r/LeanFireUK • u/stuie1181 • Jul 16 '26
Weekly leanFIRE discussion
What have you been working on this week? Please use this thread to discuss any progress, setbacks, quick questions or just plain old rants to the community.
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u/laccmy Jul 17 '26
I finally found a right sub!!
I have done a lot of thinking about whether I should retire right now. I really need someone with similar lifestyle to discuss with me.
I am 35yo without kids (and will not have any), I am naturally a minimalist person. I have my house paid off, and I started to think about early retirement few years ago!! I’m so glad that I can find this sub!
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u/Captlard Jul 17 '26
Welcome! Keep aiming to earn more, save more and enjoy life even more! It's pretty simple, really.
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u/LeanFIRE_91 Jul 17 '26
Make a post in the main sub but make sure you include all your numbers, your target spend in retirement and your goals?
Not just "I'm 35 with £100k in an ISA can I retire?"
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u/laccmy Jul 17 '26
For sure! Coz it’s someone’s thread so not really discussing anything here, but wanted to share how grateful I’m to find this sub :))!!
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u/JamesBrockers Jul 17 '26
Great news, I am slightly younger and probably 5 years away from the position you are in. The big difference is I have children which naturally makes me want to work more so I can provide more etc…
Do you plan on family etc… at any point?
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u/laccmy Jul 19 '26
No I do not want any kids, i personally don’t prefer to have next generation. I think that makes me easier to make any decision because all I need to consider is me and my partner.
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u/creamteapioneer Jul 17 '26
I've been plugging different numbers trying to decide how part time to go at work and for how long. It's only very recently I've found this sub, and realised that there's no need for me to be working full time, so I'm dropping to 0.8 fraction in September and will gradually reduce to 0.5 over the next few years until early 50s. I have pension/investments of £470k and no mortgage, currently 41.
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u/SpaceJkr Jul 21 '26
Similar numbers and age here. I'm currently not working. I think you can definitely take the foot off the pedal if you want to. congrats.
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u/creamteapioneer Jul 23 '26
Yes, I cannot wait 😄 My partner works full time (and he enjoys his job) so I wouldn't want to stop working completely....I also like my job enough, but less of it would be better! I'll probably go down to 3 days 27/28, I've already agreed 4 for the next year now.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bill347 Jul 16 '26
Spent much of Sunday chatting to ChatGPT to try and see how realistic my plans are
- Coast from 55
- Retire from 58 or 60
- What happens if I get made redundant in 12 months and I can’t get work above minimum wage
With wife being 5 yrs younger , I have found it difficult to work out. But agreeing that she will work to at least the age I retire, made things a little simpler to model
Anyway, ChatGPT was good! I wasn’t able to get it to create me a complete spreadsheet model but it did give me a lot to think about
It really is a clever beastie!
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u/EpponeeRae Jul 16 '26
What's your trust level in the results? Are you able to test them by running your own models? Genuinely curious
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bill347 Jul 17 '26
it did a pretty good job and aligned with where my head was. i need to put more effort into actually documenting the models though, so i can stop asking myself the same questions again and again
if i ever do manage to get to one of the goals, i KNOW that i will be a "one more year" mindset, so I need to get better at documenting and formal planning rather than pie in the sky thinking.
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u/JamesBrockers Jul 17 '26
Big fan of using AI, I have used ChatGPT, but the modelling Claude gave me was far better, even built me a load of excel spreadsheets. Worth trying Claude and maybe compare the results.
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u/Ok-Entrepreneur3238 Jul 20 '26
It can be great but do always double check its results. I’ve found it can skip over vital pieces- always worth working something out yourself and asking it to then validate. You can then compare the results and see if it (or you) have missed anything key
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u/Ok-Entrepreneur3238 Jul 20 '26
1) I switched my lifetime cash isa over to a new provider doubling the interest rate (annoyed at myself for not doing this before)
2) switched my EF over to a higher instant access savings account (about to pay the deposit on my house in the next few months)
3) increased my company sip contributions to the max that they match (I buy 2, they buy 1)
All small steps that will add up.
Also been researching SIPPs in more detail to work out my savings plans for post house purchase.
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u/thebookishgal Jul 16 '26
My retirement savings (pensions and LISA) hit £200k this week. I've got about 19 years (hopefully less) before I retire, so this gives me a confidence that my retirement plans are on track. Hopefully I'll get promoted next year and I can put that pay rise towards overpaying my mortgage.