介绍： We had packed lunches every day for 10 years and retired at 40
Every winter, Alan and Katie Donegan would avoid turning on the heating at their home in the south of England. "Instead, we wore extra layers and used hot water bottles—we turned it into a game," says Alan. "It wasn't suffering, it was strategy."...

介绍： We had packed lunches every day for 10 years and retired at 40
Every winter, Alan and Katie Donegan would avoid turning on the heating at their home in the south of England. "Instead, we wore extra layers and used hot water bottles—we turned it into a game," says Alan. "It wasn't suffering, it was strategy." While the couple admit that others thought they were "extreme" or "mad" to put so much emphasis on not spending money, Alan explains that they were "laser-focused on buying freedom".
The two rarely had takeaways and always took packed lunches to work. "We were £40,000 better off over 10 years from just that one lunch habit," says Alan. "We even charged our phones while out and hunted for discarded Nectar vouchers. You can decide if that's crazy or genius, but it worked." They quit work after their savings hit £1m.
Alan and Katie are part of a small but growing global movement called Fire, which stands for "Financially Independent, Retire Early". The central tenet is that you live extremely frugally during your working life, so that you can retire as soon as possible.
For most of us, being able to quit working life early is just a dream. Last year, average retirement ages in the UK hit record highs of 65.8 years for men and 64.7 for women, official data showed.
Carol Schleif is chief market strategist at BMO Private Wealth, a Toronto-based financial advisory business. "If you retire early but don't have friendships, health or a sense of purpose, you've achieved one goal but sacrificed other things…you have to wonder if it's worth it," says Schleif.
Within the Fire community, some are now following this less intense route, leading to the creation of sub-genres such as "Barista Fire". This focuses on saving enough money so that your investment income can cover most life expenses.
生词好句
1.packed lunch 打包好的午餐
lunchbox n. 餐盒，饭盒
2.hot water bottle 热水袋
3.suffering 英 [ˈsʌfərɪŋ] 美 [ˈsʌfərɪŋ] n. 受难
If you view learning as a way to actively seek a better life, it is no longer suffering, but a strategy.如果将学习视为主动追寻更好生活的方式，它就不再是受苦，而是一种（人生）策略。
4.laser-focused 英 [ˈleɪzə fəʊkəst] 美 [ˈleɪzər foʊkəst] adj. 像激光一样聚焦目标的
She was laser-focused on paying off the mortgage in ten years.她一门心思，要在十年内还清房贷。
5.better off 日子更宽裕、好过了
well off 富裕的
worse off 日子更紧了
After switching to cooking at home, we were about 2000 yuan better off each month.改成自己做饭之后，我们每个月宽裕了差不多两千块。
6.discarded 英 [dɪˈskɑːdɪd] 美 [dɪˈskɑːrdɪd]
adj. 被丢弃的，废弃的
discard v. 扔掉，废弃
7.FIRE 财务独立提前退休运动（全称：Financial Independent, Retire Early）
8.tenet 英 [ˈtenɪt] 美 [ˈtenɪt] n. 原则，准则
tenant n. 租户
She lived her life by a simple tenet: treat the earth with respect, as if we are merely temporary tenants here.她践行着一个简单的信条：尊重地球，仿佛我们只是这里的“临时住户/匆匆过客”。
9.frugally 英 [ˈfruːɡəli] 美 [ˈfruːɡəli] adv. 节俭地
frugal adj. 节俭的
frugality n. 节俭，俭省
10.hit record highs 创下历史新高
hit v. 撞上，触及
Gold prices hit record highs again this year.金价今年又创了历史新高。
11.sense of purpose 人生意义感，生活目标感
Volunteering gave her a real sense of purpose after retirement. 退休之后，做志愿者让她重新找回了意义感。
12.You have to wonder … 你不禁会想……
You have to wonder what the future holds for this industry.你不禁会想，这个行业的未来是怎么样的。
13.sub-genre 英 [ˈsʌb ʒɒ̃rə] 美 [ˈsʌb ʒɑːnrə]
n. 亚型、细分流派
genre n. 类型
mystery n. 悬疑小说
cozy mystery 温馨推理
14.Barista FIRE 咖啡师FIRE，FIRE的细分流派，指存够基础资产后做轻松兼职维持医保与小额开销
barista n. 咖啡师