Wannabe Walden

I love when people is hitting the head on the nail.

And I think that Jacob Lund Fisker really did that the other day in the FIREdanmark facebook group. And is worth sharing with the entire world.

FIREdanmark is a facebook group started by the danish blog Frinans.

That forum is a group of danish people who all have that in common that we would like to live our life to fullest. And claim our freedom from the rat race as fast as possible.

Jacob Lund Fisker is often answering questions in there, but this answer is really worth a blog post for it self.

People is asking a ton of different question, and the other day this question got posted in the group:

My wife doesn’t like the FIRE philosophy. How do I get her onboard with this idea??

And this is here Jacob Lund Fisker came with this awesome answer:

In general FIRE is about changing the mindset about being poor, which the middle class is borned and raised with. Where you income equals what you will be spending. Where social status is equal with how much money you make, and then connects consuming with happiness. Said in a different way, the middle class connects money with limitations. That’s why people is getting panic attacks/emotional whenever you talk about cutting back on spending, because they don’t see what things you are going to get by doing so.

It is a transition that can take many years before you resonate with it, because “You don’t know what you don’t know” when you only have the mindset of limitations. Especially when you are limited in thinking of freedom with what you can afford to buy and what you not can afford.

An example. I once walked by a car dealer and pointed out that I could buy the entire row of cars in cash. Most consumers buy their car on installment, so it was something that made an impression. That I had created an opportunity to buy a car in cash. A car bought with cash is more specific than the account number. Only few can imagine what a million is without having to translate it into something tangible such as 3-4 cars or 15 years without worrying about rent.

The example of the car works because it builds a bridge between poverty mentality and wealth mentality because one still connects a large savings into something that is consumption.

If you have come so far, then the next thing is to “install” a wealth mentality, where it is no longer about which plastic dimes or pleasures one can buy. But much larger “things” such as freedom from stress, freedom to stay where you want, freedom to work or leave, … a really good night’s sleep, time to make healthy food, etc. It is a whole different category than a larger TV or a house with three locks. It is a “mindset” where money is no longer a limitation. Instead, one’s limitation is what one simply has time and personal abilities to. And so it goes far beyond on what one can buy in a store, unless you are absolutely unimaginative. (Which most people are basically … but it can be changed …)

An example. Make one of the spreadsheets with lots of graphs showing how much your consumption is, how much you have saved, and how large your passive income is projected many months into the future from month to month. Highlight the dates when you can stop stressing over bills, downtime, start your own business, go down to zero time, travel constantly or just when you want (without waiting for vacation), stay at a beach hotel in Spain, volunteer in your union, buy houses in cash, change “career” to football judge or motorcycle mechanic, or take care of your children yourself instead of outsourcing. Do what you want with your life now.

Try to create it with different savings rates.

When you have talked enthusiastically about it for a few months … Then do the same for your partner with their numbers and some scenarios: if they save 10%, 50%, …

It is much more convincing to have a specific date in the head (their head) and a dream of traveling around the world or becoming the first Dan in Go … If they take it with poverty mentality, then they hear the limitations of how much / little they must shop, etc. instead of the enormous opportunities that open up in after April 2026.

The only way to “convert” people is simply “show, don’t tell” because otherwise you talk past each other, because of the difference in mentality. And do it quietly.

The biggest challenge is that people who are educated as consumers is not used to dream big enough. That’s what you can try to help them learn.

But remember that they have to dream their own dreams … not just take over.

Thank you Jacob Lund Fisker for such an AWESOME answer.

As everything else will pass.

So has January.

Read about the challenge here.

And read about the 1# here

And the 2# update here.

And it is time to reveal if I have accomplished my challenge to live below 1000 $ for one month.

And you know what?

I failed.

I didn’t accomplish to spent less than 1000 $. I managed to spent WAY more than a 1000 $ to be honest.

My Spending

I’m sad that I didn’t manage to complete the challenge. But what I spent my money on was worth it.

