#221: Mr. Money Mustache — Living Beautifully on $25-27K Per Year

Mr. Money Mustache (@mrmoneymustache -- Pete Adeney in real life) grew up in Canada in a family of mostly eccentric musicians. He worked in various tech companies before retiring at age 30. Pete, his wife, and their now eleven-year-old son live near Boulder, Colorado, and have not had real jobs since 2005. This begs the question of "How?" In essence, they accomplished this early retirement by optimizing all aspects of their lifestyle for maximal fun at minimal expense, and by using basic index-fund investing. Their average annual expenses total a mere $25-27,000, and they do not feel in want of anything. Since 2005, all three of them have explored a free-form life of interesting projects, side-businesses, and adventures. In 2011, Pete started writing the Mr. Money Mustache blog about his philosophy, which has grown to reach about 23 million different people (and 300 million page views) since its founding. It has become a worldwide cult phenomenon, with a self-organizing community and incredible news coverage. This episode explores his story, philosophies, and routines. Without further ado, please enjoy my conversation with the one and only Mr. Money Mustache, Pete Adeney. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Varidesk. You've probably heard of research concluding that sitting all day is terrible for you ("sitting is the new smoking" is a phrase I hear a lot). But standing all day isn't an option for everyone, either. My assistant and I have been enjoying the use of Varidesk, the middle ground that effortlessly converts your standard desk to a standing desk (and back again) in seconds. It comes fully assembled -- just take it out of the box, put it on your desktop, and go. Models start at just $175; check out Varidesk.com to see which one might be the right fit for you. It even comes with a 30-day, hassle-free return policy if you decide it's not your style. That's Varidesk.com. This