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Then his food comes from his garden Not all of it. You obviously missed the link in that article to his FAQ answering every objection you raised: http://early

Then his food comes from his garden Not all of it. You obviously missed the link in that article to his FAQ answering every objection you raised: http://earlyretirementextreme.com/frequently-asked-questions http://earlyretirementextreme.com/frequently-asked-questions ...a max of $1200/yr on food which means he has to work on that Right. His point is that you don't need income, not that you don't need to work. and he conveniently didn't calculate the opportunity costs Zero if you like gardening. tools For gardening? Amortized over the life of the tool? Visit some estate sales and you can get set up for gardening like a pro for probably $50. irrigation You mean like a rainwater barrel + some old rubber hosing? You can make one of those for probably $10 in parts. chemicals Not necessary. seeds These come from the plants themselves. As in, free. What about transportation costs If you don't commute and ride an old bicycle (know how many of these people give away? and can be fixed for <$20?) these can be surprisingly close to zero. Anyway this is in the FAQ he linked to. $600/yr electric/gas, phone This is the first thing in the FAQ he linked to in that article: $3240 per year internet $240/yr he said household supplies Well, you found one thing he missed. upgrade of your old computer, clothing, shoes Did you miss where he said he has a 7-yr-old computer and keeps clothes for a long time (= very low amortized cost; probably $50/yr total for these things) Then if you want to have a car He covered this. $600/yr don't pay property taxes, Read the FAQ. He estimates a you could afford a $100k home on that budget. I've lived in one in an expensive state (RI), it was spacious. no safety net in case of a serious sickness. That's what savings are for. $3000 in savings and bam, you've covered your deductible. TLDR: read the article and the FAQ.

ohashi 15y ago
I suppose my biggest objection is I hate his lifestyle. I like going out, I enjoy activities which are more often than not paid, I don't have a girlfriend who sits at home and cooks for me all the time. Just because one person is happy with a certain way of living doesn't mean everyone will be. I could do it like he does and simply be miserable.
- erejacob 15y ago
  You could just do something else then. I'm not saying "everybody copy me". There are paid versions of my activities, but I eventually found the versions there were free or almost free. This holds for almost everything unless you insist on a particular paid version. For instance, when it comes to going out. Lots of people like that, but why are they really going out? Probably not to sit in a particular restaurant and pay money. Maybe more about not having to cook and meeting friends? If so, this could be accomplished by taking turns inviting each other for dinner at home. If the cooking isn't great, that's something that can be learned. Just an example.
  - nestlequ1k 15y ago
    Whatever... the first X paragraphs (I stopped reading your drivel) are dedicated entirely to saying "everybody copy me".
  - thenomad 15y ago
    In my experience, a lot of people do in fact enjoy going out to eat for the food, not merely the experience. You get a professional preparing excellent food, usually to a standard higher than you would easily manage at home (assuming you're going to good restaurants), and in a wider variety of cuisines than you can affordably stock up for, too. Expansion on the previous point: I bounce around national cuisines quite a bit, because I'm a cook as a hobby, and whilst, say, a gumbo won't cost you mutch if you're regularly cooking Louisiana staples, cooking it ab initio from a cupboard that's normally cooking Italian-influenced meals will cost you a small fortune. A quick look at my Louisiana recipe book tells me I'd need to aquire cayenee, paprika, garlic salt, onion salt, white pepper, spiced sausage, Tabasco (specifically Tabasco) and a bunch of other stuff. Then you need to get in all the meat and veg, some of which may be difficult to aquire from local shops or require specialist outlets, which adds in travelling time and cost, and which you'll probably be paying for higher quality for - at least if you're serious about cooking and food - than you might for a common-or-garden meal. That makes your one gumbo cost almost as much as it would at a restaurant.
    - 15y ago

ohashi 15y ago

I suppose my biggest objection is I hate his lifestyle. I like going out, I enjoy activities which are more often than not paid, I don't have a girlfriend who sits at home and cooks for me all the time. Just because one person is happy with a certain way of living doesn't mean everyone will be. I could do it like he does and simply be miserable.

erejacob 15y ago
You could just do something else then. I'm not saying "everybody copy me". There are paid versions of my activities, but I eventually found the versions there were free or almost free. This holds for almost everything unless you insist on a particular paid version. For instance, when it comes to going out. Lots of people like that, but why are they really going out? Probably not to sit in a particular restaurant and pay money. Maybe more about not having to cook and meeting friends? If so, this could be accomplished by taking turns inviting each other for dinner at home. If the cooking isn't great, that's something that can be learned. Just an example.
- nestlequ1k 15y ago
  Whatever... the first X paragraphs (I stopped reading your drivel) are dedicated entirely to saying "everybody copy me".
- thenomad 15y ago
  In my experience, a lot of people do in fact enjoy going out to eat for the food, not merely the experience. You get a professional preparing excellent food, usually to a standard higher than you would easily manage at home (assuming you're going to good restaurants), and in a wider variety of cuisines than you can affordably stock up for, too. Expansion on the previous point: I bounce around national cuisines quite a bit, because I'm a cook as a hobby, and whilst, say, a gumbo won't cost you mutch if you're regularly cooking Louisiana staples, cooking it ab initio from a cupboard that's normally cooking Italian-influenced meals will cost you a small fortune. A quick look at my Louisiana recipe book tells me I'd need to aquire cayenee, paprika, garlic salt, onion salt, white pepper, spiced sausage, Tabasco (specifically Tabasco) and a bunch of other stuff. Then you need to get in all the meat and veg, some of which may be difficult to aquire from local shops or require specialist outlets, which adds in travelling time and cost, and which you'll probably be paying for higher quality for - at least if you're serious about cooking and food - than you might for a common-or-garden meal. That makes your one gumbo cost almost as much as it would at a restaurant.
  - 15y ago