How I Retired at 31 / FIRE

Even when I made $27k per year when I was 21 I never lived paycheck to paycheck. PLUS with that salary I still contributed 8% to my retirement.

This is the blackhole we all face: LIVING OUT OF YOUR MEANS.

We live in a society of ‘flexing’ aka societal pressures to look your best, dress your best, drive the best. As if everything you buy is some how tied to your personal identity.

This is a recipe for disaster that most people I know struggle with. How is it that even when my salary was $27k a year which is $2,250 before taxes I still managed to save, invest, and live a good life!

It’s because I didn’t care about what other people think! In fact I remember my parents visited the place I was renting at that time (which wasn’t nice at all) and I could tell just by the look on there face they were troubled haha — but I didn’t care! I wasn’t going to live in a place I really couldn’t afford just to get there approval on my ‘lifestyle’

It doesn’t matter if you make $27k, $50k, or $100k per year all that matters how much you save. A person who makes $40k but saves $10,000 a year is far wealthier than someone who has a salary of $70k but lives pay check to paycheck.

If you live paycheck to paycheck or have racked up credit card debt… this maybe a hard truth to swallow but the main person to blame is yourself for living outside of your means. The good news is… that YOU also have the power to change your situation.

In college you’re naturally surrounded by a lot of broke people (unless you are a trust fund baby). Looking back so many people although broke and in massive debt always found ways to blow through $50-$100 bucks on alcohol every weekend.

But here is the downfall of 99% of people.

As you start to make more money… you unconsciously increase your cost of living.

Example: You finally get that promotion or raise for working so hard! So what do you do??? You go out and increase your cost of living to reward yourself by taking a loan on a new car or buying something you don’t need.

And what happens is every raise/promotion you somehow find another thing you can buy that increases your cost of living.