It's the Leo Principle: I met Leo when he was 49. Shortly afterward, he started talking about retiring. Not retiring some day but retiring then. At 49.
He didn't win the lottery. He didn't score a big inheritance. He's an average joe with an average job. But he has a secret.
Don't spend money on the little things.
Never pay for parking, eat out but only food you can't get at home, drink your liquor at home instead of at a restaurant you can buy an entire six-pack for what they charge!, and keep the clothes closet simple. Oh, and travel the world during the off-season when the special deals show up…and do it with a carry-on.
Bottom line? Spend money on the things that are important to you. Question all of the incidentals. Small costs become large totals over time. Everyone worries about the big expenses: the vacation. No one worries about $10 for parking or $7 for a beer, $12 for lunch out, but those are the costs that multiply when we're not looking…and we need to be looking.
Wheel and I? We try to live by the Leo Principle: we walk, we garden, we keep the closets lean, we cook, we bake. We run errands on the bicycle.
But last weekend, we both blew the don't buy liquor with meals rule. There's a fairly new sushi restaurant about a three-mile-ride from home…and before 6:00 even the food is on special.
The martini? We couldn't have gotten that at home...so, we each had TWO.
Our retirement is damned.
- TOB because it's been a looong spring
