As a new FIRE blogger, I don’t have any readers many haters. Astute readers will note the qualifier: “new FIRE blogger.” Outside of the blogosphere, I have plenty of haters: my wife, my kids, most of my other family members (blood-related and in-laws), the cat, the country of Tuvalu (Don’t ask. Please . . . don’t ask.). But I digress.
I don’t like you, and I DON’T like you!
Having read enough FIRE blogs, however, I know it’s only a matter of time once I have actual readers. For many a hater, the hating seems to be motivated by a sense that drastically lowering expenses, or getting additional or more significant income streams is too hard, if not impossible. So, “why bother” says the hater. Or, “No one can do this! And anyone who says he or she can is straight up lying, or already earning a fortune. I dismiss you all!”
To an extent, I understand that way of thinking. Amassing a big nut isn’t easy. It’s generally harder the lower your income is. Even if you have an “average” income, it’s not something that happens quickly for most people. And getting additional income streams, or increasing the ones you may already have, also takes time and effort.
Nice spread!
But here’s the thing: where’s the harm in identifying and executing on opportunities to increase the spread between your revenues and expenses? Even if a passive income stream that entirely funds your lifestyle doesn’t happen, isn’t increasing the spread a good thing? Isn’t a few extra bucks invested in your pocket (or digging you out of debt) good? Seems to me it’s an unqualified “yes.”
So, yes, maybe you’re in a spot where saving and earning more isn’t going to lead you to FIRE in a few months, or even a few years, or perhaps even ever. But to me, any improvement in your financial condition is a good thing.
If you’ve got compounding debt, it’s an opportunity to lower the pace or even halt it altogether. If you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck and holding steady, it’s an opportunity to save some money and/or invest, if even a little. If you’re building your fortune slowly but surely, it’s a chance to pick up the pace and hasten your FIRE date. And if you’re crushing it on the way to FIRE, it’s a chance to accomplish your goal even more quickly.
I’m guessing (hoping?) that most people reading this blog are interested in and/or actively pursuing FI and/or RE. So good on you. But if you’re a hater not, give saving/investing/earning a shot if you’re able. What’s the worst thing that happens?
