About Us
In 2018, we walked away from our jobs to see if we could actually live the FIRE life. It’s hard to believe now, but that decision was eight years ago.
At the time, we didn’t feel brave or certain. Mostly, we felt tired. Work had taken its toll. Stress had become the default. Even though we had planned, saved, and invested aggressively for years, stepping away from steady paychecks was still unsettling. We kept asking ourselves the same question over and over: Are we really ready for this?
The truth is, it wasn’t easy—and it definitely wasn’t smooth.
The early years were full of adjustments. Learning how to live without a traditional work structure. Figuring out what “enough” really meant. Then COVID hit, and with it came one of the biggest tests we could have imagined. Watching portfolios fall while the world felt uncertain forced us to confront every doubt we’d ever had. There were moments when we questioned our decisions and wondered if we had made a mistake.
But we didn’t panic.
We adapted.
We tightened where we needed to. We stayed flexible. We reminded ourselves why we chose this path in the first place. Slowly, things stabilized, and we realized something important: FIRE isn’t about avoiding hardship. It’s about having the room to respond to it.
Now, eight years in, we’re still here. We’ve lived through market swings, uncertainty, and plenty of unknowns—and we know there will be more ahead. That part never goes away. What has changed is our confidence in our ability to figure things out as life unfolds.
This blog, chubbyfired, is our journey—past, present, and ongoing. We write honestly about what life looks like after leaving traditional jobs, how our relationship with money has changed, how travel and health fit into the picture, and how we continue to navigate uncertainty with intention.
Chubby FIRE, as it’s commonly defined, sits between Lean FIRE and Fat FIRE. It’s financial independence without extreme frugality and without unlimited spending. It’s about having enough to live comfortably, enjoy travel, prioritize health, and say yes to experiences—while still being mindful and intentional with money. When we started, there wasn’t really a name for this middle ground. We were just trying to build a life that felt sustainable and enjoyable, not optimized to exhaustion.
If you’re thinking about taking the leap, already on the path, or somewhere in between, you’re in good company here. We’re not here to sell a formula or pretend we have it all figured out. We’re simply sharing what we’ve learned—and what we’re still learning—along the way.