The best job that I ever had was at a small, public golf course by my house. It was a pretty crappy golf course – poorly maintained, no facilities beyond a small putting green and an old pro shop, and a stupidly difficult back nine where I lost hundreds of golf balls.
I worked at that golf course every summer during college, as well as in the year between when I graduated college and before I started law school. The job paid minimum wage, but the money wasn’t really important to me back then. I lived at home during those summers, and other than buying food or drinks when I went out with friends, I basically had no expenses.
If I could, I would have worked at that golf course forever – for whatever reason, I just found that job super chill and very fun. Unfortunately, 8 bucks an hour or whatever I was getting paid wasn’t enough for me to survive on. Eventually, I had to move on and do something that could actually sustain an independent lifestyle, which is ultimately what led me to law school (and the $87,000 worth of student loans that I took out to do it). Even though I’ve worked plenty of good and prestigious jobs since graduating from law school, I still look back at that job with fond memories.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had jobs like this – these simple jobs that we just enjoy for some reason. Unfortunately, work like this typically doesn’t pay enough for most people to make it a long-term thing. And so, we end up moving on to bigger, better, and in all likelihood, more stressful jobs – the real jobs that we can talk about at professional gatherings or at family events. But a lot of you reading this are probably similar to me, thinking back to a simple job from years ago that you enjoyed. For those of us on the path to financial independence, getting a job like that is something that we can do – and probably sooner than we think.
It’s a concept that can be coined Barista FIRE – not quite FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early), but perhaps just a step below it. At Barista FIRE, your lifestyle is almost funded, and all you need to do is to make a few extra thousand dollars every year in order to survive. You can do that pretty much by doing anything, even just working as a barista a few days a week. For people like me, Barista FIRE might be just as good as regular FIRE.
What Is Barista FIRE?
When people ask me about my FIRE goals, I typically say that I’m “soft” FIRE. That is, I don’t really have an end date in mind like a lot of the more hardcore FIRE folks in the community. I’m just saving as much as I can without sacrificing too much of my lifestyle. I’d be perfectly happy to be in a position where I’ve covered almost all of my living expenses from my savings and only need to earn $5,000 or $10,000 in a year in order to cover the remainder.
That’s where Barista FIRE comes into play. The idea of Barista FIRE is something that I’ve thought about ever since I started doing all of these sharing economy/gig economy side hustles and saw how much money someone could make in their spare time. It solidified as a concept in my mind during a recent podcast interview I did over on Fire Drill Podcast.
Basically, the idea behind Barista FIRE is simple – save enough so that you only need to make a little bit of income each year from work in order to fund your lifestyle. If you think about it, if you have enough savings on hand to cover the majority of your life, you only need to earn a little bit more in order to live.
Making a legit, full-time income is hard to do and might require you to do work you don’t really want to do. Unless you’re some baller, you’re also probably going to have to work 40 hours per week for most of the year.
But imagine the flexibility you gain in your life when you only need to make $5,000 or $10,000 in a year in order to live. If you’re in a position like that, you can basically do anything you want.
Achieving Barista FIRE Is Easier Than You Realize
To understand the power behind Barista FIRE, you just have to remember how valuable making $5,000 or $10,000 in a year is for your FIRE plans. Using the standard 4% withdrawal rate rule, $10,000 per year of income is the equivalent of having $250,000 invested in your portfolio ($250,000 times 4% equals $10,000).
What this means is that someone who can or is willing to earn $10,000 per year will need $250,000 less in their portfolio in order to live. For many people, saving an extra $250,000 could take years of hard, grueling work.
Earning $10,000 from any job in a year though – that’s not a hard thing for most people to do. It’s only $833 per month of income – something I already do in my spare hours between work and this blog. Don’t forget, every $1,000 of income you can earn each year from doing ANYTHING is $25,000 less you need to save.
Just take a look:
| Side Hustle Income Per Year | Value To Your Nest Egg |
|---|---|
| $1,000 | $25,000 |
| $2,000 | $50,000 |
| $3,000 | $75,000 |
| $4,000 | $100,000 |
| $5,000 | $125,000 |
| $6,000 | $150,000 |
| $7,000 | $175,000 |
| $8,000 | $200,000 |
| $9,000 | $225,000 |
| $10,000 | $250,000 |
| $11,000 | $275,000 |
| $12,000 | $300,000 |
| $13,000 | $325,000 |
| $14,000 | $350,000 |
| $15,000 | $375,000 |
Over the past two years, I’ve had so much fun figuring out ways to earn a little extra money on the side with all of the different sharing economy/gig economy apps out there (things like Airbnb, Rover, Postmates, and Wag). I’m always surprised at just how much these gigs bring in. Last year I made over $14,000 doing these side gigs. This year, I’m on pace to make around $16,000. And this stuff doesn’t take me that much time (if I did, I wouldn’t be able to do it).
Beyond money, I also find these gigs fun too. Getting paid to bike around the city delivering food (especially on a nice summer day) doesn’t really feel like work to me and it’s something I’d do forever if I could. Reaching Barista FIRE is something that would let me do just that.
