Mika enjoying the last of the warm, dry weather at Rainbow Park in Downtown Vancouver
Fall is here!
Summer’s over, fall is here, and there’s an unmistakable chill in the air. So much has happened in the Eat Sleep Breathe FI household and it’s time to share another very long update!
Back to (in-person) school
After more than two years of learning online, our kids have finally returned to in-person school. It’s been good so far, but things started off a little bumpy. Both boys needed course changes, which meant a lot of back and forth with their grade counsellors.
In the end, we managed to get them into the classes they needed, but this resulted in new schedules for each kid—Kid 1 has a different schedule every day, and Kid 2 has a consistent schedule, but it’s different from Kid 1’s! As a result, there’s not a whole lot of routine to our school routine! 😅
All of this has been tricky to navigate, but it’s still been the least-stressful back-to-school season for me yet! That’s largely thanks to M being retired, which means we can share the load to take care of kid and dog needs, school stuff, and chores together. (Yet another benefit of FIRE!)
We’re now over a month into the school year, and the boys have fully settled into their school routine. They enjoy their classes and are happy to see their friends and teachers again. They still miss learning online but are happy to return to in-person learning.
Here’s hoping the rest of the school year continues to go well!
COVID finally hits us
After nearly three years, we finally had to deal with COVID in our house! 😫 Kid 1 caught it in the first week of school, then Kid 2 caught it soon after. These were literally the first illnesses any of us have had since we locked down in March 2020.
Thankfully, both boys fully recovered (though Kid 2’s now sick with a cold). M and I have, quite miraculously, remained COVID and cold-free so far. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll stay that way—we’ve quite enjoyed almost three years without so much as a cold!
What M’s been up to
The boys have been busy with school, and M’s also been busy with all kinds of things. Here’s what he’s been up to:
Setting up our new home gym
Since M no longer has access to his gym at work, he wanted to set one up at home. So, in September, he cleared out a room in our basement and turned it into our new home gym:
The only new items were the foam mats, adjustable weights, and TV wall mount. Everything else (including the TV and mirrors) was FREE—either given to us by family members or found on Facebook Marketplace.
Despite being so low-cost to set up, I think M did a great job with the gym—it looks really good!
Redoing our window sills
Now that M’s retired, we finally have enough time to tackle our list of laborious home maintenance projects. One such project was redoing our shower grout (which I shared about in my Summer 2022 update).
Next on our list was a project we’re still working on—redoing our window sills. They were badly water and kid damaged, and we’d wanted to strip, clean, and repaint them for years.
But it was such a daunting task that we never had the time or motivation to take it on. Since reaching FIRE, it’s become harder to procrastinate on things—we actually have the time now!
We got to work and started scraping and cleaning the sills in June, but summer fun and back-to-school craziness got in the way. It took until last week to pick up where we left off, and we’re making good progress.
The upstairs windows are nearly done, then we’ll move on to the windows on our main floor next. (Thankfully, those windows are in much better condition, so they won’t be nearly as much work to redo.)
Here are before and after photos of the window in our ensuite bathroom (which was one of the worst):
(Note that we still have to reapply the caulking to finish off this window.) We’re hoping to complete all of the window sills in the next few weeks. Then, next on the list will be patching and touching up the paint on our walls. (The work of a homeowner is never done!)
Car maintenance
Since purchasing his 1965 Mustang, M’s become quite the amateur car mechanic. In recent months, he’s fixed the lights in his dash, replaced his brakes, and even changed the alternator in his parents’ Lexus!
I don’t think either of us could have predicted that M would be as comfortable and proficient with car repairs as he’s become. And it’s a good thing he has—his car’s 57 years old, so it’ll always need regular repairs and maintenance.
Being able to do the repairs himself has saved us thousands of dollars. They’ve also been (mostly) fun projects, and M has enjoyed working on them with his dad, uncles and friends. All of this is a huge part of M’s why for FIRE. We’re still so glad that he decided to retire when he did.
Classic car shows and meetups
M can’t seem to get enough of his car! Not only has he enjoyed working on it and taking it for drives, he’s also started participating in local car shows and meetups. The shows are usually for charity, which is an added bonus for M to participate.
