Episode Summary:
In this week’s episode, we talk with A Purple Life, who recently retired at the age of 30 after spending a decade getting her cost of living low through a mix of frugal living, lifestyle decisions, and geoarbitrage. In her 20s, she realized she didn’t want a traditional career, wanted a different life, and created an intentional plan to retire by 35. She shares her journey with us, and we dig into her childhood, being a 3rd generation early retiree, how she keeps her expenses so low, what quitting her job looked like, and what she’s learned since retiring in 2020. We learn all about napping, birdwatching, and the importance of being present and satisfying your curiosity again.
Episode Notes:
We discuss a range of topics with A Purple Life:
- She was raised by a single mom, and money was tight, so she learned to be frugal by necessity.
- When she went to college, she swung in the opposite direction, moved to NYC, and lived an expensive lifestyle.
- She talks through how her approach to being more or less frugal has adjusted at various times throughout her life, and most recently, how it’s been since she retired.
- She is a 3rd generation, early retiree. Her mom retired when she was 55, and what she learned from that.
- Why she moved from NYC to Seattle to geoarbitrage her cost of living.
- How she has lived a very intentional lifestyle.
- What her annual cost of living is and how she keeps her cost of living incredibly low.
- How she and her long-term partner manage their finances.
- What it’s like to be fun-employed.
- What it was like emotionally when she finally took the plunge, quit her job, and retired.
- Retiring during a global pandemic and how she had to adjust her travel plans as a result.
- Her learnings and observations since she retired: being present, birdwatching, napping, and curiosity.
- The joy of not setting goals anymore.
- Her travels and learning about all the new places they are visiting.