afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2023—2026

The cheap retirement got more expensive. Going back still looked worse.

u/AutomaticSquirrel32’s early retirement began with travel, reading, gaming and a modest budget. Three years later, repairs, healthcare, growing children and an expensive new hobby had pushed costs upward. The author remained content and chose a substantial cash buffer, accepting slower gains to make a return to work feel less likely.

Finances
Net worth at retirement2023-08 · Personal
$1,600,000

Approximate author-reported financial balance when leaving work; the source calls it the FI/RE number without fully itemizing asset boundaries.

Source
Posts2
2024Year 1
Post 01

Contentment survives imperfect habits

“things that I hate doing I still hate doing”

u/AutomaticSquirrel32Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Volunteered, traveled, camped, read and learned a language.
  • Built apps for a gaming community; an injury interrupted the gym habit.

How it felt

  • Still enjoyed retirement, even with coparenting tensions and imperfect routines. “I still enjoy my FI/RE time very much.”
  • Found that extra time had not made disliked chores any more appealing. “things that I hate doing I still hate doing”
ContentmentCuriosityParenthood
u/AutomaticSquirrel32 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Publication date at available precision. Retirement milestones follow the author’s own count; a missing milestone is not inferred.

Travel, volunteering, gaming, exercise and final reflection.

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. The original contains the full story.

2026Year 3
Post 02

A bigger budget buys no regret

“I'm still enjoying my life, maybe a bit too much.”

u/AutomaticSquirrel32Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Spent more on growing children, repairs, healthcare and a new creative hobby.
  • Replenished a large cash reserve while reporting about $2.4 million.

How it felt

  • Found holding so much cash frustrating, but feared a return to work more. “But the thought of returning to work is even worse”
  • Continued enjoying life while accepting a higher cost than the early budget suggested. “I'm still enjoying my life, maybe a bit too much.”
MoneyCreativityParenthood
u/AutomaticSquirrel32 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Publication date at available precision. Retirement milestones follow the author’s own count; a missing milestone is not inferred.

Rising costs, new hobby, cash reserves and continued enjoyment.

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. The original contains the full story.

See how these posts compare with other people’s experiences.

Research

Last checked Sep 2026. The accounts are self-reported. This timeline follows selected accounts, including recollections where labeled; it is not a complete archive.

  • The third-year post explicitly links the first-year post under the same byline. The 2026 spending figure is a projection, not a completed annual total. Asset boundaries of the starting FI/RE number are not fully specified.
  • This is a selection of reviewed updates, not a complete account history. No later life outcome is inferred from the absence of another indexed post.

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