About me

Thanks for dropping by. I’m Firelite. This blog is about my journey to Life 2*.

This blog documents my journey towards financial freedom. I like to share what I’m learning along the way. My interests are:

Financial independence / retire early (FI / FIRE) ideas
Personal finance
Frugality (or reduced materialism / consumption, minimalism)
Personal development (self-improvement, self-insight)

I‘m currently working on updating my pages as I realise some of these are a bit dated now, but the general philosophy is still relevant. Thanks for reading. 🙂

What is this blog about?

Journaling my financial progress monthly (you guys are holding me accountable!)
Sharing practical ideas, knowledge and deeper reflections
Sharing my insights towards post-Financial Independence (FI) fulfillment (Life 2.0*)
Being part of the Finance Independence (FI or FIRE) community

Financial independence means different things to different people. For me, it is ultimately about having everything in place to pursue a meaningful and healthy life without needing to work for money anymore. The financial and psychological aspects.

Over the long-term, I aim to achieve this by saving and investing in a diversified portfolio, and working out what I’ll find fulfilling. I am still enjoying life right now an individual and as a family, but now I have a clearer framework to achieve financial freedom and a positive habit of monitoring my financial progress in a way that works for me.

Who am I?

Full-time professional working at a northern British university in my early 40s
Married to Mr Firelite (who works in software); we have a young child, Firelite Jr.
We keep our finances separate, except a joint account for bills, so this is my own blog; he’s roped in when I have tech issues!
We’re in the basic income tax bracket

In my own little way, ultimately, I hope to inspire and inform, or at least get you thinking, so whether you’re seeking Financial Independence or not, you can see how savings can really grow over time (even as a basic income earner / as a parent / without practising extreme frugality / without focusing on a ‘side hustle’).

Where to start?

To have all of my past posts conveniently at your fingertips, go here
For more on my lifestyle, financials and goals I’ve reached, go here
To those who like more background, my back story here and Life 2 explained here
Or read about my journey has changed since I started this blog here

Other things about this blog

I very much welcome comments and feedback
No links on this blog are ‘affiliate’ links to generate an income
None of my blog content constitutes financial advice or any other life advice
I have no financial qualifications, so as they say, do check any info I provide as accurate before using for your own purpose

Ultimately, in my blog, I am preparing my training ground for Life 2, financially, psychologically, and practically. Getting my proverbial trainers on… Wanna join?

What could Your Life 2 look like?

running shoes tying shoe runner sport jogging lifestyle active woman laces exercise girl run people athlete fitness female training health ready closeup walking footwear person foot getting summer jogger young outdoor workout outside adult athletic working healthy spring activity park marathon shoelace weight loss legs blue human leg yellow leg sock ankle standing joint photography electric blue nike free child recreation toddler knee fashion accessory calf athletic shoe sportswear jeans — The proverbial trainers. And did someone mention useful exercises?

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*Not a reference to some kind of afterlife! Don Ezra’s acronym, ‘Life Two’ = Life After Full-Time Work, though for convenience, I refer to Life 1 as any pre-full FI lifestyle, with thanks to Fretful Finance for bringing this article/book to my attention. The article covers some questions which look like useful exercises!