Am I FIRED? Definition of FIRE is commonly known as Financial Independence Retire Early. In my mind, I think I am. I retired early or quit my job end July 2024. Back then, I had enough investment dividends to provide a monthly income of 2k.
This was enough to pay for all my key essentials excluding adhoc medical expenses, travel expenses and donations, so essentially I am lean FIRE. Anything adhoc would have to come out from my savings and there were, dental expenditures, travel expenses and donations.
So I did part time work to earn ~800 per month or so to cover for these adhoc expenditure. So if I used my expenditure for 2025 as a real gauge, I am spending average 3k a month so my investment dividends of 2k is definitely not enough to cover it. More accurately, I am Barista FIRED where I need part time income to cover the shortfall of 1k.
I found a partime job that pays me on average 2k a month, so I could still save 1k a month and use it to build my investment dividends to 3k a month.
Although I cannot help but think that I will not live so long, with almost 1mil of liquid investments, why am I still striving to up my dividend income. What is the point anyway? I cannot possibly consume all 1mil in my lifetime and it is pointless in a way to keep accumulate.
I read the book, Die with Zero. I am still spending, am not curbing it in any way - spending on bags, clothes, popmart, music lessons but maybe it is time to change my mindset to decumulate - I donated more last year and spend more. Thinking of going solo trip to Hong Kong - something weighing on my mind but I realise the peace I seek, that peaceful feeling, I recently had an epiphany moment while waiting to go to my office. I was looking outside Novena shopping mall, and that dawn, it triggered me to remember a time where the morning was very peaceful.
Hard to put into words, that nearing dawn light - is it what I had been seeking. I asked myself why do I need to travel to enjoy peace? I couldn't because I couldn't sit still without worrying about going to the toilet.
E.g. if I want to go climb a hill, or a garden or wherever, I worry about the toilet.
Maybe I should take some time to go wander around Singapore - I pinpointed 2 spots - Paya Lebar MRT walking to Aljunied hawker centre, I reminisced about the times LG and I having pig stomach soup and rice, and the wanton mee. It was our first dating spot. We like to go there because it is quiet and yet not too quiet. There are things to eat, maybe occasionally shop. Ever since LG passed on, I had never been there. Maybe it would be hard, but I need to move on and probably going to such places could help me move on.
I largely have moved on, but I did not also want to forget the times we had. So here I am jotting such memories down in case one day, I shall forget them.
The second spot is the Kallang river.
Hmm, how should I build my routine also to include swimming?
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