3 Comforts I'm Sacrificing Now So I Can Retire Early
There’s good financial news for the younger generations. Gen Z is slightly better poised for retirement in their later years than millennials, Gen X or baby boomers, according to a report from Vanguard.
Nearly half (47%) of Gen Z is on track to have enough money by retirement age, the report showed. But what about those inspirational Gen Zers who have ascribed to the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement and are poised to retire in their 30s or 40s?
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They’re out there, but it takes more than the average amount of discipline and a relatively high income to accomplish it.
Meet Edward Oberlton, Tech Employee With a Vision
Edward Oberlton is 25 years old, works in tech in Atlanta, Georgia, and is poised to retire by age 36.
“I have just about 11 years left of gas in the tank,” he said.
His goal for early retirement started with a 20-year plan that, he said and helps keep him on track.
“My ideal number is to pump the breaks at $3.4 million and just live off the interest,” he said. “I’ve been using Allocate AI for the SWR (safe withdrawal rate) amount.”
But he wasn’t always this financially disciplined.
“In the first year I'd get a bonus and spend the whole thing,” said Oberlton, a former Google employee.
He did start paying into a 401(k) early on.
“The greatest asset I had was time since every dollar invested back then has the ability to compound many times over,” he said.
After maxing out his 401(k) and seeing his salary rise, he started looking into other investment vehicles.
“Now I have my savings and investments accounts automatically pull the money and distribute it to the respective buckets. The more hands off I am with the actual allocation the better,” he said.
While figuring out where to invest the money didn’t take much time or energy, he’s had to give up certain things his peers regularly enjoy to stay focused on his goal.
Dining Out
Small lifestyle changes can make the biggest difference when you’re saving for retirement or sticking to a budget.
“I don’t spend much on eating out,” Oberlton said. “I ran the numbers and [found] I saved $500 a month just by grocery shopping and cooking, instead.”
Five hundred dollars a month already represents a pretty big savings. But Oberlton calculated the savings over time to be $16,500.
“I threw that money in my index fund. Over 20 years at 10% average interest, it’s about $120,913.21,” he said.
Fancy Cars
When it came time to buy his first vehicle, Oberlton followed the guidance of experts like Warren Buffett and Dave Ramsey. He paid cash. He chose a reliable mid-size sedan. Then he negotiated hard for additional savings.
Oberlton also heard similar words of advice from his parents.
“They always cautioned me against splurging on a car,” he said. “So, I initially bought a Kia Optima with my first bonus in cash. It was priced at $19,000 but I stayed at the dealership for 13 hours and negotiated it down to $11,500.”
Vacations
Even when money is tight, most people don’t want to skip their vacations. Only 4% of people polled going into summer 2026 said they “usually travel but may skip” this year, according to a BestMoney.com survey.
For Oberlton, the cash in hand means more right now than the travel memories.
“I would say the hardest thing for me to justify are vacations,” he said. “I have probably saved about $8,000 each year not traveling and putting that money towards savings and investing.”
He said he sometimes travels for work, which gives him an opportunity to break out of the daily grind and see new places without dipping into his wallet.
“I feel like that scratches the itch for the moment.”
Still, it’s not easy being the one left behind as your peers experience the world.
“Sometimes my close friends will travel spontaneously, and I'll stay back at home. I know there are some great memories probably made on those trips that I don't get to be a part of,” he said. “That part is the biggest downside, sometimes doing FIRE this early can feel a bit alienating.”
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This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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