And, unlike me, M is an extrovert, so it’s been nice for him to meet and get to know other classic car owners. It’s not only fun for him to socialize and make new connections, but he also learns a lot from fellow car enthusiasts.
As the weather cools and gets wetter here in Vancouver, all the shows and meetups will shut down until next spring, so M’s soaking it all up for as long as he can. We’ve been fortunate this year to still have nice, dry weather well into October, so M’s had some bonus time to enjoy his car!
Meetups with friends
While none of M’s friends are retired, that hasn’t stopped him from spending time with them. He was happy to host several gatherings in the last couple of months and even had one in the middle of a workday. (His friends worked remotely while hanging out and enjoying M’s homemade pizza.)
We also got together with our old art school friends for the first time in years. It was so much fun catching up and reminiscing. But we sure felt our age when we realized we’ve known each other for more than 26 years!!! 😱
What I’ve been up to
Not to be outdone by M, I’ve also been keeping myself very busy! Here’s what I’ve been up to:
Continued decluttering
M and I have been decluttering up a storm! In the last few months, we’ve sold or given away a bunch of items:
Sold
- My bike (it was a gift, but I never rode it because it didn’t have enough gears).
- A truck bed net that I found at a bus stop.
- An ice cream maker (M got it at work for $20, then we sold it for $50).
- Kid 1’s old crutches (he broke his leg when he was 12).
- An IKEA carpet runner.
- Two IKEA floating shelves.
- Two camping pads (I bought them used for $50 and sold them for the same price).
- A bunch of swing-top bottles.
Gave away or donated
- A queen bed.
- Two folding metal bed frames.
- Our boys’ old crib (it was stored at my dad’s house).
- Scrap fabric.
- Old curtains.
- A kid’s cyclometer.
It feels amazing to minimize the stuff in our house. Even better—we made a few bucks and were able to help others out by giving away many of the items.
Back-to-school busyness
With the boys’ return to school came a flurry of activity:
- Rounding up and sorting old school supplies.
- Shopping for new supplies.
- Dealing with course changes.
- Registering for and switching them to one online course each.
- Figuring out our new daily routines.
- Filling out forms.
- Paying school fees.
- Registering for parent-teacher interviews.
- Adding important school events and reminders to our calendar.
As mentioned earlier, I was grateful to have had M’s help this year. He also helped in years past but could only do so much since he worked full-time. It was nice that we could both be fully involved this time—it made back-to-school season a lot less stressful.
University application coaching
Kid 1 is in Grade 12 this year, which means less than a year from now, he’ll be starting post-secondary!!! (I can’t believe he’s almost finished high school—where did the time go? 😱)
Kid 1’s first choice is UBC, which is a pretty competitive school. So, I’ve spent the last couple of months getting intimately familiar with their application process and requirements.
This is majorly challenging for me, given that M and I both went to art school and have no idea how university applications work. I’ve had to learn a whole new language and system just so I can guide Kid 1 in the right direction.
Thankfully, we’ve had amazing friends and family to lean on for help. (They were UBC students, and their kids currently attend UBC.) They all shared invaluable insight and tips that saved us from making big mistakes.
Thank you, J and T, and J, G, and Z! You were all such a huge help to us. ❤️
Most parents we know hire professional consultants to help them and their kids with their applications. They’ve been mostly happy with the service and results, but we’ve also heard that these consultants can cause extra stress and anxiety.
After reviewing UBC’s application, M and I have decided to coach Kid 1 through the application process ourselves. We’ve found some great resources (such as this) and feel reasonably confident we can help Kid 1 turn in a strong application.
Hopefully, we’re not shooting ourselves in the foot by not opting to hire a professional consultant. Wish us luck!
Driving practice
Until recently, M and our driving school handled all of Kid 1’s driving practice. I refused to participate because, to be honest, I was too scared! I mean, would you feel comfortable being in charge of a new driver at the wheel of a 3,500 lb hunk of metal?!
Well, in late September, I finally made the big, scary leap and took on some of Kid 1’s driving practice. And guess what? He’s actually pretty darned good at it! He knows the rules of the road waaay better than us, and I constantly have to remind him to speed up, ha ha! (He’s a very safe and cautious driver.)
