When Life Throws Non-FI Choices At You

I (Mrs. FInding) am going to Switzerland!

That’s right, I’m traveling to one of the most expensive travel destinations in the world.

This doesn’t seem to fit our FI lifestyle very much.

You know, the one where we  compare in-store prices to online, calculate the cost per ounce of something, rarely eat out, and generally watch our expenses like hawks.

But here’s the thing: one of our main “whys” of FI is so we can travel and experience this world we live in with the ones we love. Our plan is to do this when we reach FI, but an opportunity to travel with a dear friend this fall presented itself.

At first I sat there a little concerned about price. This wasn’t something I had considered for this year’s expenses. Even though I know I could afford it, did I want to? How far back would that set us from FI?

My mind switched from concern to excitement a few times and I voiced my thoughts to Mr. FInding. He quickly responded with something like “what are you even questioning, this is exactly why we are doing this, so you can do cool things with friends!”

And he was right. We aren’t saving money just to have it stockpiled. We aren’t saving only thinking of the future and how great life “will” be. We are saving it so we have buffer, so we feel safe, so we can retire early, and yes, so if fun things come up, my God, we can afford them.

I want to reach FI because I want to travel. I want to reach FI because I want to spend more time with the ones I love. I want to reach FI so I feel financially secure and in control of my life. This trip allows for all of those. Sure, it wasn’t planned. Maybe it affects our FI date a little (probably not). Yes, it’s going to cost a lot of money.

But I don’t care. Because if there is one thing this FI movement has taught me, it’s that the JOURNEY to FI is just as important.

I would always regret not going on this trip. And I wouldn’t be living my values if I didn’t put friends and travel in front of money.

So I share this because:

A. I’m excited(!)

B. I think there is a lesson here. I had to consciously decide that taking from FI savings was worth it. I had to choose the journey and living in the now when, in this movement, we are often only looking ahead.

So I want to encourage us all, whether you are on the FI path or not, to look at your spending- is it in line with your values? Because I guarantee that if it’s not now, it’s not going to change miraculously one day.

And I want to encourage you to make sure you are enjoying the journey. If you are anything like me, you can be too focused on the goal, but as I can tell from saying yes to this Switzerland trip, choosing to also enjoy the now sure is worth it.

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Have you come across a situation like this where you had to weigh doing/buying something now compared to how it would affect FI?

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PS- I fully recognize the privilege and first world problem-ness I was facing between “save more money so I can retire early” or “travel with great friend to Switzerland.”  My thoughts on the lesson to be gleaned remain the same regardless of the circumstances we may all face differently.