Walden-inspired ...

hereis some of the logic behind my retirement plan:

"the cost of a thing is the amount of [life] which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run." ~Thoreau

after a four-year degree in finance and economics, it is this concept which best encapsulates my thinking on personal financial planning ... i look at a material possession and instead of seeing a price tag of $1000, i see a price tag of "one more month at my stupid job".

what i would like to do in my life is to accentuate this simple formula of cost = time. i would like to look at all material desires and think to myself "is it worth giving up my afternoon for that?" the problem with doing this currently is that i need to make money to cover my fixed costs: food, shelter, and other basic needs. thus, i have no choice but to work a full-time job ... and if i'm going to have a full-time job, why not stick with the prosperous one which i currently have ... and if i'm currently prosperous, why not spend some of that money on material desires ... and the slave-to-the-wage cycle continues ...

so instead, what i have done (almost) is i've saved up enough money to cover my basic fixed costs for the rest of my life. with my fixed costs out of the way, every use of my time becomes a matter of choice. i want a car? is it worth working this winter for one? yes? okay, decision made. i want to eat out more, is it worth it? nah, i can make great food at home for much cheaper, and hey, i like cooking and have plenty of time to do it ... heck, i might even use my time to plant a garden in the backyard and grow my own veggies!

capese? :)