For me, the most important step in both of these processes was meeting and marrying Emily. Besides her fantastic personal attributes, we have many things in common:
- We both work in IT and have worked hard to succeed in a competitive industry
- We have many common interests and have both traveled around the country and abroad
- We are both committed to this and are researching the possibilities extensively
Our primary "obligation" (I prefer to call it a work of love) was to make sure that our daughter was on a solid foundation. She is now married to her wonderful husband Dane, they own their own house and have a great environment for raising Justin and Alexia. She is a self-made woman, and we couldn't be happier for them.
To be financially secure requires living within your means. This involves many things:
- Emily and I bought a house with a view on a cul-de-sac that was a complete fixer-upper worth 60% of the neighbor's houses. We've since brought it up to par (think sweat equity!)
- We buy cars that we drive for ten years
- We're boring in the sense that we rarely eat out or go to shows (except for Sunday mornings to watch Vikings games!)
- We save as much money as we can
With all that, we've been able to set ourselves up for the opportunity to retire early if the right option came along. What was that option? Next post...
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