So far, he’s driven himself and me to and from a doctor’s appointment, home from UBC, and into and around downtown, then back home. He needs another 20-ish hours of driving practice before he can take his road test, but M and I are hopeful that we’ll get him there soon! 🤞
Volunteering for my sister
This is another way I’m paying my FIRE privilege forward—helping my sister in her school library. (She’s a teacher-librarian at a public elementary school.) We’ve only gone once so far, but M and I plan to go weekly to help with:
- Shelving newly checked-in books.
- Mending broken, torn, and worn-out books.
- Stamping, wrapping, and reinforcing new books.
For M and me, helping in my sister’s library is a meaningful way to give back with our time. We know teachers have too much to do and not enough time to do it all. We also firmly believe in supporting education and libraries.
It feels really good that we’re not only helping my sister, but also her students and school. And, let’s be honest—I love libraries of all kinds and am happy as a clam when I get to spend time in one.
I also enjoy repetitive tasks like the ones we help my sister with (shelving, mending, etc.). I find them relaxing and therapeutic and can easily enter a state of flow when engaged in them. (I know, I’m kinda weird that way.)
It’s nice that M enjoys helping out as well. It means we get to spend time together, see my sister regularly, and do something good for the local community. It’s just good vibes all around! We look forward to volunteering weekly with my sister for the rest of the school year.
I’m going to be an election official!
I’m pretty darned excited about this—in a few short days, on October 15th, I’ll be working as an election official for our municipal elections. Why am I doing this? There are many reasons:
- We’re very fortunate to have free and fair elections in Canada. In so many countries, people fight and die for the right to vote. I want to help support and protect this precious right.
- It’s been said that municipalities make the biggest difference in important issues such as climate change, affordability, and public transportation. By helping to run our local elections, I’m playing a small role in helping to tackle these issues.
- Having reached FIRE, I feel that I’m in a very privileged position. Helping with elections is one small way I can pay my privilege forward.
- Being an election worker is a very low-commitment, one-off thing. It’s a nice way to dip my toe into community involvement.
- I want to set an example for my kids by letting them see how much I value our democracy and that it’s worth my time and effort.
- I’ve always been curious about the people who work at elections and how elections work behind the scenes.
Despite all these big, important reasons for me to help with the election, it was still a tough decision. That’s mainly because it’ll be a looong day, from 7 am–9 pm! And it won’t just affect me—M will be on his own with the kids and Mika all day.
Therefore, M and I had to discuss the logistics before I could commit to the role. (Admittedly, I was overly excited and kind of overlooked the impact on him and the boys. 😬) In the end, M was supportive and encouraged me to go ahead and do it. ❤️
In my next update, I’ll share my experience and let you know how it all went!
By the way, I want to give a big shout-out to my friend and fellow FIREee, Chris Istace, who’s running for council in North Cowichan on Vancouver Island. Best of luck to you, my friend. If I could vote for you, I would!
Fully living on our investments
M and I recently reached an important new milestone in our FIRE journey—we’re now fully living on our investments. 😲 We finally used up all the cash we had on hand and got down to about two months of expenses. So, I gave our financial planner the go-ahead to start sending us regular payments from our investments.
No, it’s still not the ideal time to withdraw from our investments. And yes, it still sometimes feels like we chose the worst possible time to retire. But even with all the continuing uncertainty and volatility, we’re still confident that we’ll be more than okay.
I’d assumed I’d feel uneasy when we started withdrawing from our investments. But so far, that hasn’t been the case—and I think it’s because I got over that hump when we stopped receiving M’s paycheques.
Those early days of FIRE were actually quite stressful and psychologically challenging for me. It was nerve-wracking to know there wouldn’t be a regular stream of employment income flowing into our accounts anymore.
So, it’s been a pleasant surprise that taking this big step of fully living on our investments hasn’t been hard or scary—phew!
And that’s a wrap!
Wow, that was another long update. I guess it’s true what so many retirees say—how did I ever have time to work? (Well, the work part applies to M at least! Not so much to me, ha ha.) Honestly, if you’re worried about being bored in retirement, my opinion is that’s unlikely to be the case!
