We're calling it The Tuesday Project

In post-FI life, the 1% can be about securing intangible dividends, the kind that compound in satisfaction, not dollars.

In a rural LCOL area, “bad neighbors” aren’t just an annoyance. We just purchased an abandoned home next to us at a sheriff’s auction for $30K, with the intent of having it torn down. With this purchase, we bought insurance against erosion of our chosen lifestyle. We paid for daily, unobstructed access to a beautiful landscape and sunsets. The psychological and aesthetic value of this is real, even if it’s not quantifiable.

The Post-FI Mindset Shift. At a 4–5% withdrawal rate since 2021, our focus isn’t on growing the pile; it’s on optimizing a life that the pile enables. This purchase isn’t about ROI in the traditional sense; it’s about return on happiness per dollar spent. The fact that it’s “pure enjoyment” is the point.

Most people undervalue intangibles because they can’t be entered into a spreadsheet. Consider the cumulative hours we’ll spend enjoying those sunsets over the next decades. If this decision adds even 10 minutes of daily pleasure (or avoids 10 minutes of daily irritation of undesirable neighbors), the time-value tradeoff is overwhelmingly positive. We’re leveraging our financial independence to buy back control over our daily experience, something most people never get to do.

For thought: “What’s something you’d pay to not have to deal with, every single day? Now imagine you could eliminate it permanently. What’s that worth?”

One thing that made me 5.7% better this year:

Having enough “FU money” to leave a job that wasn’t working without panic.

I recently resigned from a role where I went months without a consistent workload. When I gave one week notice, my manager pushed for me to stay longer.

Instead of spiraling, panicking, or feeling trapped, I calmly responded that if one week wasn’t sufficient, today could simply be my last day.

And honestly? That moment hit me harder than the resignation itself.

Financial independence isn’t always about retiring early.

Sometimes it’s about having enough breathing room to make decisions from a place of stability instead of fear. It’s about protecting your mental health, your time, and your energy. It’s about being able to take a 3-week reset before starting something new without your entire life falling apart financially.

Years ago, I probably would’ve stayed longer because I felt like I had no choice.

This time, I had options.

That’s 5.7% better for me this year.
(3 weeks ÷ 52 weeks)

Small math. Big life difference.

This past week was a great lesson on what being intentional financially is all about. We had two rather large expenses take place and the timing happened to work out in the same week.

We have been searching for a larger SUV for the past several months and pulled the trigger on a used 2024 Honda Pilot that will work well for our family. Paid in full and skipped the financing office. First time we have been able to do that.

In the same week we had some foundation work done that was just under $10k. Paid in full as well on that one.

We are incredibly blessed to be in a position to take two back to back hits like that and still be standing upright financially speaking.

I have an Ensure Max Protein drink most mornings. It's expensive -- the 12 ct box is about $38 at CVS and my grocery store.

CVS offered members of their rewards program (free to join) a 30% off coupon on one item this week, and I had a $10 off coupon from Abbott (the manufacturer) for the 12 ct. The price dropped from $38 to $15.

As a retired person on a fixed income, I had several items to replace this year: a new car, new iPhone, new mattress, and a new recliner. As well as the side mirror on my car, getting hit on a hit and run, and as a result, I had to install cameras in my car.

All of those things did not even make a blip on my financial status because I had learned so many things from ChooseFI and my budget was so sound that I had no worries about any of these things.

My 1% better this week has been staying home for date nights. I have been making homemade pasta, gelato, and doing little art projects or bike rides and picnics for our dates. They have been really fun and we have saved a lot.