[learnvella]

why does spending way less than you make imply hating your job and being miserable? i dont think the idea of spending money as a primary mechanism for life happiness holds up. if you're a happy person internally it doesn't really matter if you use cheap hand towels at home or silk ones- it doesn't matter if you're eating filet mignon or chicken legs.

> hoping once you have a huge nest egg, you can make yourself happy!

this is a super uncharitable way of putting the ideas of fi. i would suggest the idea is more like "learn to view money as apart from happiness and recognize that the things that make you happy are more on the intrinsic side of things- self growth, real relationships with people near you, serving others and dont waste the time you have on earth by giving it to some corporation or other entitiy unless you want to"

[neogodless]

> why does spending way less than you make imply hating your job and being miserable?

It doesn't! But some people believe that's their option. That you spend so little that you're miserable. And the job might only be something you endure to make money to someday retire.

We agree. I just may not have communicated that I was being somewhat "extreme" to make the point that "early retirement" doesn't have to be that way. If you re-read my #2 you can kind of see that I'm getting to the same point as you.