My mom turned 60 years old this month. And because of that we made her a surprise party lasting almost a whole day. We started out with surprising her at home, where we maked a potluck brunch, I broad super delicious (but expensive) bread from a baker called Meyers. From my mom’s apartment, we all biked to my rowing club where we had champagne in the sauna, and went swimming in the harbour. My mom and her boyfriend has this tradition where they invite each other out on a traditional danish lunch (smørrebrød). So this time the whole family went out for lunch. From there we visited my cousins old workplace (she is a pastry chef). Bought some cake, and went home for cake coffee and rum. All in all, it was a LOVELY day. I wish my 60 year old birthday will be similar to hers.

But I managed to spent a pretty sum of money on that event.

• 170 DKK (28 $) on bread for the brunch.
• 430 DKK (70 $) on the lunch
• 600 DKK (90 $) on a gift for my mom

1200 DKK (200 $) in total.

I was a lot of money. But it didn’t bother me to spent it. It was a really great day. And it is not to often I spoil my dear mom. She deserved every single spending on that day.

Father+Son Weekend

One day my dad invited me to go Statens Museum for Kunst. I can’t remember the name of the artist. But she had a made three pears out of bricks.

We walked out of there super disappointed. And agreed to visit Fjordenhus in Vejle a couple of weeks afterwards. It is a super awesome building designed Olaf Eliasson. A danish-icelandic artist. Magnificent building. He is bending the laws of how a brick house should look like.

My dad picked me up at the European Indoor Championships. Where I was a part of the four person relay team, and we ended up with a silver medal. I really love that rowing club. It is like a second family to me.

Directly from podium and out in the car we drove away. I didn’t have time to change, because we had to reach a ferry from Odden to Århus. And it was the very last one. So no time to miss it.

We had a sleepover at my highly loved aunt in Brabrand. Where I always get spoiled. And so did my dad all along that weekend. And I couldn’t stand the thought just to get spoiled all weekend, without spoiling them. Sunday we went out for a lunch, at a lovely place in the woods. That ended up costing me 835 DKK (130 $) for us three.

But the money was well spent. The food was lovely (Stjerneskud). And the vibes were even better.

Summing It Up

• 1200 DKK (200 $) at my moms birthday
• 835 DKK (130$) Father/Son weekend
• 767 DKK (120$) Food and eating out
• 128 DKK (20$) Cinema with my ex
• 50 DKK (8 $) New sheet for my bed (Woke up with a huge hole in it)

In total: 2852 DKK (450 $)

And if we look at the last update. I had 640 DKK (100 $) left for this month.

640 DKK – 2852 DKK = – 2212 DKK (380 $)

So I managed to spent 1380 $ this month.

Which is like 40 % above my target of 1000 $.

What ended up like an average month for me, could have been a really bad one (according to my savings rate) if I have been more sluggish about my spending. I have learned that I can live 20 days on way less that I normal would without sacrificing my happiness. But I would have loved to start this new year spending less, because then I would be closer to have 20 times annual spending saved up.

But if we subtract my mom’s birthday and the weekend with my dad, I would be quiet close to the 1000 $ goal. I do not think it will be a difficult goal for me in the future.

I will proceed to try to live on way less than I do now.

22 days has now passed.

Read about the challenge here.

And read about the 1# update here.

And things are going good.

Sort of.

I did manage to spent a big chunk of my “fuck up money”. And boy, was it a fuck up.

Have you ever heard of couchsurfing.com?

It is a site where you borrow peoples couch when you are travelling. Or you can lend your own couch to a person who needs a place to stay while traveling. For free.

Awesome page!

I thought it was a super good idea to sign up on that page. By doing so I could have some fun company in my apartment, and helping out travelling people. And maybe I could couchsurf when I’m going to travel, to save some money, and meet some local people.

Here comes my fuck up. 

There was different ways on how you can validate yourself.

One of them was doing it by credit card.

Smart, I thought.