Share your thoughts
I would love to hear how you’re doing too. Let me know how back-to-school season went for you. Or, if you don’t have school-going people in your house, what you’ve been up to now that summer’s over. Leave a comment to fill me in or feel free to ask me about anything I’ve shared in this update!
By the way, I want your questions!
In about five weeks, my husband and I will have been FIREd for a year. (Where did the time go? 😮) To mark this milestone, I’m planning to publish a post featuring your questions!
You can ask me almost* anything about our post-FIRE life! For example:
- How do you spend your days now?
- Have you been bored?
- Any big plans on the horizon?
Want to join in?
If you’d like to join in, leave a comment below or email me at chrissy (at) eatsleepbreathefi.com to share:
- Your question(s)—yes, you can send more than one!
- The name you’d like me to credit you with (you can use a pseudonym or “Anonymous” if you prefer).
- The name and URL of your blog (if you have one).
Please send the above to me by November 1, 2022 (that’ll give me lots of time to write the post). I look forward to receiving and answering your questions!
*To respect my husband’s request for privacy, I won’t be able to answer questions that may infringe on that. Thanks for your understanding!
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21 Comments
Chris @ Mindful Explorer
October 12, 2022 at 7:22 amOur daughter decided she wanted to do work right out of high school and our son took advantage of BC’s amazing trades education program stream. We have no idea how the university process looks like and sounds like it is awfully crazy, hope it works out well for your son. I have another FIRE friend here on the island who worked the recent Federal Election as a way to do his part for our democratic process in Canada with his new found free time. Good on you for doing this, I am sure it will be equally educational and rewarding for you. Thanks for the link and kind words, only 4 days left until election day. Then I won’t have any spare time anymore and definitely not semi-fire or coast fire after that 🙂 lol
Chrissy
October 12, 2022 at 7:33 pmHi Chris—the routes your kids took sound pretty darned appealing right now! The university application process is daunting to say the least. But we and our son are determined to take a shot at it and see how it goes. 🤞
It’s nice to hear that another FIREee was able to give back by helping with the federal election. I’m hopeful that I’ll enjoy it enough to help in future elections. But if not, as you say, it’ll at least be educational and rewarding.
Oh my gosh, election day is getting really close! I’m excited for you and hope you get a seat on council—they’ll be so fortunate to have you. Break a leg!
T on FIRE
October 12, 2022 at 8:03 amThis made me literally LOL: “I mean, would you feel comfortable being in charge of a new driver at the wheel of a 3,500 lb hunk of metal?!” – I’m very concerned about this when my little M hits driving age in about 8 years. :O But I am very proud of you for taking the leap. haha! Also, Mika is SOOO cute. I legit cannot imagine being bored in retirement. I mean, I know it *happens*. But I just can’t see it happening to me. I have a looongggg list of things I could do. Upon reading your list of things you are doing, they ALL sound interesting! I’m also an introvert and Hubs is an extrovert, so I think more alone-time would be fine. Haha. Anyway, back to school is fine. We pre-got COVID in August so back to school was no big deal. However I’m still itching to shorten my FI trajectory…gotta keep working on that. Thanks for the informative look into your FI life!
Chrissy
October 12, 2022 at 7:50 pmHi T—enjoy the next 8 years of being in full control of the vehicles in your house, LOL! Kidding aside, I’m sure when the time comes, you and your little M will be just fine. As is often the case, it’s more that we, as parents, need to just get past our fears!
As for being bored in retirement, I agree that it’s not going to be a problem for you! You have more than enough fun and interesting things going on already and any one of them could easily fill more of your time. (And yep—more alone time for me too, please, ha ha!)
I’m sure your progress to FI feels glacial right now with the markets down. But once they go back up, you’ll experience a nice tailwind that’ll push you ahead quickly. 👍
Glad to hear back to school is good at your house. Thanks for the funny, thoughtful comment!
Dividend Earner
October 12, 2022 at 5:35 pmUniversity applications are pretty straightforward in BC, the B.C. portal streamlines it all for you.
Now knowing the requirements for grade 12 classes accepted in various program is a different story. Same goes across Canada. My kids went to different provinces.
It’s simpler than investing though …. A spreadsheet and some time to tabulate the requirements. However the planning needs to start in grade 11 unless they always take a full load of science classes.
