Our Story
Melanie is an older Millennial (Xennial?) with FI/RE (Financially Independent/Retired Early) in her eyes. Her current goal is to quit her job in January of 2021 and go back to school to study Anthropology, and to be job-independent in 2023 when she finishes the degree.
Melanie has dreamed of quitting her job and traveling the world for many years. It was only in 2015, when she came across the Financial Independence forum on Reddit, that she realized it was a possibility. In 2016 she decided to move away from the crazy expensive metropolis of Los Angeles and truly begin her quest for FI/RE.
No change is immediate. It took a bit of time to find a job transfer to a lower cost area, and took some more time to move. But finally, in the summer of 2017, Melanie found a job transfer, sold her house, and moved across the country to Savannah, Ga!
Alas, living in Savannah was not meant to be. At the end of 2018, Melanie was offered an amazing job opportunity in Pennsylvania, super close to her boyfriend, Brian’s daughter. As a bonus, the job was located in middle of nowhere, and the cost of living was astronomically low. She couldn’t pass this opportunity up! So now Melanie and Brian are living in a small town in rural Pennsylvania, working hard towards financial independence.
The Early Years
Melanie is originally from Chicago, and studied biology at the University of Illinois. However, she hated the cold weather, and as a young adult her biggest dream was to move to a warmer climate (at least young twenties-something Melanie had her priorities in order!). She found an awesome job in Los Angeles and spent ten years enjoying west coast living.
Why FI/RE?
Melanie is on a quest for FI/RE for freedom. It’s not that she doesn’t want to work, but she doesn’t want to be tied to a job. She wants to travel, write, create art, and gain more knowledge of early cultures. In short, she wants to spend all of her time following her passions, and she wants you to be able to do the same!
How is she going to achieve FI/RE?
Melanie has plans!! Moving to a lower cost of living area helped (and moving someplace even cheaper helped more!) But there are tons of other things that she is working on, including this blog! She is working on generating multiple income streams, learning how to be more frugal with couponing and making smarter shopping choices, and learning how to be less wasteful with composting and gardening. She is also investing and being smarter about her money. Follow along with her journey by subscribing to Partnersinfire to learn more!
