I started my FIRE journey a bit later than most. Sometimes it feels like all the podcasts and blogs about financial independence are written by millenials hoping to have been long-since retired by the time they reach my age, so I was almost embarrassed to join my voice to the chorus. But then I got over it. I want other 40-somethings to know that it’s never too late to start, and that the principles are doable by working families, not just single 20-somethings with the kind of time, mobility and flexibility that are, for the most part, in our rear-view mirror.
Before I started implementing frugal practices, I thought, “This is going to hurt.” I thought I would experience feelings of deprivation and lack. To put it bluntly, thought I would feel poor — or worse — that people might think I was. But as I started making a tweak here and there, all I felt was the pride of accomplishment at seeing my bank balance grow month by month. And along with that, I started to care less and less what people thought. I have never felt deprived — only nourished.