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Is Living on Rice and Water the Ultimate Path to Early Retirement? One FIRE Enthusiast Thinks So

MarketDash Editorial Team
2 hours ago
A Reddit user with about $235,000 in savings says they'd happily eat plain rice and water forever if it means never working again. The post sparked a debate about whether extreme frugality is financial independence or something else entirely.

Here's a retirement plan that'll make your morning avocado toast look downright luxurious: one aspiring early retiree says they're willing to eat nothing but plain rice and drink plain water for the rest of their life if it means escaping the workforce forever.

The person, posting on Reddit's r/leanfire community, laid out their situation with refreshing honesty. They've got about $80,000 in savings, $55,000 in a Roth IRA, $100,000 in a 401(k), a paid-off car, and some crypto. Not bad for someone trying to retire early. But their vision of retirement is spartan, to say the least.

The Bare Minimum Retirement Dream

"The only things that matter to me are having food, water, and shelter," they wrote. No interest in relationships, kids, or even varied meals. Books are their only entertainment. Their ideal? Sitting around doing nothing in a warm climate, sustained by the cheapest possible diet.

"I would be perfectly fine just eating plain rice and drinking plain water for the rest of my days if it meant not having to work," they explained.

They also admitted some gaps in their financial knowledge. They don't fully understand high-yield savings accounts and harbor deep skepticism about markets. "I invest in a 401k and Roth IRA but suspect it's all going to crash one day anyway," they wrote, though they keep contributing just in case they're wrong. "Long term I have a bearish outlook on all assets... but I acknowledge I could be wrong."

Financial Freedom or Red Flag?

The responses came fast, and they weren't all encouraging. Several people suggested this sounded less like financial independence and more like depression. "Sounds like you're depressed, not trying to FIRE," one commenter said bluntly.

The original poster didn't dodge the question: "I am depressed and trying to FIRE. Both are possible."

Fair enough. But other commenters saw something different, a radical commitment to freedom through extreme frugality. One person quoted an old saying: "If you learned to live on rice and beans, you wouldn't need to serve the king." Others pointed toward communities like r/povertyFIRE or Early Retirement Extreme, where people pursue similar paths.

The Geographic Arbitrage Solution

Practical advice soon flooded in, mostly centered on one strategy: move abroad. Way abroad.

One person reported spending less than $800 monthly in Albania. Another said they lived on about $290 a month in Guatemala. Southeast Asia dominated the suggestions, with Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines coming up repeatedly.

"You could have a very comfy time on $2k a month," one commenter noted. "You can probably get by on $1k a month in some places and still not feel like you are slumming it," another added. "That would mean a minimum of $300,000."

But the geographic arbitrage strategy comes with complications. Visa issues topped the list of concerns. "That is a really dangerous way to do it because they absolutely can and do deny visas when it is clear you are living there on a tourist visa," someone warned. Rising costs in popular expat destinations were another worry.

Running the Numbers

Several commenters tried to inject some financial planning discipline into the conversation. They advised calculating actual expenses and multiplying by 25 to 30, following the 4% rule for sustainable retirement withdrawals. Estimates ranged from $300,000 on the low end to $500,000 or more once you factor in healthcare, emergencies, and market downturns.

With about $235,000 already accumulated, the poster might not be as far off as you'd think, especially if they're willing to relocate to a low-cost country and truly live as minimally as they claim.

Not everyone saw this as depressing. "Sounds like the dream," one person commented. Another suggested, "Have you considered a monastery? Sounds like the monk life might be for you!"

Maybe that's the real question here: Is this FIRE, or is it something closer to voluntary monasticism with a 401(k)?

Back to Stock Market News

Is Living on Rice and Water the Ultimate Path to Early Retirement? One FIRE Enthusiast Thinks So

MarketDash Editorial Team
2 hours ago
A Reddit user with about $235,000 in savings says they'd happily eat plain rice and water forever if it means never working again. The post sparked a debate about whether extreme frugality is financial independence or something else entirely.

Here's a retirement plan that'll make your morning avocado toast look downright luxurious: one aspiring early retiree says they're willing to eat nothing but plain rice and drink plain water for the rest of their life if it means escaping the workforce forever.

The person, posting on Reddit's r/leanfire community, laid out their situation with refreshing honesty. They've got about $80,000 in savings, $55,000 in a Roth IRA, $100,000 in a 401(k), a paid-off car, and some crypto. Not bad for someone trying to retire early. But their vision of retirement is spartan, to say the least.

The Bare Minimum Retirement Dream

"The only things that matter to me are having food, water, and shelter," they wrote. No interest in relationships, kids, or even varied meals. Books are their only entertainment. Their ideal? Sitting around doing nothing in a warm climate, sustained by the cheapest possible diet.

"I would be perfectly fine just eating plain rice and drinking plain water for the rest of my days if it meant not having to work," they explained.

They also admitted some gaps in their financial knowledge. They don't fully understand high-yield savings accounts and harbor deep skepticism about markets. "I invest in a 401k and Roth IRA but suspect it's all going to crash one day anyway," they wrote, though they keep contributing just in case they're wrong. "Long term I have a bearish outlook on all assets... but I acknowledge I could be wrong."

Financial Freedom or Red Flag?

The responses came fast, and they weren't all encouraging. Several people suggested this sounded less like financial independence and more like depression. "Sounds like you're depressed, not trying to FIRE," one commenter said bluntly.

The original poster didn't dodge the question: "I am depressed and trying to FIRE. Both are possible."

Fair enough. But other commenters saw something different, a radical commitment to freedom through extreme frugality. One person quoted an old saying: "If you learned to live on rice and beans, you wouldn't need to serve the king." Others pointed toward communities like r/povertyFIRE or Early Retirement Extreme, where people pursue similar paths.

The Geographic Arbitrage Solution

Practical advice soon flooded in, mostly centered on one strategy: move abroad. Way abroad.

One person reported spending less than $800 monthly in Albania. Another said they lived on about $290 a month in Guatemala. Southeast Asia dominated the suggestions, with Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines coming up repeatedly.

"You could have a very comfy time on $2k a month," one commenter noted. "You can probably get by on $1k a month in some places and still not feel like you are slumming it," another added. "That would mean a minimum of $300,000."

But the geographic arbitrage strategy comes with complications. Visa issues topped the list of concerns. "That is a really dangerous way to do it because they absolutely can and do deny visas when it is clear you are living there on a tourist visa," someone warned. Rising costs in popular expat destinations were another worry.

Running the Numbers

Several commenters tried to inject some financial planning discipline into the conversation. They advised calculating actual expenses and multiplying by 25 to 30, following the 4% rule for sustainable retirement withdrawals. Estimates ranged from $300,000 on the low end to $500,000 or more once you factor in healthcare, emergencies, and market downturns.

With about $235,000 already accumulated, the poster might not be as far off as you'd think, especially if they're willing to relocate to a low-cost country and truly live as minimally as they claim.

Not everyone saw this as depressing. "Sounds like the dream," one person commented. Another suggested, "Have you considered a monastery? Sounds like the monk life might be for you!"

Maybe that's the real question here: Is this FIRE, or is it something closer to voluntary monasticism with a 401(k)?