Category Archives: Lifestyle

Finding Community Through ChooseFI Local Groups

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Today I had the chance to meet with the ChooseFI Nebraska group to facilitate a conversation about the Pillars of FI, domestic slow travel, and how we can all intentionally design our ideal lives. I’ve always enjoyed connecting with other members of the FI community, and this group was no exception. Back when we lived in Texas, I loved my local ChooseFI meetups, and it’s been great to find a new community here in Omaha. Having a built-in group of like-minded people makes this early retirement experiment not just more sustainable, but also more enjoyable.  After all, FI is more fun with friends 🙂 

What Are ChooseFI Local Groups?

ChooseFI local groups are free, community-based meetups that connect people who are pursuing financial independence and a more intentional life. You can find one in almost every major city (and many smaller ones) around the world. They’re made up of people from every stage of the FI journey: some are just starting to budget, others are fully retired, and most are somewhere in between.

The best part? There’s no selling, no judgment, and no one-size-fits-all advice. Just real conversations about what’s working, what’s not, and how to design a life you don’t need to escape from.  The formats vary.  I have seen social meetups, watched people get “financially naked” for case studies, watched presentations on specific topics , but the common denominator is people working to improve their lives and helping others along the way.

If you’re interested in finding your local group, visit local.choosefi.com. You can search by state or city, join your local Facebook or Meetup page, and start connecting with people near you who share similar goals. Whether you’re looking for accountability, motivation, or just a few new friends who don’t think saving for the future and talking openly about money is weird, it’s a great place to start.

A Big Thanks to the Nebraska Crew

A huge thank-you to the ChooseFI Nebraska organizers for making me feel so welcome. The discussion we had around the Pillars of FI, lifestyle design, and the balance between work and freedom was a reminder of why this movement matters so much. I left inspired, encouraged, and grateful to have found a community that gets it.

For those who asked for a copy of my presentation, you can find the slides here

Your Turn:
 If you’ve ever wondered what FI looks like in real life (or just want to talk about financial freedom without putting your friends to sleep) you are welcome to reach out to me or just find your local ChooseFI group and show up. You might walk away with a new strategy, a few laughs, or even a friend who reminds you that you’re not crazy for wanting something different.

Stuff: The Other Four-Letter Word

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We’ve lived in our current home for twenty years. That’s two decades of books, birthday gifts, holidays, hobbies that didn’t stick, and random purchases that “might” come in handy… someday. Katie insists that compared to many of our friends, we’re practically minimalists—either because I’m too cheap to buy things in the first place or because I lack any sense of style when it comes to decorating.  If you know me, you know it’s probably both 🙂 

Still, two decades in one place adds up for anyone. And when you have a house, you have room to let things pile up. As George Carlin famously said, “A house is just a place to keep your stuff.” He had other words for stuff, but you get the idea. Now that we’re planning a life without a permanent house, we’ve had to confront a scary truth: something has to be done with all this “stuff.”

There are a lot of popular theories on the best way to downsize:

  • The Marie Kondo method: Does it bring you joy? (Spoiler: most of my stuff just brings me confusion.  What if I go back to a job I last held 15 years ago?  I might really want that…)
  • The one-year rule: If you haven’t used or worn it in the past year, it’s out.
  • The Storage Bin Challenge (my personal, unpopular idea): Everyone gets one big bin to keep items they value.  No-questions-asked. Then we swap rooms and decide what’s valuable in each other’s piles and throw EVERYTHING else away. This, I argue, removes the emotional attachment and speeds up the process. The family disagrees. Strongly.
  • The fire test: If the house burned down, would I pay to replace this?
  • If you didn’t think the fire test was dark enough: If I passed away, would the person cleaning out my house find any value in this?

For now, we don’t have to actually decide on everything. We’re keeping the house for our first year of nomadic travel, partly as a home base and partly as a very expensive storage unit. But just prepping for our older son to rent it this year has forced some tough decisions and a lot of trips to Half Price Books and the donation center.

So, what works for you? If you’ve downsized, what’s your secret weapon for letting go of stuff? Because one thing’s for sure—if this slow-travel adventure works out, we’ll need to learn the art of living with less.