Engineer a Life You Love with Kim from Frugal Engineers

Engineer a Life You Love with Kim from Frugal Engineers

Kim – Blogger for The Frugal Engineers with a guide to college planning and early retirement. Kim shares how she and her husband have transformed their careers in a way where they can work from home using geo-arbitrage, simply moving to a lower cost of living area, she can be a stay-at-home mom, how they have learned from financial mistakes, supplemental incomes, and how they are preparing for their daughter’s education.

Post-Interview Analysis 

  • Key Lessons Learned: 

Increase happiness by removing negatives instead of adding more positives. Take your time when making an emergency financial decision.  

Episode Highlights:

  • Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at roadtofamilyfreedom.com/contact
  • What is the ‘a-ha moment’ when Kim learned about early retirement and financial freedom? 
  • What does Kim mean by graduating from the ‘Dave Ramsey School of Thought?”
  • Kim discusses her and her husband’s F.I.R.E. (financial independence, retire early) status. 
  • Kim feels her retirement began when she was able to start working from home.     
  • How did Kim and her husband figure out their spending habits?  
  • What is the ‘4% Rule’ and ‘The Trinity Study?’
  • What did their student loan debt look like? 
  • Kim talks about her biggest financial mistakes.  
  • When did they sell their second house?   
  • Having supplemental income sources if needed are important to figure out as back-ups.  
  • So many people’s identities are tied to what they do. 
  • You connect with people much more when you talk with people about what they like to do instead of what they have to do. 
  • What are some of the challenges of retiring early or being a stay-at-home mom?    
  • What does Kim feel the irony of Silicon Valley is?  
  • Working from home does present isolation issues. 
  • Where your money goes makes a big difference.  
  • How do Wyoming scholarships work? 
  • Kim talks about how she is planning for her daughter’s college education. 

Books and Resources Mentioned:

About the author, Neil

Neil Henderson is the co-host of The Road to Family Freedom, a self-storage investor, and avowed proponent of short-term rental house hacking. He founded The Road to Family Freedom to guide busy parents to financial freedom through passive real estate investing.