[sailormoon]

All this pain to drop $2.5k per year on a Nikon camera? Dude, seriously, just take a few months and learn some skills at something, then get a decent job using them. You'll be able to buy a new camera every freaking month.

I mean I'm all for living within your means and planning and frugality but seriously, don't eat out except for the cheapest fast food around? That's the wrong way to go about it. Upgrade your cash flow, not downgrade your life.

[dagw]

If you read the whole article you'll see that he doesn't want to have a normal full time job. I don't know what his background is but he claims he used to be making 6 figures, so he probably has some viable skills. He has intentionally chosen to prioritize free time and freedom over cash-flow. While I probably wouldn't make the same choice myself, I can't really argue that he has made the wrong choice.

[brg]

He has intentionally chosen to prioritize free time and freedom over cash-flow.

My read is completely opposite, he is sacrificing free time and freedom in order to obtain cash-flow. Specifically he is constraining himself to living within 10 miles of employement, and spend 2x as much time commuting to bicycle to work than take a car. He suggests spending time shopping, cooking, and cleaning to eating out (perhaps 2x the time of eating out, 10x time of fast food).

As with you I really can't argue that this is a wrong choice, but I will argue that this is not an honest argument. The cost of his frugality, in terms of time, is something never mentioned throughout the article.

[detst]

I doubt he thinks of those things as "sacrificing free time".

I'd say those are more of a lifestyle choice than a sacrifice. He's prioritized free time and freedom to enable that lifestyle. It may look like a sacrifice to some but it's part of happiness for others.

[greyman]

> You'll be able to buy a new camera every freaking month.

Yes, but on the other side, that "decent job" would (probably) significantly reduce the free time he can commit to photography. As one famous writer (or was it a philosopher?) once said that he don't have time to make money. ;-)

[harpastum]

Reminds me of Sun on the Moon by James Taylor:

  I’ve been talking to a friend of mine
  He says making money’s just a waste of time
  He’s a lazy gent, he don’t pay no rent
  He’s all bent out of shape from living in a tent
  ...

  One for a nickel and two for a dime
  Time may be money but your money won’t buy time

[houseabsolute]

    the sun on the moon, the sun on the moon
    the sun on the moon makes a mighty nice light
    the sun on the moon my man,
    ooo, bow wow wow, honk your horn

I know that song too, we should be friends. :)

[username3]

Why won't money buy time? If I had money, I wouldn't have to work and then I would have time.

[narag]

I don't know about that song, but other one says that "all your money won't another minute buy". And you can't take it with you either.

[rbranson]

I agree, so many people spend so much time saving money, what if they spent that time building a business or educating themselves? There's a hard limit on frugality, but there is no such limit on building wealth.

[patio11]

Frugality is a force multiplier for building businesses. I bootstrapped for quite a while before going full time. If I had more expensive "lifestyle" needs like a car (and loan payments), an apartment in a more exclusive neighborhood, fancy clothes, or what have you, I'd still be building someone else's business rather than building mine.