He became less stingy, spent time overseas and bought a house.

Since then, he has stated a desire to be more focused on financial independence than retiring early, which resonates with me. Right now, I can’t see myself taking drastic steps to retire early when a) I’m in the early stages of my…