As for driving I don’t mind getting in the car but I got my kids some driving lessons with an instructor in the area as there are nuances the trainers will teach to pass the tests locally.
I did grab the door handle tight at time or press my foot down as reflex. Had to be patient and kids did not enjoy my expression or reflex at times.
Chrissy
October 12, 2022 at 7:59 pmHi Dividend Earner—you’re right that the MyEducation portal makes it very clear and streamlined. I guess it’s moreso the UBC application that’s difficult since it’s one of the few schools that requires a personal profile. Case in point: our son also applied to SFU, and that was a breeze!
You’re right that a lot of the difficulties arise when researching the various programs, then working backwards to figure out which Grade 11 and 12 classes they need. I don’t envy you for having to figure out schools for two different provinces for your kids! That sounds like a lot of research.
Thanks for sharing your experience as a parent helping your kids learn to drive. It’s funny, I have that same reflex of pressing my foot down (while my heart jumps into my throat, ha ha)! I agree that driving lessons are a very good idea. It’s also important for kids to learn with experts as parents could inadvertently pass on their bad driving habits!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. It’s always helpful for me to hear from parents who are a few steps ahead of us!
T on FIRE
October 13, 2022 at 5:12 amGlacial. YES, that is a good word to describe how it feels. Blarg. If only I could get the Smith Manouvre going…however my mortgage rate is fixed and SUPER low and I don’t wanna touch it right now! Maybe when my term is up…idk. GOod luck with the driving. hehe.
AnotherLoonie
October 15, 2022 at 3:11 pmGreat update, Chrissy. Glad to read that things are going well for you and yours. On university, I highly recommend applying to at least one “back up” school just in case! Depending on grades and the program, of course, since some programs are more competitive to get into that others.
Chrissy
October 16, 2022 at 11:35 pmHi AL—you’re absolutely right that we should have at least one backup school. Our son has already applied to SFU, and we’re considering others, such as UVic and U of A.
We’ll keep our fingers crossed that he’ll make it into at least one of those schools (and hopefully, it’ll be a local one so he doesn’t have to move away from home)!
Court @ Modern FImily
October 16, 2022 at 8:36 pmAnother lovely update. I cannot stand driving myself so I can only imagine I’d be just like you REFUSING to get into the car with a learner!
Love all the volunteering going on 🙂
CONGRATS CHRIS ON THE WIN!!!
Chrissy
October 16, 2022 at 11:39 pmHi Court—ha ha, well, I’m glad it’s not just me who’s a reluctant driving instructor. Thankfully, you’ve still got lots of time to get yourself prepared!
M and I weren’t expecting to take on as much volunteering as we have so soon, but we’ve enjoyed it all so much that we’re happy it worked out this way. He even took on another regular volunteering position just yesterday!
We could be be full-time volunteers before we know it, LOL!
And yes, huge congrats to our friend Chris on his win. Hooray! 🎉
SimpleDar
October 21, 2022 at 1:10 pmHi Chrissy,
I discovered your blog lately and love it. I love your articles and I am planning to send you some questions about your first fire year. For the going back to school, I think it may be a stressful time with young kids but less for older ones. A couple of questions
• When you say, you are going to withdraw form your investment, is there a strategy that you put in place? For example, I heard some planners sells the investment and prepare the money needed for two years.
• Another question is on your RESP, how are you using it? It seems it is tricky and the money needs to be out before the kids go to university, any insight to share
Thank you for this amazing blog
Chrissy
October 23, 2022 at 9:34 pmHi SimpleDar—thank you for the kind comments! You’re right that back to school is waaay simpler with older kids. Elementary school requires a lot more parental involvement. It was a fun time in our lives, but I also wouldn’t want to go back to that craziness, ha ha.
Thanks for the questions! I’ll add them to the list and look forward to answering them. 👍
Vi
October 23, 2022 at 2:04 pmWow, Chrissy, you are so productive! It’s so wonderful that you volunteer to help your sister and community.
and when you say “I love libraries of all kinds and am happy as a clam when I get to spend time in one”, I couldn’t relate more 😀
If I had to start over to get my degree, I’d probably focus on the motivation letter and getting good grades on my exams. I’m sure leadership activities will also help. Not sure how much a professional agent can help with this, but I’d probably do very much the same. Best of luck with Kid 1 application!