What Do You Want To Do?
For me, working at a golf course or doing bike deliveries on a more frequent basis are things I’d enjoy doing to fund my lifestyle. For you, it might be something else. You might want to be a bartender, or be a dog walker, or do anything else. I remember Miss Mazuma telling me at a recent meet up how she’d love to just be a waitress at some point – like me with my bike deliveries, waitressing is just something she enjoys.
You can have lofty dreams – and you definitely should. But there’s nothing wrong with aspiring to put yourself in a position where you can take that fun job that you just enjoy too.
I have a lot of friends who laugh at how much time I spend doing bike deliveries. From a monetary standpoint, I could earn a lot more doing something else with my time, that’s definitely true. But I find it fun, I need the exercise, and I like being able to get out there and explore the city on my bike. One day, I hope I’m fortunate enough where I can just do bike deliveries all day, every day. Or if I ever get back home, maybe I’d try to get a few days of work at the golf course.
So think about that fun job that you had long ago that you might want again one day. Or think about any fun job that you might want to try out. Sure, it’s not the corner office that most people say you’re supposed to have. It’s really the opposite, I suppose – going backward in your career. But I think it’s still a legit dream nonetheless. If you’re like me, Barista FIRE is something that you can aspire to attain.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the sharing economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the sharing economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports. If you want a quick side hustle win, check out Job Spotter.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- Simple. Kevin ditched his brick and mortar bank and now uses Simple as his primary checking account. Simple is totally free and, in his opinion, has the best mobile app of any bank.
- Qapital. A great app to automate extra savings each month. Completely free to use and you get $5 when you set up an account with Qapital.
- Personal Capital. One of best apps to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. Plus, it's free to use and you get $20 for creating an account.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
I love the concept of Barista Fire! Btw, I enjoyed listening to you discuss your side hustles on Fire Drill.
Thanks man!
This concept is my goal! I coach high school sports as a side-job and the pay is bare minimum but I LOVE it. I tell my spouse that I don’t want enough money/savings to quit working, just enough to quit my full time job and just coach.
That’s exactly the type of thing that I’m thinking – perfect for a barista FIRE goal!
the most interesting and rewarding thing i’ve done in the past 5 years, aside from investing, has been training our adopted dog who had a touch of fear aggression. he’s a boxer so it was important that he learned to relax around dogs and live his best dog life. i was thinking of a pet sitting service type thing where i would also volunteer to take the dog to the group classes, as i don’t feel qualified to market myself as a trainer.
i was also a new orleans bartender in my mini retirement about 18 years ago. a substitute gig i think is the way to go as it would be flexible time wise for other interests. it was a great way to meet people, especially if you move to a new town. all you have to do is be nice and get to know some people in charge and they’ll hire you.
Thanks for sharing Freddy! Those are definitely some interesting things to do in Barista FIRE. Seems like one is a business you’re thinking of starting, while two others are more chill gigs that are just interesting or fun to do.
I’m a huge fan of this – even if not being a barista, of just cutting down to part-time work.
The work I’d like to pursue is probably a bit more intensive, but I’d like to consult for ~20hrs/week, 3-4 months out of the year, once our nest egg is about where we want it and the house is paid off. Realistically that’ll be 50% or more of what we need annually, and I’d happily do that for 2-3 years (or just do half-time work for a solid year) to help ease into retirement.
The nice thing about being ‘Barista FI’ is that you can just hopefully live off that income, or at least that plus some investment income, and watch your portfolio grow. I love the idea of coasting to retirement after a point 🙂
Consulting is definitely something that I’m sure a lot of people with certain skill sets can do – definitely higher paying than the gigs I’m thinking about. But yep, a big advantage if it’s something that can fund your lifestyle even more so that you don’t have to touch your nest egg.
Way to go — I love that FI allows the ability to do what we want to. And Barista FI shaves a few years off even that –
Exactly right! Put yourself in a position where you only need to make 5k or 10k a year and you can do anything!
I think I’m already at the barista-FIRE level, but I’m a little nervous to pull the trigger! That’s the goal for sometime in the next year or two!
That’s awesome!
Totally agree. Loved those types of jobs back in the day. Now I’m a part time teacher doing it a different way. Tom
That’s great! You are doing a path that I’d love to be able to follow one day.
Yes! I have several jobs (including waitressing!) that I would love to pursue as part of a “Barista FIRE someday. I also could see myself coaching youth sports (running, biking, skiing). It is exciting to think of all the ways one can FIRE without necessarily having a complete “never bring in income again” nest egg.
Seems like coaching is something that a lot of people are into! It’s definitely something that seems fun to do – you get to interact with people, pretty low-stress, and probably get some exercise too if you’re running all over the place. The waitressing is an interesting thing too – again, interacting with people, get some exercise. I wonder why folks like us are so into these types of jobs.
