Fire Drill

Imagine making 39,000 sales through your Etsy shop. That's exactly what Alys Maley has made in total since she started selling digital products through her Etsy shop. She went from a full time job as a designer to working from home and earning even more through her side hustle, allowing her husband to also leave his job. You'll love her story. We also chat about... Her career as a designer Her initial investments Her journey getting to 39,000 sales Advice to those getting started How to manage clients For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/how-i-grew-my-etsy-shop-to-39000-sales-paper-lark-designs

Spend based on your values rather than your wants. This is what Steve does with his money, his values being his wife, happiness, travelling, health and fitness. By focusing his money on the right things he was able to pay off over $100,000 in debt, house hack and reach his own level of freedom before even reaching FI. You'll love his story We also chat about... The moment Steve realised he needed to fix his finances How him and his wife house hacked their mortgage Moving from Chicago to Miami Spending based on values rather than wants His future FI goals The FI levers he's taking advantage ofCan everyone achieve FI? For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/using-house-hacking-to-get-out-of-100000-in-debt-even-steven-money

Have you ever felt that pursuing FI affected your mental health negatively? Today we talk to Hillary, who struggled with anxiety and depression in her younger years and has worked with therapists to improve her mental health. She is also on her journey to FI, but does not sacrifice her mental wellbeing for financial independence. You'll love her story. We also chat about... Hillary's background Doing therapy online When is it time to see a therapist? What to do as a friend Gwen and J's experiences in mental health The importance of setting boundaries

What will you with your time once you retire early?  We know you've wanted to hear more from early retirees, so today we interview Chris, who retired at the age of 41 after working for 15 years as a physical therapist, and now lives in Utah with his wife and daughter. You'll love his story. We also chat about... His job as a physical therapist His emotions when leaving his job Moving from Pennsylvania to Utah What he's currently doing with his time Figuring out the healthcare situation His plans for the future

Do you believe in paying off your mortgage? Or using that money to invest in the stock market? Or a hybrid approach? In this episode we do a big debate on whether paying off your mortgage really is the right thing to do. We get some interesting voicemails from both sides of the debate, as well as some messages from the community! You'll love how interesting it gets. We also chat about... Updates from Gwen and J Voicemails for and against paying off your mortgage Gwen and J's personal take The hybrid approach Opinions from the community For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/the-great-mortgage-payoff-debate

Want a career that involves travel? Teaching offers exactly that. Sarah was born a traveller and knew she wanted to have a career that took her across the globe ever since she was a kid. She went into teaching and moved to China, where the low cost of living made it easy to save and travel. She then grew her side hustle of freelance writing to her full time gig and moved to the US with her husband and baby boy. You'll love her story. We also chat about... Advice for others interested in teaching overseas What it was like to give birth overseas Teaching overseas in China How she planned moving to the US How she grew her freelance writing side hustle to her full time job The importance of setting boundaries Her current FI goals For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/my-journey-teaching-in-china-to-freelance-writing-in-the-us-sarah-li-cain

Did you know there is a large FI community over in Brazil? Luiz reached FI after working as pilot both in Brazil and the Middle East. He discovered the FIRE world when he felt burnt out from work and was looking for smart ways to manage his money. His plans now include taking advantage of 90% discounts on airline tickets, travelling the world and moving to Bali, Indonesia. You'll love his story. We also chat about... Achieving FI in Brazil vs in the US Why Luiz went to the Middle East What the FI movement is like in Brazil The Brazilian FI bloggers How he's using geoarbitrage The toll it took on his health For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/achieving-fi-in-brazil-luiz

Ever thought of starting a side hustle selling hair lice removal services? That's exactly what Timika came up with when she realised she wanted to make more money to retire early and take a sabbatical. She did the research, put up a bit of money and in her first year made 6 figures in sales. In 3 years she hopes to take her first sabbatical. You'll love her story. We also chat about... Timika's money journey How her divorce affected her finances Taking sabbaticals Her entrepreneurship journey starting a lice clinic Having the confidence in the value of what you're providing How you can start your own lice clinic business For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/how-my-side-hustle-with-a-lice-clinic-makes-6-figures-a-year-the-reluctant-frugalist