But after a couple of hours a receipt arrived in my mail box, congratulated me on my lifetime of verification for 420 DKK (60 $).

God, I felt stupid.

Spending almost a month worth of food on personal verification. No no, can’t do. Not for me.

So I have asked for a refund. 

My Spending

I don’t feel any change in my mood. Even when I spent less than last month. My theory of spending less, and still being happy is proving to be right at this moment.

I managed to spent 475 DKK ( 70 $) since my last update.

Which is quiet alot.

175 DKK (30 $) were spend on food.

And 300 DKK (50 $) were spent on “Fuck ups”

My Spending On Food

Nothing has changed much according to what I’m eating at home.

It is still beans, rice, onions, cheddar, salsa and brocolli.

And I still think it is freaking delicious. I have a mexican thing at the moment.

What I have bought is this:

• Beans
• Onions
• Cheddar
• Salsa
• Brocolli
• Wine

I bought two bottle of wines for me and some friends. To me a happiness equation look something like this:

Friends + (some) bottle of wine(s) = Happiness

It is one of my favourite things to do.

My Spending On Fuck Ups

I went out to eat two times since last update.

One time was with many of my old rowing friends from the national team. We visited one of the guys from the team.

He lives at a dorm where there are +400 students living. And they have a kitchen cooking for them, morning, lunch and dinner.

It is so insanely luxurious, I can’t imagine how painful it must be to move from there.

But we are able to buy a dinner there for 50 DKK (8 $). We had spaghetti carbonara which might be one of my favourite dishes. It is really hard to fuck up pasta, cream and cheese. That combi is god like.

The second time I was eating out, was with a near friend from my rowing club, we really enjoy eating a kebab after a hard rowing session.

We have this awesome place called Durum Bar. It is the best freaking kebab in whole Copenhagen. Big shout out to them!

I eat there way too often.

That dinner ended costing me 50 DKK (8 $) as well.

I also bought a gadget worth 200 DKK ( 35 $ ). Unfortunately I can’t tell you what the gadget is. Sorry for that.

All in all.

Eating out.

2 x 50 DKK (8 $) = 100 (16 $)

Stupid gadget

200 DKK (50 $)

What I Have Left

In the first update I managed to spent 148 DKK (25 $).

And in this update I managed to spent 452 DKK (85 $)

That leaves us with a total of:

452 DKK + 148 DKK = 560 DKK (90 $)

My food and fuck up budget was set to 1200 DKK (200 $)

So that leaves me with 640 DKK (100 $) left for this month

1 $ Sponsor?

If you have a site or a product (or you just want to say hello) I’m willing to offer the first blog sponsor for 1 $. The next one will cost 2 $, and so on.

You will get 50 words + a link for your site. At the bottom of a blog post.

Besides that!

I will make a site called “Sponsors” where your link will be FOREVER!

Wow. That is a huge offer.

Imagine if this blog got really popular, and you were the very first one to become a sponsor. That would be pretty awesome!

Write me at Loui@Wannabewalden.com if you would like to buy the first slot.

12 days is passed by in my January 2019 challenge.

Read about the challenge here if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

To sum it up quick.

I made a budget for food on: 600 DKK (100 $)

And a “Fuck up” budget for: 600 DKK (100 $)

I think “Fuck up” budget is going to be spent on Take-away food, beers or something like that. (Yes, shame on me) Maybe some transportation like the bus or train.

That is what I normal would spend my money on.

My Spending

I managed to spend 148 DKK (20 $) on food for the first 12 days.

The primary food I have been buying is:

• Beans
• Onions
• Broccoli
• Chocolate
• Salsa
• Cheddar
• Tortillas

I bought a 5 kg bag of rice last month for 50 DKK (8 $), which I haven’t finished yet.

We have a family dinner on my father’s side of the family the first sunday every month. And my sister asked If I could pick up some coriander, ginger and some spices, which ended up quite expensive. But she is my sister, and of course I will help her out.

