To be clear, for what I’m about to confess, I remain fully unrepentant. I understand that I’m considered deplorable in the eyes of some government, economic, business, and corporate authorities. I shamelessly stand by my anti-economy sins of FIRE. Although what I confess may cause authoritative scorn, I share my path because I know that anyone can benefit from adopting my sinful examples. But do so knowing what you may risk taking this path of wickedness.

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The Anti-Economy Sins of FIRE Of Which I’m Guilty Of

Time to lighten things up. I find that in today’s divisive and anti-everything environment that the only way to get some people to pay attention is to join the darkside. So on that note, here are the anti-economy sins of FIRE that can benefit anyone who dares walk this same path.

My biggest anti-economic sin is practicing the dark arts of frugality with purpose.

Spend-baby-spend is the call of this consumer based world economy. My anti-economy sin goes beyond frugality, it also includes a heavy dose of purposeful spending. I only buy what I need and only from sources I like. Oh my, it’s my personal sinful dabbling into cancel-culture. All the laughable political screaming about “cancel-culture” has me deciding that I am willing to play in this sin to personally feel better about, wait for it…. MY LIFE. 

I admit there are some businesses and products I purposely refuse to spend money on or at.

Freedom baby! I don’t go around screaming who and why, nor wearing a provocative hat or T-Shirt to make a big deal about it. I just quietly stay on budget and purposely choose where my money goes. If a business, whether at point of sale, corporate or owner level acts like Jack-Holes or goes out of their way to promote Jack-Holes, they are cancelled from my budget.

My spending moto: Only do business where they act decently. I don’t want or need to hear about their perversions. Not everyone wants to know you enjoy humping active beehives.

Inflation has me cancel some product purchases until either prices come down or I change my mind on whether it represents a good value. 

Funny thing about all of this. We haven’t been left feeling for want or deprived. There are always alternatives. My money, my choice! 

Frugality with purpose adds the huge financial benefit of being able to live my life of freedom on less money. I needed less in my portfolio to fund my economically sinful early retirement lifestyle so I could ditch the rat race without first acquiring a massive portfolio. On top of that, because of my lower yearly income needed, I’m able to pay far less in taxes. 

Next on the anti-economic sin list is my refusal to work.

Oh the wicked horror of practicing this sin in a time of business complaints over the lack of people to hire. During this time of the anti-work movement and the great resignation where there’s a huge need to fill job openings, I’m passing on opportunities to chase carrots to build even more wealth. I must be some kind of economic heretic. It must be economically selfish and sinful when an able bodied and skillful person purposely refuses to work for the good of the consumer centric economy, profits, and the tax base. 

I’m committing the sin of breaking  the commandment that when the economic beast is hungry none shall escape except when “they” don’t need you anymore. It’s funny to me how other times it’s not a sin but totally cool with the economy gods to voluntarily lean out. As was the case when I retired young in 2009 among the masses of the downsized.

I’ve actually enjoyed working since I first retired 12 years ago.

I’ve been able to learn and do rewarding work that has been on my bucket list while increasing net worth at the same time. But I only take on retirement work when on my terms. Not all jobs are opportunities. Being picky is something FIRE sinfully allows to be the highest priority. It would take a very special retirement job pitch to get me back in the game. Shameful, just shameful, NOT! 

That said, my refusal to work isn’t set in stone as never. Just not now.

I sinfully use my credit card but I never pay interest.

Plastic, the easy way to buy whatever you want and need. Many do it as designed. Buy more than you can payoff each month and pay high interest for the privilege of being allowed to do so. Banks don’t provide credit cards out of kindness, but some do offer rewards to lure you to use them. It is easy to assume that they do this knowing most will slip up and spend more than they can clear. Then becoming locked into paying monthly interest on their unpaid balances. 

My sin is using the hell out of our rewards credit card and winning their game by always paying the balance off each month. For over 25 years I’ve paid no interest but have reaped cash rewards. We cash out credit rewards to cover 35% to 50% of our overall Christmas budget each year.

Not my biggest anti-economic sin but perhaps considered the worst: Promoting my sinful ways to corrupt others to join me.

I shamelessly promote my anti-economy sins of FIRE here on Leisure Freak and every chance I get. Although I never word it in this dark tainted manner. I’m just talking about the same personal finance habits that get pitched in a positive tone everywhere else but trying to appeal to those who are better motivated by having an adversarial emotion to do something that’s actually positive. 

Do any of the economic overlords really care about my promoting these sins? I doubt it. They know most people won’t pay attention and will continue on their normal consumer, employment, and debtor path that has systematically been laid out. Sadly, that is something I know they’re right about.  

Beware the sins of FIRE risks

Walking this wicked economically sinful path doesn’t come without risks. 

Those with the power to hire set the commandments. No matter how accomplished you are in your field, take time away and you may be punished. Skills will be seen as diminished. Your escape can be used against you if you ever wish to chase new opportunities in the future. 

You can never complain about low, lax, or incompetent service. There is a risk of over challenging your patience capabilities. If you sin against the economy then you must accept labor shortages and their impacts. You will have to lower expectations and still feel gratitude towards those who are obedient to the mainstream consumer economic system. 

There’s the risk that there may be times when you feel yourself being a hypocrite. Preaching the benefits of your anti-economy sins of FIRE while knowing full well that if everyone joined you the economy would crash. That would certainly destroy the benefits of your economically wicked ways. Nah, I think keeping personal finance and the freedom it provides a secret is the far greater sin.