Whether talking about FIRE or just "f-you money", it means having enough money to amply take care of your responsibilities regardless of your situation, with en

Whether talking about FIRE or just "f-you money", it means having enough money to amply take care of your responsibilities regardless of your situation, with enough of a runway to find another source of income. There may be situations (and professions) where burning one bridge burns all bridges and your only option after all that will be change your line of work, or take a huge pay cut. Ideally, you always make your choices about ongoing costs in a way that you aren't tying yourself to some high level of income and thus eliminating all sense of "f-you" options. During my six months of unemployment, my unemployment payments covered my required expenses, for most months - all responsibilities, same food as when I was employed. Due to the pandemic, we didn't spend as much on travel, and certain forms of entertainment, but we spent more on others. That's just because my life and my spending is designed that way. This is all a roundabout way of saying "avoid lifestyle inflation" which very commonly occurs where every raise is accompanied by spending more and more money. Getting a car to signal your raise. Moving into a more expensive house/neighborhood. We certainly spend money on things we enjoy, but in general there's a law of diminishing returns, and lots of spending fails to bring the joy we think it will. So yes, "f-you money" should be defined by you as having more than enough to say "no" to a bad situation, while still being able to comfortably care for your family, and to avoid imposing painful restrictions on their lives while you seek new income.