A Typical (Spending) Day

At 6 – 8 AM I get up and get ready for work.

I don’t always eat breakfast. I do that for two reasons.

1. It makes my day more simple
2. It can be healthy not to eat

I will be biking for work in order to save money, to get some excercise and because I love to bike.

Every friday we have free breakfast at the work. And from Monday – Thursday we can buy a luxury breakfast buffet at the canteen for 10 DKK (1,5 $). Which I do sometimes.

At 11 – 12 AM you will find me eating a even more prosperous lunch with my co-workers. For 20 DKK (3 $) we can eat all want. And it is a true feast. I will at least go for two big portions. Sometimes even three. I have been working this place for allmost a year now. And they still laugh of the amounts I can eat in one sitting.

At 4 – 7 PM i will be training. For a decade know I have been training almost everyday. I have done that because I have a dream about going to the Olympics in rowing. At this very moment that dream doesn’t look that bright. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love training. There will close to no cost at my training session. When I finish a training I will eat something like a couple of bananas or something like that.

At 7-8 PM I will have my dinner around that time. For the last three weeks I have been eating the same dish every night. It is fried rice, with beans, broccoli, onion and chili, topped off with cheddar cheese and a tomato salsa. I think it cost me around 15 DKK (2 $) for a dish like that. It taste freaking good and I can’t imagine getting tired off it in the nearest future.

Daily Spending Summed Up

Morning: 0 DKK (0 $) (I allmost never buy that breakfast in the canteen)

Lunch: 20 DKK (3 $)

Dinner 15 DKK (2 $)

Transportation: 0 DKK (0 $) (I do ride with the bus and train sometimes, but I will be biking for 95 % of the time.

In total: 35 DKK (5 $)

I kind of cheat with the budget from the challenge. The food budget is only outside of my work. The money I spent on food in the canteen is subtracted when I get my salary. So I never count that spending. Not even in my savings rate. But believe. I eat my share in that canteen. With the amount of food that I’m eating it would be stupid not to pay 20 DKK (3 $) for that kind and amounts of food.

If you believe that you need to bring your own food for work in order to reach FIRE. That is just bullshit.

Yes, it would not make any sense if you only ate a carrot for lunch, and pay 20 DKK (3 $) for it. But eating +1000 calories and pay that kind of money for it is a no brainer.

What I Have Left

I managed to spent 148 DKK, so the equation will look like this:

600 DKK – 148 DKK = 452 DKK (85 $) for food.

And I didn’t manage to “fuck up” this month (yet). So I still have 600 DKK (100 $) to fuck up with.

That seems promising.

Work and Love

Instead of buying all sort of things, we can instead make a personal fund of a sustainable stock index fund. That can make room for taking up work that we love. Work that makes us thrive, and not just to survive. 

There is many people who take up work which they love. They are often called “entrepreneurs”. But in this modern culture is often found as “risky” because we need to make a living (3.000 $ ish) while doing so.

How horrible wouldn’t it be if you and your family should live a deprived life on 2500 $/month 

Concerned “Non-FIRE” Citizen

If we can take that money and make sure our basic expenses is covered. We can take up work that doesn’t even pay us. Imagine if everybody started worked with their heart instead of their wallet? Don’t you think we would have way better products. If we had endless time to come up with ideas, with no deadline, and didn’t have to worry about pleassing some investors?

Say Hello to The Wuss-Entrepreneur

A Wuss-Entrepreneur is a person who would like to have something on their own. Educating, creating and offers products they think the world needs, but made with love. 

A Wuss-Entrepreneur doesn’t want to risk the roof, the food, and the wellbeing of their families. Or their own future. 

They don’t want to spend 80 hours/week for their newborn company. 

What they do want is a work scheduele on their own terms.

A wage that match what they desire. This can turn out to be less than what your old boss thinks is appropriate.

Maybe they want to create something that changes the world, but are not seen as something worth spending money on.

