It's an interesting question, because the spectrum of lean to fat seems to have shifted a lot in the last half decade. What used to be in the middle now seems to be perceived as lean, and what used to be lean now seems to be perceived as unthinkable. This is going purely off sentiment in the other place, but I see lots of "I have $5m, can I retire?" posts, which feels like the very definition of a redundant question to me.

So a few years ago, I would say our ambitions of retiring on our current spending (which we've kept under control) would have been mid-tier. Now, it would very much be seen as lean.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I think the definitions are subjective and can be contentious. People seem to love debating the one true list of dollar amounts for each level, which then invariably spirals into a cost of living, size of household, and inflation debate.

I was trying to side step that by just asking where people see themselves and not the underlying numbers. I think what you’re aiming for, regardless of whether we’re using exactly the same definitions, conveys a lot about your risk appetite, desire for luxuries, etc.

You mention your expenses would now be seen as lean — do you actually agree with that or is it more your impression of community sentiment?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Community sentiment, definitely. I'm quite comfortable that our numbers have been reached from years of measuring how much we spend, so how much we'll need.