Chrissy
October 23, 2022 at 9:42 pmHi Vi—it’s nice to hear from you again! My husband and I have very much enjoyed helping my sister. He’s also taken on another volunteer position which he’s been enjoying so far. FIRE is a privilege, and I’m glad we’re able to give back.
Thank you for the tips on university applications. I think you’re right that the motivation letter (likely similar to UBC’s personal profile essays) needs to be a big focus, along with good grades. We’re lucky that Kid 1’s got the brains for the grades, but he’s finding it a little stressful thinking about the personal profile. We’ll keep coaching him to help him get it done. (I appreciate your encouragement, though! It’s really helpful.)
Kristen @ RichFrugalLife
October 31, 2022 at 9:52 amSo glad to hear that the kids are doing well back at school and you guys are still enjoying FIRE’d life and keeping busy! Our daughter started Kindergarten a couple months ago and is loving it. She did in person Pre-K at the same school though last year so it was a pretty seamless transition.
I laughed when I read the part about wondering where you ever found the time to work and do everything else before FIRE. I have said this to my spouse so many times over the past two years since leaving my full-time gig. My days are busy and my to-do list is long. When you take care of all the things you need to do, spend extra attention on kids, and giving time to others… it’s so easy to stay busy. But I still think it’s a less stressful, better type of busy than we had before.
Chrissy
November 3, 2022 at 10:25 pmHi Kristen—what an exciting time for you and Mr. RFL! I remember when both my kids were finally in elementary school full-time and how nice it was to have a few extra hours to myself each day. (It was never as much time as I’d imagined I’d have, but it was still a nice change, ha ha.)
You’re right that it’s so easy to stay busy. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone could get bored in retirement! I can’t wait to be bored one day, but I’m not sure if that day will ever come! But as you say, it’s a much better kind of busy than when trying to juggle everything you mentioned, PLUS a job. Retired life sure is lovely!
Jean
November 13, 2022 at 12:49 pmHmmm. Well, I didn’t perceive university application uber complicated but more, competitive re marks, etc. Myself and all 5 other sibings went and graduated from several different Canadian universities. Some of us have 2 degrees..which includes myself. I also have 5 nieces and nephews, where several are Canadian university grads. and now, working.
It would be a good idea, to let go, as a parent and allow kid 1 run through application rules for first round. It is critical for their preparation as an adult, to become very strong individuals by learning and occasionally failing. Even if takes kid a long time. Then at the end, before they submit application, do review with them.
Really, it’s more their marks, extra-curricular passions, and if required, interview with university registration dept.
I was amused when I asked a sister about her son in California what they were up to /living. She said she didn’t know all the details, except it was fine. It was the right attitude as a parent…. he is a working adult and living with gf. And other son, she only has vague idea where he lived for summer job with Amazon Vancouver. (His family is based in Toronto.) Neither parent bothered his apartment at all. It was a good enough after I explained to them, where it was in town. These adult kids all went into STEM university discipliines and business.
Chrissy
November 14, 2022 at 8:04 pmHello again Jean! From what I’ve learned, most universities are not as demanding as UBC when it comes to applications. The vast majority only ask for basic personal info and your transcript—that’s it.
I believe UBC added the personal profile to their application not that long ago. It apparently helps to filter applications more equitably after grades have been assessed. Most students and parents don’t love the addition of the personal profile, but I understand why it’s needed.
Your suggestion to let Kid 1 do a first pass on the application is bang on and exactly the approach we’ve taken! After that, we provide our feedback, then it’s his responsibility to edit and report back to us until he and we agree that it’s complete.
He’s about 90% of the way there at this point, with two more weeks until the early application deadline. So, it looks like he’ll make it with time to spare, phew!
I love your sister’s parenting style. It sounds very much like how we’ll parent our kids when they’re young adults. We also believe in letting our kids find their own way, make mistakes, and grow. (It sounds like your sister raised successful, responsible kids!)
Jean
December 1, 2022 at 8:33 pmMy best wishes for your children in their educational pursuits, Chrissy.
Chrissy
December 4, 2022 at 7:55 pmThank you, Jean!