Or it can be the opposite. Maybe it is something you just love doing. Like art. But the Wuss-Entrepreneur don’t feel like doing it full-time, or risking anything doing it. 

FIRE and Being A Wuss-Entrepreneur

FIRE and being a Wuss-Entrepreneur goes hand in hand, like early mornings and coffee.

It is the best combi ever. And here is why. 

It Will Increase our Portfolio Value

The beauty about FIRE is that everything is really simplified. As a rule of thump, if we can hit 25 times our annual spending, we should be set for life. 

So for every 1000 $/year we can make being a Wuss-Entrepreneur. We will increase our portfolio hypothetic with 25.000 $. Because thats the amount we would like to have in our portfolio, if we were going to withdraw it. 

Imagine if we can make 10.000 $/year being a part time wuss-entrepreneur. That means our portfolio is going to be 250.000 $ bigger than what our current statement says. 

AWESOME!

We Can Start as Many Businesses We Want

There is no reason to just hold on to one business. We can start as many as we like. And work whenever we want.

Or we can learn a new skill every year or two.

According to an old American public speaker named Earl Nightingale, if we can study for 30 minutes a day we can master any topic in this world.

By reading 30 minutes for six months we can become legimate experts.

By reading 30 minutes for 3 years we can become in the top of our field.

By reading 30 minutes for 5 years we can become a national authority.

By reading 30 minutes for 7 years we can become on the best people in this world.

Let’s do the math. If we are able to reach fire in an age of 40 years old. We still have aproxemaitely 40 years left of our lifes.

By reading 30 minutes a day, we can still in an age of 40 become one of the best people in world on 5 different topics.

And no need to worry if you think being one of the best in world sounds to big and scary. Just studying and practicing something for a year, would make us able to make at least 1000 $/month on almost anything.

Imagine this. If you started a whole new chapter of your life, tomorrow. Within 20 hours of reading you will know the basics of that new topic, and from there you can start to teach other people (and make money) about this new topic. In six months from that point you will be a freaking expert on that topic, and would probably be able to make living doing so.

Work Whenever We Like

I have never understood why everybody is taking vacation in the summer here ind Denmark. To go for an exotic trip away from Denmark. I know people have kids, and that’s why they have vacation in the summer. But I can’t really find a good reason to leave the country.

We don’t have the same climate as Sweden and Norway, where they have way more snow than us. And Denmark looks pretty much like a pancake. That means the winters is often just dark, with “snow” there seems more like an slush-ice. So we can’t enjoy a ski trip, like our fellow scandinavian friends.

As a mason I love working in the summer. There is nothing better making a tile roof in the summer. And eating lunch with a coworker on the roof, looking across Copenhagen. It is the most awesome feeling ever.

I could see myself working every summer, and staying in Denmark when the weather is (often) super awesome. And then leaving the country in the dark winter.

Or we could just work a couple of days each week. Imagine working part time at job. Only showing up Wednesday-Friday, being able to catch a beer with co-workers on fridays. And skip the monday everybody is dreading?

What If We All Felt Like This Guy?

I have a dream …

Partly stolen from a brave man. (AKA Martin Luther King).

He had a dream, and so do I.

I really don’t believe that way we live our lives today is the best way for our happiness and well-being. We have never been more stressed than we are today.* So why do we keep on going the same path that has led us to this stress?

I have a dream of ..

.. Where Weekends are Weekdays

We have never been more stressed than we are now. I have never been sick because of it. But I have tried having to many deadlines at the same time, where I had to work 16 hours a day to reach them.

Why don’t we just swap the weekdays with weekends?

Lets have five days a week where we only do things we actually want, and two days where we work.

.. Where We Work to Thrive, Not Survive

Imagine if money wasn’t an issue? What would we then do? I think there is an insanely amount of people who pick an education because of status and how much money they can earn.

What if started to do stuff that we really had a burning desire for.

And not to just to make ends meet? Or impress others?

