I believe that wage earners are fantasizing about their retirement life, hoping to spend more time with their families, traveling around the world, having casual gatherings with friends, etc. They are full of fantasies about a free and unconstrained life. But there is often a certain gap between reality and ideals, and only those who have experienced it will understand. As the artist Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the highest level of complexity”, often a simple retirement life is more comfortable and pleasant, rather than ideally rich and luxurious.
Tian Linbin, a 45-year-old financially free man who retired early, chose to retire at the peak of his career and enjoy his retired life. After leaving the workplace, he found his passion for writing. In the book “Retire at 45, are you ready?” In the book, he described his life and mentality changes after retirement, and found that many things are redundant after retirement, and life can become simpler and healthier.
Food: more cooking at home
He wrote that when he used to go to work, he almost always ate out. Although his wife would occasionally buy vegetables in a small supermarket near home, even she couldn’t tell the price of vegetables clearly, and he didn’t know anything about it. After retiring, the number of cooking at home increased significantly. The two often went to a small supermarket to buy vegetables together. After a while, they found that they could actually go to a cheaper market. There were more choices and the price was much cheaper. After buying for a year, they discovered the traditional The market is better, the vegetables are fresh and varied.
This gradual adjustment not only saves money, but more importantly, the eating habits have also changed considerably. In the past, there was no love for meat, and I liked all kinds of processed food, but now I cook by myself. The husband and wife are not people who like to cook, and they usually focus on simplicity. After getting used to it, I am less interested in the big fish and meat in restaurants, and my diet is healthier.
Clothes: buy less new clothes
There have also been many changes in dressing. In the past, buying clothes was mostly for work needs, and I seldom considered the cost. I bought them when I needed them. After retirement, there is no need for work, and as long as you want, you don’t have to change the clothes in your closet for several years. He said that although he bought new clothes after retirement, he did not buy much and donated a lot of old clothes.
In terms of shopping, women tend to have a stronger shopping desire than men. He also said that the biggest change is actually his wife. In the past, she would be attracted to the product display windows, but now she often turns a blind eye.
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Line: Fall in love with cycling
He wrote in the book that the husband and wife have been used to driving for many years, but they have used the company’s car for many years and plan to buy their own car after retirement. At that time, since the husband and wife each had their own daily arrangements, they bought two cars at once and gave themselves a sports car as a retirement gift. After only one year, he decided to sell the sports car because it was being used too little.
At that time, he decided to buy a car because he was very addicted to playing golf, but later found that this kind of sport is not necessary after he does not need to socialize, and there are many other types of sports that can be tried. So the only purpose of buying a car becomes dispensable, and naturally this car is no longer important. He said that he was reluctant before making this decision, but after selling it, he was in a surprisingly good mood and felt light without relying on external objects.
Later, the husband and wife felt that using one car was too much, because they fell in love with cycling, which is fun, convenient and environmentally friendly. At first, they only used it for fitness, and gradually expanded it into a daily transportation tool. Most of them use bicycles within a 10-kilometer radius. He also installed a mileage calculator on the bicycles, calculating that they can run nearly 2,000 kilometers a year on average, while cars only cover 3,000 kilometers or 4,000 kilometers a year on average. Cars have become a tool that can be used or not.
Living: Simplify the complexity and not pursue complete supporting facilities
In terms of housing, they gradually no longer pay attention to it. When I just retired, I still had a lot of requirements for the housing environment and supporting facilities, including electrical appliances of various sizes, complete sets of furniture, gymnasiums, attached supermarkets, and so on. Because he feels that the meaning of early retirement is to enjoy life, not to reduce the quality of life. However, after living in it for a short time, I found that many things were superfluous, not only costing money, but also requiring maintenance and a lot of time and energy.
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2023-08-19 13:45:00
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