Sometimes you're better off focusing your energy on getting a promotion at your day job than starting a side hustle. Would you agree? Tanja appears once again on the podcast! This time, with a new book! Tanja retired at the age of 38 and 2018 was her first year of retirement. She describes it as a year full of travel, family visiting and writing her book. She also describes her interesting after tax saving strategy that separates her pension money from her FI money. You'll love her story. We also chat about... Tanja's first year of early retirement Her after tax saving strategy Where the bulk of her savings are Her fitness side hustle and why dropping it was the best thing she did Her new book Work Optional, Retire Early For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/work-optional-retire-early-a-2-phase-savings-approach-our-next-life

Ask yourself 'What kind of life do I want to live?' and then 'How much money do I need?'. Grant reached financial independence at the age of 30. But he was working 80-90 hour work weeks and was focusing more on the spreadsheets than actually enjoy the journey of FI. He's now published his first book and is touring the US to meet other people in the FI community, spreading what he's learnt over the years. His message is that FI is about living life on your own terms, and that you don't always need a million to be there. You'll love his story. We also chat about... FIRE events 2019 The good and the bad of these FIRE events How Grant researched his book Why he decided to write a book Grant's book tour His book giveaway For show notes and takeaways https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/why-fi-is-about-living-life-on-your-own-terms-millennial-money

A Purple Life is retiring next year on a $500,000 FIRE number. She is currently 29 years old, and living and working in Seattle. She's managed to reduce her expenses to $18,000 per year, and splits costs with her partner. She is also successfully living on a keto diet and is planning on going travelling next year once she hits her FI number. You'll love her story. We also chat about... Moving from New York to Seattle How she reduced her expenses to $18,000 per year Why she does not combine finances with her partner Living a keto diet How she calculated her FIRE number Life goals For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/how-im-retiring-next-year-on-a-500000-nest-egg-a-purple-life

Have you ever renovated a house yourself? Garrett and Cathy have. In fact, they've renovated 6 properties! Garrett and Cathy came up with the idea of fixing up their own house when Cathy got laid off in 2009. Since then, they've been working hard buying houses, fixing them up and then renting them out to tenants. They are now stay at home parents and live off their rental income as they take care of their 3 kids. Pretty impressive. You'll love their story. We also chat about... When their early retirement started How they decide which houses to buy Their strategies to rent and experiences with Airbnb How they DIY the plumbing and electrical How they became officially FIRE For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/how-we-saved-over-87000-by-diying-house-renovations-grit-and-polish

Managing your own Etsy store is a great way to get some sweet monthly passive income. We talk to Amy, who manages her Etsy shop full time and has scaled her shop to both wholesale and retail clients. Amy fell in love with design and opened her Etsy shop the minute she graduated. From there she started off with vintage clipart, and the moved towards printables in the wanderlust and travel niche, selling to both wholesale and retail clients. She manages her Etsy shop full time and prints her designs on everything from mugs to pillows.  You'll love her story! We also chat about... How she got started with Etsy How to know when it's time to pivot The importance of communicating with the customer How to shop and select a printer Using a dropship manufacturer Good Etsy conferences to go to Selling wholesale and retail For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/how-to-grow-your-etsy-shop-to-a-full-time-business-paper-finch-designs

New Year, New Financial Goals! In this episode Gwen and J receive voice messages and emails from people in the community talking about their financial goals for 2019. We also hear Gwen's achievements and goals for the year coming, as well as J's exciting news about her house and her financial plans. You'll love this little chat. We also chat about... 2018 side hustle recap The comfort of having a paycheck Voicemails from other bloggers Gwen and J's financial goals Up and coming for 2019 For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/your-2019-financial-goals

Here in the FIRE community we save a lot of money. What if one day it all disappeared because of a... security breach? There's nothing worse than being hacked and having issues with your accounts because of a security issue - and losing all that money you need to reach FI! Today we talk with David, a security expert who used to work for NASA and who now works for a computer company. He tells us the steps we need to take to keep all of our money safe and not have to worry about security breaches. You'll love this story. We also chat about... What you need to know about security How to figure out the best passwords SIM hacking How to move away from phone numbers VPNs and buying stuff online David's personal FI journey For show notes and takeaways: https://www.firedrillpodcast.com/how-to-keep-your-money-safe-and-secure-david