I took 3 years off from about ages 27-30. I wasn’t making a ton of money at the time (this was about a decade ago) and figured retirement was unlikely so I may as well enjoy my life now. Leading up to that point I had been living cheaply, working a full time office job and doing freelance SEO writing on the side for 5 years.
I lived very cheaply, worked a few freelance jobs, burned through my savings, and ended up finding a job when I had about 6 months of expenses left in my savings account. Never had to dip into retirement or stocks though.
Best time of my life. Many people like the sound of this but have no interest in actually living that way. I lived in a tiny studio apartment, rode a bicycle everywhere, ate a cheap plant based diet, and bought almost nothing.
Don’t feel like you have to go out and live somebody else’s retirement fantasy. The time is yours, so do what you want with it. I spent weeks watching DVDs from the library.
Personally, I liked having a routine and would make a little checklist at the start of every week that I had to do everyday. I remember stuff on it being like:
1. Say hello to someone I don’t already know.
2. Brush 2x and floss.
3. Walk for 1 hour after dinner.
I ended up doing some 500 sit-up program and within a year was doing like 5000 crunches a week. I also said yes to everything I was offered and wouldn’t worry about money too much. If a friend was going to a $5 concert, I could drop everything and go.
I have a lot of good memories from that time. It was amazing to just feel completely free.
Buy a really nice early 2000s road bike with a big squishy seat and a new helmet and go for a 1 hour ride every day. You'll see way more of your community than walking an hour every day. That gets you within a 6-9 mile radius from your house.
The only thing I would add is that a big squishy seat does not equal comfort. Sometimes small saddles fit the best. Find a saddle that is comfortable; they are worth paying the money for.
And riding for a while can get you a lot more than a 6-9 mile radius. More like 40 miles.
Yeah I have a rock hard saddle myself, which is ultimately the better solution, but "sore butt" seems to be the #1 complaint from new cyclists, is the only reason I recommend it to absolute newbies
I lived very cheaply, worked a few freelance jobs, burned through my savings, and ended up finding a job when I had about 6 months of expenses left in my savings account. Never had to dip into retirement or stocks though.
Best time of my life. Many people like the sound of this but have no interest in actually living that way. I lived in a tiny studio apartment, rode a bicycle everywhere, ate a cheap plant based diet, and bought almost nothing.