Overview of ChooseFI Episode 612: “What Actually Happened? | Paige’s FI Journey, Nine Years Later”
This episode is a follow-up conversation with Paige, revisiting her original 2017 ChooseFI story and asking the big question: what actually happened after she pursued financial independence? Nine years later, Paige shares how her plan evolved, what stayed the same, and how FI gave her the flexibility to handle career changes, life surprises, and shifting priorities without losing sight of her values.
Key Updates in Paige’s FI Journey
From “FI in theory” to FI in practice
- Paige first discovered FI around 2014–2015 through Mr. Money Mustache.
- In 2017, she had just reached her first positive net worth and had a FI target of about $350,000, aiming to retire around age 55.
- Since then, her income grew substantially, but her spending stayed relatively stable, helping her accelerate progress.
Career change and “F-you money”
- Around 2019, Paige left a job unexpectedly after a frustrating workplace situation.
- Because she had savings and FI momentum, she could walk away without another job lined up.
- That decision led to a new job almost immediately when an old colleague offered her a role.
- Over time, that role evolved into a better-paying position, eventually leading her to become a post-production supervisor.
Testing FI in real life
- Paige is currently taking a sabbatical year and “test driving” retirement.
- Her experience has reinforced that FI is not just about leaving work—it’s about having options.
- Sam, her partner, has been on permanent sabbatical even longer.
Frugality, DIY, and “The Alley Will Provide”
The “alley will provide” still works
- One of Paige’s most memorable ideas from the original episode was that if you wait long enough, free or inexpensive things will appear when you need them.
- She says this still holds true.
- Examples:
- Free vintage outdoor furniture from a neighbor
- Free bricks from Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace for garden paths
DIY as a superpower
- Paige and Sam continue to save a lot through DIY:
- Plastering walls
- Making their own trim
- Building projects like a shed
- Upcycling a large portion of their materials
- Over time, though, they’ve become more selective about what’s worth doing themselves.
- Their mindset has shifted from “do everything” to “DIY the unique, meaningful parts; outsource the rest.”
How Her Spending and Lifestyle Have Changed
Spending is still modest, but there’s more room now
- Paige says her budget has not changed dramatically.
- The biggest difference is a little more freedom to spend on things that matter, especially:
- Travel
- Experiences
- Projects that bring joy
Travel is a bigger priority now
- Their recent trip to England cost about $5,000, compared with an earlier trip that cost under $2,000.
- The difference wasn’t wasteful spending—it reflected a willingness to pay for higher-value experiences like Edinburgh, extra train rides, and the Thames.
- Paige says the loosening of the budget feels intentional and aligned with their values.
Housing and stability
- Their housing costs remain unusually low for Los Angeles:
- Mortgage is about $1,100/month
- Roughly $1,500/month all-in with taxes and related costs
- They bought their house carefully, staying firm on price during a competitive bidding market.
- Their home has also functioned as a haven for friends going through difficult times, such as divorce or illness.
Important Financial Lessons and Mindsets
Trust the math
- Paige repeatedly emphasizes that FI works when you trust the numbers and stay consistent.
- She keeps a spreadsheet that includes stress tests, including what would happen in a 30% market crash.
- Her core belief: “You either trust the math or you don’t.”
Pulling money out is emotionally harder than expected
- The first withdrawal from her FI assets felt intimidating, even after years of saving.
- She now prefers withdrawing quarterly rather than annually, which feels more manageable.
- Her view is that you don’t take all your money out at once, so volatility is easier to tolerate.
She invested aggressively during the COVID crash
- When the market dropped sharply in 2020, Paige moved almost all of her savings into the market.
- She says she had designed her life so she could survive on unemployment if necessary, which gave her confidence to invest during the dip.
- A coworker saw her conviction and also invested part of her savings.
What FI Has Meant for Her Life
Freedom, not sacrifice
- Paige says the FI path never felt like sacrifice because it was always in service of something better.
- She sees FI as a way to buy time, freedom, and alignment with personal values.
- Her job now is meaningful enough that she does not feel pressured to leave immediately, even though she no longer needs to work in the same way.
Discovering FI later was actually helpful
- Paige believes finding FI in her 40s may have helped, not hurt.
- By then, she knew herself well, understood how she wanted to live, and had already practiced frugality for decades.
- She didn’t have the same social anxiety or identity concerns that younger people often feel when adopting an unconventional lifestyle.
FI gave her room to become more of an artist
- A major emotional theme in the episode is that FI has freed Paige to focus on art and creativity.
- She no longer needs to monetize every part of her life.
- Once her work phase ends, she expects to spend more time creating for its own sake.
Paying It Forward
She teaches younger coworkers about money
- Paige regularly encourages younger colleagues, especially PAs, to:
- Open Roth accounts
- Start saving early
- Read The Simple Path to Wealth
- She sees this as one of the most meaningful parts of her FI journey.
Passing on the mindset
- She believes the most valuable FI lesson is not just early retirement—it’s learning how to align money, time, and values.
- Her goal is to help others avoid waiting until their 40s or 50s to discover what she learned earlier in life.
Notable Takeaways
- FI is about flexibility, not prediction.
- Frugality works best when it’s intentional, not punishing.
- DIY can be powerful, but outsourcing is okay when time matters more.
- A high-cost-of-living area can still work if income grows and spending stays grounded.
- The real reward of FI is the ability to choose.
Bottom Line
Paige’s story is a strong example of FI working exactly as intended: not as a rigid end goal, but as a resilient framework for life. She stayed frugal, invested consistently, adapted when life changed, and gained the freedom to work, travel, create, and support others on her own terms.