afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
← Explore posts shelves

Posts

Explore turning points, everyday joys and unexpected challenges after financial independence or retirement, with the date and original source for each account.

Age
Wealth
Years
Posts
31–40 of 101 posts

They retired to travel the world. Then family life rewrote the plan.

Dec 2023 · Year 11

“We spent HOW MUCH on Amazon.com?!?!”

Jeremy Jacobson · Go Curry CrackerRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Settled into school, sports, home routines and trips around school holidays.
  • Planned closer expense tracking after reviewing roughly $118,000 in annual spending.

How it felt

  • Was surprised by retail purchases even though spending remained within budget. “We spent HOW MUCH on Amazon.com?!?!”
  • Preferred devoting time to other things rather than endlessly optimizing expenses. “I would rather do other things with my time”
FamilyHomeMoney
Jeremy Jacobson · Go Curry Cracker
Read original postgocurrycracker.com

Unhurried mornings and creative afternoons

Nov 2023Interview snapshot · published 2024-04

“I now consider myself retired and love to say, “I no longer trade my time for a paycheck.””

ESI Millionaire 390Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Retirement days included coffee and reading, followed by home projects, woodworking, quilt-making, social contact and cycling.

How it felt

  • He enjoyed retirement and the absence of deadlines after years in always-on operations management. “I have truly enjoyed every day of retirement.”
RoutineCreativityFreedom
ESI Millionaire 390
Read original postesimoney.com

She escaped the office. Then burned out planning the next trip.

Oct 2023 · Year 3

“I planned less things to do and enjoyed a good book if that’s what I felt like doing instead.”

A Purple LifeRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Planned fewer outings, slept longer when needed and made room for reading. “I planned less things to do and enjoyed a good book”
  • Still spent more than three months abroad, including Singapore and Australia.

How it felt

  • Recognized that an overfull schedule could exhaust her even without a job. “And that just won’t do in retirement!”
  • Valued quiet time alongside travel, rather than treating every possibility as an obligation.
Slowing downTravelPartners
A Purple Life
Read original postapurplelife.com

Retirement became better when hobbies stopped being assignments

Sep 2023 · At departure

“Overall I'm relaxed and happy about the change (though I honestly don't know how much that might be forced).”

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

Life at the time

  • Spent his first weekdays at home, where he had already worked remotely.
  • Downloaded a game-development tool while considering writing and game-making hobbies.

How it felt

  • Feels mostly relaxed and happy, but unsure how settled those feelings are. “relaxed and happy about the change”
  • Is working out the balance between staying active and allowing rest. “letting myself relax and enjoy myself”
RecoveryRoutine
u/Yangoose
Read original postreddit.com

An empty Tuesday gradually stopped feeling like failure

Mar 2023 · Year 1

“Over time I’m enjoying this freedom more, but the surprise is how big of an adjustment it’s been.”

u/abcd4321dcbaRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Can accept spontaneous golf, ski trips and coffee invitations.
  • Checks the budget monthly and net worth twice yearly.

How it felt

  • Enjoys the freedom more as time passes. “Over time I’m enjoying this freedom more”
  • Feels little financial anxiety with room in the budget. “rarely thinking about money”
FreedomRoutine
u/abcd4321dcba
Read original postreddit.com

Volunteering and travel coexist with missing work

Feb 2023Interview snapshot · published 2023

“I do miss work, but I don’t miss managing the solo office as much.”

Post-FI Interviewee 024Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • The retired cardiologist walked, attended yoga and potlucks, volunteered at a free clinic and as a gardener, and visited family.

How it felt

  • He still experienced boredom and missed clinical work, while feeling less attachment to managing a solo office. “I do miss work”
PurposeRoutineFriends
Post-FI Interviewee 024
Read original postphysicianonfire.com

The travel plan collapsed. A different home and a broader routine followed.

2023

“Every day is a school day, and I’m always up to learn something new.”

Leif DahleenRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Spent time on home projects, exercise, travel and outings with his sons.
  • Volunteered at vaccination clinics and built local connections.

How it felt

  • Enjoyed continuing to learn practical skills. “Every day is a school day”
  • Preferred a varied, active routine to idleness. “Idleness has never been a strong suit of mine.”
RoutineFamilyPurpose
Leif Dahleen
Read original postphysicianonfire.com

He planned more hikes. Retirement also made room for his mother.

2023 · Year 1

“I'm so glad I didn't do either of those.”

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

Life at the time

  • Handled a stepfather’s death and a mother’s move into assisted living.
  • Kept a routine of weekday gym visits, hiking and games.

How it felt

  • Was glad not to have stayed another year or taken contract work. “I'm so glad I didn't do either of those.”
  • Valued the availability to respond when family needed help. “work would have just distracted from the necessary stuff.”
FamilyRoutineOutdoors
u/tbrookus
Read original postreddit.com

Pickleball brought friends. Open time still made motivation harder.

Sep 2022Recalled in 2025

“I will continue to engage in the coaching for as long as it remains fulfilling.”

ESI Retiree 58Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Home projects and a pickleball class helped fill the transition.
  • A few coaching hours retained a useful part of her professional life.

How it felt

  • Adjustment was easier than she expected. “easier than I had anticipated”
  • Selective work remained fulfilling. “as long as it remains fulfilling”
FriendsRoutineTravel
ESI Retiree 58
Read original postesimoney.com

He expected a new life. The reward was being an available father.

Sep 2022 · Year 1

“Now that I've had some experience of it, what strikes me about retirement is how normal it seems.”

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

Life at the time

  • Cooked, gardened, read and spent time swimming, walking and playing with a child.
  • Adapted to friends’ working hours and a spouse’s part-time job.

How it felt

  • Found retirement surprisingly normal rather than a permanent vacation high. “what strikes me about retirement is how normal it seems.”
  • Valued being available to a child without work competing for attention. “I can be there for him without any competing obligations.”
ParenthoodRoutineContentment
u/TheOrchardFI
Read original postreddit.com

Privacy & analytics

AfterFire uses Google Analytics only if you accept. It helps us understand visits, referral sources, pages and chapters people open, filter use, and clicks to original sources.

After acceptance, Google receives page titles and addresses without query strings, content and chapter IDs, filter names (not selected values or search terms), campaign source/medium/name tags from shared links, original-source domains, referring sites, approximate location and browser/device information. Analytics cookies distinguish browsers and visits. Campaign labels are stored in this tab only after acceptance and expire after 30 minutes without activity. We do not enable advertising personalization or Google Signals, or send your name, email address or account identifier to Analytics.

Declining sends no Analytics data to Google. Accepting starts with the page currently open; we do not replay earlier browsing. Withdrawing consent stops tracking, clears this site's Analytics cookies and reloads the page. It does not delete measurements already received by Google.

We remember your choice on this browser for up to six months. Detailed Analytics data is retained for up to 14 months; aggregated reports can remain longer. Site hosting still processes requests needed to serve these pages.

Read Google's privacy policy and how Google uses information from sites.