FI/RE (pronounced like the word fire) stands for Financially Independent, Retiring Early. Among the sub-cultures of this movement is a group called the Mustachians due to their fandom of Peter Adeney, creator of Mr. Money Mustache.
Among the influences that led to Adeney wanting everyone to build their “stache” so they could live on their own terms was Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau talked and wrote a great deal on the value and virtue of frugal living.
We will dive into his ideas by exploring 3 of his works.
Walden
Thoreau lived in a 150 ft’ cabin so as to live intentionally
From the ages of 28-30, Thoreau embarked on an experiment to “live deliberately,” by focusing only on the necessities:
- Food
- Clothing
- Shelter
- Fuel
His shelter was a 150 ft’ cabin on the land of his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Building the structure and clearing the land himself, he spent $28 ($1,000 today). In it, he separated himself from society while yearning for society to support him, stating that New England villages should hoist up their wise men to ennoble them.
This may sound like Thoreau is contradicting himself in Word vs. Deed, but the truth is that he’s right. Every town has someone who is smarter or better or kinder than everyone else, and his or her neighbors would do well to put themselves in the path of their influence.
In fact, Peter Adeney opened up a Mustache HQ in his town so people could share ideas, enjoy good music, and get to know each other.
With regards to FI/RE, Thoreau sought to work a small plot of land to feed himself and make some money. His gross income was $23.44 at the end of the first year, for which he had a net profit of about $8.72, not to mention the food he ate.
Believing a man could live well off of little, he worked in day-labor roughly once a week, and used the rest of his time as he pleased. He could do this because he did not waste what he earned.
To read more about this (in summary), see “Thoreau and Money”
To read Walden in full, see: Walden
Regarding waste, he noted that to travel 30 miles required most people to work all day for the $0.90 train fare. However, by just walking the distance, one could start his day on the road and arrive at the same time as the working man – the walker being better off for the therapeutic nature of his travel.
When one puts aside concerns for the disabled, or the needs of women and children, and just zeroes in on the financial aspect that includes living on less, Walden helps readers embrace alternative lifestyles that include radical frugality, as well as reduced reliance on technology, debt, and other conveniences.
Those in this lifestyle might note that Thoreau did not need to find time to exercise because exercise was built into his lifestyle. This includes his note about walking instead of working.
Walking
Walking is a common theme in Thoreau’s body of work. He mentions it in Walden, but also gave a talk on the subject and wrote several papers.
In today’s world of cars and scooters, physical forms of transportation are being celebrated as preferable. Tim Ferris, author of The 4 Hour Workweek is known more for championing optimization, but also believes that compromising how much you walk compromises your mental health.
Thoreau speculated that without 4 hours of daily walking his health would not keep up.
But what about those who work? you may ask. To this Thoreau goes back to those financial principles:
[sightly paraphrased]
“When I think of those who work not just in the forenoon, but also the afternoon, resting on their crossed legs as if they were made to be sat upon, I think they deserve some credit for not having committed suicide long ago.”
His secret to a good, healthy life was to forgo the burdensome commitments that tie one up. In 1840s Concord, MA, you could have had a home built for you at a cost of $1,000 ($350,000 today). It would require as much as 15 years to pay off, and maybe longer if certain life events occurred. Alternatively, if you just built a studio in the woods owned by your rich friend who also lets you live in his house sometimes, you could chill out a bit.
If this last statement seems like I’m giving the man’s ghost a little wrist-slap, you have to understand what an enormous prick this guy could be! While living off of Ralph Waldo Emerson – he had a room in the guy’s house – he’d rail on about how people who have money are scum, or how money is ruinous.
Per his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne (author of The Scarlet Letter and 22 other books), by the time you were done hanging out with Thoreau, you’d feel “ashamed of having any money…so much as two coats.” All the while, the guy lauds self-sufficiency while being supplemented.
This does not mean Thoreau was an unprincipled hypocrite, though. After all, he desired a village that would pay a wise man to talk about what he “knows.” Maybe his rich and successful friends appreciated being around someone who would not endear himself to them.
To withhold how he felt for fear of being put out would have been to live a life without principle.
Life without Principle
During an 1854 lecture called “Life without Principle,” Thoreau regards the “slight labors” that allow him to live in the manner he did, noting his “deep jealousy” of his freedom.
In his mind, want = drudgery, because all that you have, you have to keep.
Nationally, he spoke on the Gold Rush as a “disgrace,” asking if God would direct people to dig where they never planted with the reward of gold. He conceded that gold has value, but nothing compared to wisdom.
For those who sought treasure, they could seek it within themselves. They could find it in wanting less. And, maybe, they could buy his book!
Henry David Thoreau was not a perfect person, but his ideas inspired several influential people in modern times. For references between FI/RE starters today and Thoreau, please see the following links:
https://www.madfientist.com/escape-artist-interview/
https://www.wannabewalden.com/how-to-be-a-minimalist/
https://ditchthecave.com/doing-financial-independence-wrong/
https://manassaloi.com/booksummaries/2017/05/07/digital-minimalism-newport.html
https://rosemarywashington.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/thoreau-thursdays-9-your-money-or-your-life/
Leave a Reply