12% of people would forego having kids to be able to retire early

Great article about retirement and what people are willing to forego to have an early one.

More people (12%) would forego having kids than would be willing to go without pets (11%) to retire 10 years earlier. And only 6% would be willing to give up a car to retire early.

It isn't as cheap, but it is possible to drive a good paid-off car for a long time and to buy used cars only. This alone saves a ton of money.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/what-would-you-sacrifice-to-retire-early-survey-says-kids-pets-and-shopping/ar-AAFwaDC

Very smart.

My problem with the article is that it assumes that having kids is some positive thing which may be exchanged for some other positive thing such as Early Retirement (ER). For me, someone who retired 11 years ago at age 45, this was never any exchange or tradeoff. Instead, I was forgoing something negative, something I did not want, while achieving something positive, ER..

I simply parlayed a decision I made at age 20 (being CF) into something really, really good, ER. Calling it a tradeoff is like saying, "I gave up smoking and doing illegal drugs in order to live a longer, healthier life." Giving up a negative in order to achieve a positive is simply a means to an end, and a desirable end.

This reminds me of a youtube channel I commented on recently. It was about a childfree couple living in Canada, they want to retire in a few years at age 35. They live an extremely frugal lifestyle, and it had been made into a mini-documentary.

I thought it was really interesting! I also pointed out that also not having children, contributed to lack of a lot of expenses.

Welllll, wouldn't you know it a breeder had to duhdy-jack the thread. "My wife and I, have 3 kyds and are going to retire later in the year in our 40s," Tee-hee! All I was thinking was "yea right, in your dreams, breeder."

I might not be the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but even I know even if breeders live the most SUPER frugal basic lives imaginable. It doesn't work that way because unless he and wifey were making 6 figures apiece. There is absolutely NO WAY that idiot could pull it off, and is trying to do everything to make himself look good. I wanted to comment back, but honestly, I think breeder boy dug his own grave with that one.

I never wanted to give up working for any reason until I was financially self-sufficient: not for a kid, nor for a man. I'm planning to depart the workplace with a healthy retirement in a couple of years.

The self-supporting philosophy dovetailed perfectly with my complete lack of desire to have a child. Working with a kid would really suck with the 'second shift" and all that bullshit. I observed many female friends and acquaintances who worked, but were married to man-children who said they wanted kyds, then didn't pull their fair share.

I was also glad that having a kid meant I was not distracted from what I needed or wanted to do, whether it was work or leisure time. When I went home at the end of the day, my time belonged to me.

If one is looking at decades in the workforce, not having a kid comes in handy when you want to leave a dead-end job or go back to school. I made two geographic moves during my career and made lateral moves to get OJT in a field that interested me, to avoid dead end jobs, evil or incompetent managers or organizations. I also got a master's degree at night.

Because I was supporting myself only, money could be a second or third consideration. I could take lateral moves to get training in something that interested me or a pay cut to work in a better situations.

I've left organizations that were going to shit and left behind other people (90% of the time, parents) who had to earn X amount of dollars to support their wives/kyds or "had to" stay in a particular geographic area.

tldr: I agree with deegee. For some people "giving up" kyds is not a sacrifice. I thought it made my work life much better. (However, there is the documented problem of people wanting to give the CF the shaft over Breeders. I ran into that situation a few times. Sometimes I fought it and other times I just left.)

I chose not to have children as it would complicate an already difficult situation for me. I've two major mental illnesses and autism to deal with, along with a major pain condition. I will never 'retire' because I have never been able to work.

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Passive Aggressive
Master Of Anti-brat
Excuses!