Emma, Camp FI, Ryans, Pugs, And Taylor Swift

When I discovered financial independence, I thought that it would be a small part of my life:

1. October 2012: I discover FI. Yay!
2. I’ll get my money together and start a blog to chronicle my journey. 1500 Days was the amount of time I thought it would take to accumulate enough money to retire.
3. At the end of the 1500 days (2/9/2017), I’d publish my last post and quit my job.
4. I’d delete the blog and move on.

Well that didn’t happen. I liked writing, so didn’t shut down the blog. I’m now a part-owner of a coworking space where financial independence is the common thread between members. I still attend FI related events.

But my favorite part of it all is the community.

Emma, Camp FI, Ryans, And Pugs

I recently went to Las Vegas to visit family and friends. A reader of the blog named Emma reached out and asked if I’d like to meet up. After spending the morning at Red Rocks, my older daughter and me joined Emma and her family for lunch at her place. We shared great food and conversation. Emma, thank you so much!

I pondered the visit afterward and had a thought:

Everyone who I’ve met though my financial independence journey is great. Emma was super cool for inviting a weird person from the internet into her home. But this type of thing happens all the time. And what makes these experiences great is that even when introverted-me meets new people, I usually feel comfortable from the start.

Here’s why:

If you have similar values about money, you probably have a lot of other stuff in common too. No need to dwell on small talk; we have meaningful conversations.

See you in December Emma and Family!

No matter where the FI movement goes, I’ll always have the friends I’ve made. I’m so thankful for all of you.

Deep down, community is what we’re all looking for.

Ryans And Pugs

When we visited NYC earlier this year, I saw this sign:

And then in Denver this past weekend, I saw this:

Sadly, humans are lonelier than ever. We grow up and move away from our family and friends. Social media has isolated and divided us. We look at our phones instead of our neighbors.

Events like Camp FI aren’t really about money, but about connecting with other humans. Our common value just happens to be money. That value informs so much else in life. Every FI event I’ve been to has been a wonderful experience because we like the same sh*t!

Join The Community

Concert! I mentioned on the Mile High FI podcast that I bought a private concert with one of my favorite bands, The Webb Brothers! The show happens on August 26th here in Longmont. Because the venue is small, I can only host a limited number of people. However, if you’re a fan of the band or will be in town and would like to attend, respond to this email and I’ll try to get you in. Check out the band’s music here.

Camp FI: Podcast-partner Doug and I just got back from attending a couple of Camp FIs here in Colorado. I enjoyed my time so much that I bought a ticket for the October Camp FI in Southern California. Camp FIs are a great way to meet a bunch of new people in a beautiful setting. Enter my last name (Jensen) at checkout* and save 10% on your next camp.

Mile High FI FB group: If you’re on facebook and would like to interact with me, Doug, and other Mile High FI fans, click here.

Taylor Swift Update

I’ve thought a lot about spending lately. I’m pretty happy with my daily life and don’t want to change anything about it. However, every once in a while I notice opportunities to juice my happiness a little bit. I did it this past weekend when I spontaneously blew $1,000 on a concert ticket.

My kid already had a ticket and my plan was to drop her off and go hang back at the hotel.

I love live music, so when I got back to the hotel, I decided to peek at ticket prices. Since the opening band was already on, the prices had dropped. $1,000 was a bargain compared to what the same ticket was going for earlier in the day. (I know, anchoring in action.)

I bought the ticket and walked the 2 miles back the venue. I got to my seat and about 10 seconds later, Taylor Swift took the stage. It was pretty great and I have no regrets about spending the money. She even waved at me** as she walked off the stage after the show was over.

*This isn’t an affiliate link and I have no financial tie up with Camp FI. I just think it’s a great event and organizer Stephen was kind enough to give me a discount code.

**Or maybe she was waving at one of the other 1,000 people standing around me. No, I think it was me. Don’t tell me otherwise and ruin my moment. It was glorious.