I was just thinking about this the other day. I love to play tennis, so I’m hoping that one day I’ll retire and work the front desk at a tennis club. It would be low stress and something I enjoy, I’d get a little money, and hopefully get a reduced or free court fees/membership. It would be a win-win for me because I’d get a little extra income and reduce some expenses while still having an activity to do in retirement.
That sounds exactly like my golf course job! That’s what made the golf course so good – free golf!
Or you could marry someone rich! 😉
My thing is that no matter what your circumstance, if you plan to retire early you’ll still want to find ways to be useful and add value to society. To your point, it’s easy to earn 5 or 10 grand a year, but firing up a business (like an Airbnb, or Etsy shop, or profitable blog) could easily yield you much more than your local 20-something coffee slinger.
For sure – do what makes you happy is what I’d say! For me, just being a lowly delivery man/blogger dude works.
I thought about this too when I was in my 20s and didn’t have as much wealth. I was actually strongly considering going back to Hawaii when I was about 25 years old and living a simple life working at cold Stone creamery. In Hawaii, if you work 20 hours a week you get healthcare, and then I could live at home.
But then I realized I was going through a quarter life crisis and to stop daydreaming! I’m glad I worked until 34. No regrets!
The great thing is, you can do all of that now! I believe you do the tennis coaching, although you’re in full FIRE and don’t need that income at all.
My goal has always been to retire and get a part time job at a golf course/ski resort/pro shop (I had a very similar job in college and loved it). Its my goal to be fully FIRE and just do something like that to keep me busy and be around things I really love. My dad actually toyed with the idea of getting a job at Home Depot/Menards/Lowes because he loves tools and will seemingly spend hours there just walking around bs-ing about tools/projects; ultimately he did not do it because he figured he would spend all his time bs-ing and not enough selling, which would obviously be a problem for the store.
You and I have similar dreams. People think we’re crazy to like jobs like this, I have no idea why. It’s just fun and it’s hard to explain what it is about these jobs. I have a friend that’s living the dream now – he’s a manager at my home course now, retired about 10 years ago and is just chilling at the golf course.
Love this concept, this is a Rockstar quality post! There are so many different paths to follow for fulfillment and freedom.
Thanks Matt! Definitely agree with you there – it’s just a huge world out there of things to do!
Great post, FP! My husband and I’ve been discussing this for a couple years. He’s thinking Home Depot 😉
I’m also pro barista FIRE. In fact, I’ve even scouted at least one place I’d like to work when I do it. An outdoor equipment shop in Vienna. I also have a hankering for physical labour. Working on a farm or vineyard. Doing something that means that I truly appreciate my shower every night. I might be able to achieve it on a mini retirement in 4 years but if not, barista FIRE will bring forward my retirement from sedentary days.
This reminds me of the parable of the rich lawyer and the island beach bum. (Maybe I saw it on biglaw investor?) Essentially that the beach bum worked all day as a bartender and/or touring the island, making just enough and no more. The lawyer vacationed there and asked the beach bum why he didn’t buy more boats for tours and hire people to help him. The beach bum was like “I don’t need extra.” The lawyer ended up working his whole life in order to eventually retire to the beach and be a beach bum.
But yes, the idea of being able to survive on less is tantalizing.
I love that parable. It’s pretty much the way a lot of us think – but it’s funny that for a lot of us, we could get to that “beach bum” level pretty quickly, if we wanted.
Great Post. I think a lot of people don’t realize how little money it would take to live a life they really love or they don’t know what they really love. Chasing money and status is the default status quo. It’s always easier to try and defer your dreams than to actually try and live them today. We live a culture that is so obsessed with more, bigger, and better and most people are just afraid to stop. Or they are afraid to take a job that they would really love for less money.
A lot of lawyers for sure fall into this trap of constantly need more and bigger and better things. It’s a prestige factor that plays into it. We can’t stop chasing that prestige.
Barista FIRE might be my favorite term yet. There are so many fun low paying jobs that are worthwhile, but don’t keep a roof over your head by itself. I personally think about the possibility of working 3-4 months at a time and then taking a month or two off, which is totally feasible with seasonal park ranger/naturalist jobs, which I’ve done in the past.
That would be awesome! Park ranger jobs seem amazing – basically get paid to be outside.
I’d love to work at a winery or distillery, pouring for tastings, giving tours, etc. I also figure for the early part of FIRE, if I make enough to fund a Roth or Solo 401k, that wouldn’t be bad either. 🙂
Thanks so much for writing this post. My husband and I are Barista FIREd. We moved to a fabulous place with low housing costs but few employment opportunities. I work 3hrs a day in a cafe, doing all the baking and some cooking for the day shift. It’s great, and combined with a couple of other things, it makes my half of the $24000 we need to live on, for now. Pensions will kick in as we age, and then we can work or not. As I like what I do, I would probably continue in some form. Currently considering building a donut business, just for fun :-). Now, when someone looks at me strangely when I try to explain our version of FIRE, I will just point them here!
You are living my dream! That’s what I’m talking about – we can all work some chill, fun job. It’s amazing just thinking about the flexibility you have in your life knowing you only need to make a few thousand a year to live.