Retirement plan to support my "habit"

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I found this self-help book - it has my name written all over it. :D

Please report back in 10 years. I'm fairly certain that I will never be able to afford retirement, but a real success story from an actual person might help change my mind.
 
It's all about diving. :)

And setting your priorities. Life is to be lived. It sounds like you will have few regrets (other than maybe the health effects of eating in-an-out burgers :) ). I retired while still healthy and active and interested in life's adventures, and I wish this on everyone. My four closest friends and my brother-in-law (all climbing and/or diving buddies) all have come up with some serious form of cancer in the past two years. Two will probably not make it much longer, and one is on the fence. Do what you love while you can. Balance your pre and post retirement lives - save for retirement but don't forget to live your life and follow your passions. It's not how many years you have left, it's what you do with them that counts. I guess it really is about the diving.
 
That plus the fact that Merry retired nine years ago and I wanted to be able to dive with her and share our lives without spending up to 50% of each day away from her.
 
That's a GREAT idea!
I'm totally going to write a book telling people the "secret to retiring in 10 years." I'll make millions!

Please report back in 10 years. I'm fairly certain that I will never be able to afford retirement, but a real success story from an actual person might help change my mind.

I’m going to order the book, it’s probably going to tell me what I already know, and I would’ve wasted $18. Or it might actually motivate me to do something. Success is if I actually start an actionable plan.
 
Learn to be frugal and ask for each and every purchase "do I really need that". A couple of examples. When I first started work I used to have 4 cups of coffee a day (from vending machine) at 10 pence per cup. I suddenly realised what I was spending on coffee would buy me 2 top quality motorcycle helmets a year. Coffee replaced with water, weak squash or self brewed tea, all at less than 2 pence a day. I still run the same 30 year old car I bought secondhand in 1992. Reducing spending on non necessities means some can be invested and some spent on things you really want. Following this strategy has meant retirement at 55 and me and my wife now only work a little part time yet we are having 3 foreign (diving) holidays this year in 4 and 5 star hotels.
 
And setting your priorities. Life is to be lived. It sounds like you will have few regrets (other than maybe the health effects of eating in-an-out burgers :) ). I retired while still healthy and active and interested in life's adventures, and I wish this on everyone. My four closest friends and my brother-in-law (all climbing and/or diving buddies) all have come up with some serious form of cancer in the past two years. Two will probably not make it much longer, and one is on the fence. Do what you love while you can. Balance your pre and post retirement lives - save for retirement but don't forget to live your life and follow your passions. It's not how many years you have left, it's what you do with them that counts. I guess it really is about the diving.
Two sayings I made up decades ago--
--Spend money only on what you need and what you REALLY want.
--The younger you are the less you should spend.
 
This thread got me thinking about ways to go diving cheaper in retirement. What about working part time at a dive shop or DMing as a way to get free fills and discounts?
 

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