Skipping on Starbucks Will Not Make You Rich

There is so much wrong with the FIRE movement.

There are not many people who have never heard about the FIRE movement. Financial Independence, Retire Early is all about being smart with your money to retire before the typical retirement age of 65. While the premise of the whole philosophy is appealing to the masses and, frankly, there are not many people who would dislike being able to work less, bringing the suggestions into action has created a troubled group of overly conscious savers not living for the present.

In theory, the FIRE movement encourages its followers to plan for retirement, learn about money, savings, and investments, and eliminate purchases that do not bring them joy. It has people transitioning from the capitalistic way of living to minimalism. It stresses the emotional value of things. It teaches people to purchase only items that are worth spending on and to eliminate impulse purchases and buying status items.

Put like this, FIRE seems to teach people to tap into the happiness coming from within themselves instead of relying on the instant gratification of physical purchases. It seems to teach people to be mindful of where their money is going. That is indeed the heart of FIRE and the initial goal with which it was introduced to the world. However, over the years, it has transformed into something else. There is now less focus on living happily and more on living frugally. The community lynches spendings rather than celebrating successes.

There is a famous trope in the FIRE community. “Look at all the money you could be saving if you did not spend $3 on Starbucks every morning but rather made your coffee at home for a few cents!” Hearing that, it always makes me ashamed of my expensive tastes. Would saving a $100 make such a difference it the long run? Sometimes, I start making my morning coffee at home or at school instead of buying the expensive coffee-shop treats. I always last only a few days though. Nothing can replace the smell of the coffee shop in the morning, the feeling of solidarity with other commuters waiting for their cup, or the taste that I just seem to be unable to recreate at home, no matter how hard I try.

It is not about being weak. It is not about not valuing money or the work that I put in to make it. It simply brings me joy. It allows me to live in the moment and treat myself for being alive. If I have to work an extra month to be able to afford all of my expensive coffee, so be it.

Do not make me ashamed for enjoying my life. Do not bash my spending habits without knowing what brings me joy. Take out the negativity that has emerged in the FIRE community. Stop making me feel like I do not deserve to handle money for liking take-out coffee. Having a cup a few times a week will not make me broke.

Enjoying my life is not wrong. I want to live for today, not for tomorrow.

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