Tim and Amy were frugal—or so they thought. They spent less than they earned, so they figured they were doing it right. Then one day, they happened upon the concept of financial independence. Turns out, they had a LOT of room in their budget to cut back. Once they did, it took them less than one year to hit their financial independence number. They're now able to retire (if they so choose)! What catapulted them down the path to financial freedom? Namely, it was downsizing their 6,000-square-foot home. Once their daughter graduates from high school, they’ll rid themselves of their current 1,800-square-foot home and house/pet sit around the world full time. They plan to stretch their retirement dollars even further by travel hacking their way between cities. Tim and Amy have combined their passion for travel (and pet sitting) into a full blown retirement plan. In this episode, the couple shares tips for getting started as a house or pet sitter, so you can stay for free when you travel, just like they do.  We also explore different options for post-retirement life. Tune in to hear what Tim and Amy cut out of their spending to make early retirement a reality. In This Episode We Cover: Tim and Amy's money journey Treasuring experiences over stuff Making money decisions based on fears Discovering financial freedom by accident Being good savers and good earners with high income How they downsized their spending from $115,000 a year to just $36,000 a year Their emotional state was after quitting their job early and downsizing significantly How they designed their portfolio to produce income in their early retirement Low-cost investments and mutual funds House sitting as a huge travel hack What house sitting is and how it works The importance of being flexible Things they miss and want to go back to And SO much more! Links from the Show Email Us! TrustedHousesitters Airbnb ChooseFI Facebook Group ChooseFI FinCon TaskRabbit Military Dollar Waffles On Wednesday BiggerPockets Money Podcast 28: How Anyone Can Easily Make Extra Money Using Side Hustles with Nick Loper