Imagine if we could be a “Put-in-an-activity-you-love” Instructor, but we didn’t have to worry about the food on the table. Or what about other people would think of us?

.. Where We Don’t Have Mortgages

When did it ever become normal to buy something that we need 30 years to pay off? I have never understood, and I never think I will understand it. Why we would pay that amount of money to have a place to live.

I have been working in the building industry for more than 10 years now. And I have seen both spectrums of how people can live. It is not more difficult to build a 100 m2 house that cost below 100.000 $, than it is to build a +200 m2 house that will cost you more than 1.000.000 $.

Imagine if we only spend 5 years or less to pay off a mortgage. Or not even having one? From day 1 we didn’t have any debt in the house.

So why are we building so big and unaffordable houses?

I can’t tell.

.. Where Meat Is a Luxury

Many of us in a western culture is raised with having meat in every single meal. And we can’t blame our parents for teaching us eating meat. Back in the days we was not informed on how meat-eating can affect the clima. We didn’t knew it was a problem. But we do know that now. I love the taste of meat. But there is no reason to incorporate it in every meal. Let’s start to see it as a luxury we do when we have to celebrate something big. And not something we eat everyday to survive.

There is a cheaper, easier, healthier and more environmental way to eat.

.. Where our Transportation is Awesome

I can often be stoked about how our computers and mobiles seems to have an exponential form of growth. But if we take a look at the cars, trains and bikes, there seems to be almost none growth.

The first car invented back in the 1900 had four wheels, and it run on gasoline. That is over 100 years ago, and it is not until recently that we started to drive in electrical cars.

The same goes with the bike. It still has to wheels, and a metal chain. I think the bike is one of the greatest invention. But it was not until recently that it became legal in Denmark to ride on a Speed Pedelec (a 45 km/hour e-bike). 

Riding e-bikes that goes 45 km/hour is a game changer. My dad who has 30 km for work, can now go by bike instead of the car. Save a boatload of money, being more environmental, and maybe live longer because of a better health. 

.. Where We Quit Social Status and Start Being Compassionate

I’m very open about how many money I have. 

I don’t want my money to earn respect, trust or anything else. My money has one function only, and that is buying my own time back. 

Imagine if everybody quitted the fear of “Not-being-good-enough”, and could stop spend time on impressing people we don’t know. And start to be compassionate about our friends, family and people who are in tough situation because of bad luck. 

.. Where We Have a Green Capitalistic System

Many people think of money as a greedy and en evil thing. And connects capitalism with fossil fuels, cutting down trees and the end of the world. I don’t want to disagree with that feeling. But what if we could use the power of capitalism to make a better world? I’m not talking about only surviving on this earth, what if we could leave the world as a better place for our kids and grand kids?

I believe that we can make a capitalistic system where everyone can benefit from it in their pensions, and still make the world a better place. With sustainable companies that makes this world a better place to live. 

.. Where We Have Time for our Kids

No needing to rush in the mornings because we are in hurry to our work. 

No need to work long hours on work, because you need to pay for the nanny who take care of picking up our kids.

Or paying the house cleaner, too clean up after the kids.

Or paying the restaurant for takeaway food for the family because we don’t feel like cooking after a long work day.

Just having time for the spouse you love, and for the kids you have putted into this world. No more, no less.

.. Where We Don’t Spend Money in Order to be Happy

If we live in modern western country. Most of us will have decent place to live. And a supermarket filled with healthy foods within biking distance. Which is our needs.

Anything else besides that is wants. Whenever we think that this next purchase (besides paying rent, or buying groceries) is going to make us happy. That is the exact same time that we buy a freaking lie.

The lie is that we don’t need to buy anything in order to become happy.

If we feel a little bit sad. And we think a purchase is going to put an end to that sadness. We are going to be sad our whole life.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. – Denis Waitley

I have no freaking idea who Denis Waitley is. But that is a hell of a quote.

*https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2017/state-nation.pdf