Here’s why we believe Barista FIRE is a better fit for us than full early retirement—and how we began our journey.

"What if you could quit your stressful job, never worry about bills again, and still afford weekend getaways or your dream campervan? That’s the promise of Barista FIRE."

If you've been exploring financial independence, you've probably come across Barista FIRE—a lifestyle that blends the freedom of early retirement with the flexibility of part-time work. Unlike traditional FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early), where you completely stop working, Barista FIRE allows you to cover your essential living expenses with passive income while working a low-stress, enjoyable job to fund luxuries. Lets break it down why we would prefer this over full retirement? See here how we started out.

Want to see how far you are from Barista FIRE, check it with our calculator!

Why Choose Barista FIRE?

1. Full Retirement Can Get Boring Fast

Many people dream of quitting their jobs forever, but the reality is that complete early retirement can become monotonous. Without structure, purpose, or social interaction, many retirees find themselves unfulfilled. This is especially the case when all of your friends and family are still stuck in the rat race. Barista FIRE offers the best of both worlds— you have the social contacts with your job, own company, or volunteer work, but also increased luxury because of the incoming salaries.

2. Financial Security Without Overworking

Instead of grinding for decades to amass a massive nest egg, Barista FIRE lets you reach financial independence faster. By covering all fixed living expenses (housing, food, utilities) with passive income from investments, you only need to work enough to cover a luxury lifestyle. This means that if you want to take a year off, you can without it causing any stress, but if you want to work a year to buy that sports car, or campervan then that is also a choice. It is the freedom of choice that is the goal.

3. Access to Healthcare and Benefits

For the American readers, many part-time jobs, including those in retail and hospitality, offer health insurance and other benefits. For most of the European readers this is not really an issue because most of us are not insured via our employer.

4. More Time for Passion Projects

Since your job is no longer about survival, you can choose part-time work in an industry you're passionate about. You can finally try to start that business you were always dreaming of but was too afraid to start. Or open your own B&B and join one of those real-life television programs. No matter what you choose, you can spend time on things that genuinely interest you without financial stress.

“Instead of trying to escape the corporate grind forever, I opened a small cat-grooming business—work that energizes me and fits my life. It doesn’t pay the bills fully, but it funds small luxuries and, most importantly, helps me feel alive.” - Susan Cesarini

5. Avoiding Burnout While Still Earning

Barista FIRE ensures that you don’t have to stay in a high-stress job just to achieve full FIRE. Also a lot of the FIRE alternatives are too focused on an extreme savingsrate, which just causes you to delay living you life right at this moment also. By enjoying your life now and focusing on being financially free in the future, you can achieve Barista Fire at a quite early age. We hope to achieve this level before our 50th birthday.

How to Achieve Barista FIRE

Reaching Barista FIRE doesn’t require decades of grinding or extreme frugality—it just takes planning, discipline, and flexibility. Here’s a more detailed roadmap to get you started:

1. Save & Invest to Cover Essential Expenses

The goal is to build enough passive income to pay for your non-negotiable living costs—things like rent or mortgage, groceries, utilities, insurance, and transportation. A common rule of thumb is to use the 4% rule to estimate how much you need:

• Example: If your essential expenses are $2,000/month, or $24,000/year, you’d aim for:

  $24,000 ÷ 0.04 = $600,000 in invested assets.

You can achieve this through a mix of investments such as:

• Low-cost index funds (e.g., VTI, VOO)

• Dividend-paying stocks

• Real estate rentals

• REITs (real estate investment trusts)

📌 Want to know which investments match your risk appetite? Try our Risk Profile Tool.

2. Choose Work You Actually Enjoy

Once your basic needs are covered, any work you do is to fund extras: travel, hobbies, dining out, or that campervan you’ve been dreaming about.

Look for:

• Low-stress part-time roles (retail, libraries, community cafés, creative gigs)

• Freelance or passion projects (writing, photography, tutoring)

• Starting a small business you’ve always dreamed of

The key is to pick something that adds joy, not stress.

3. Live Below Your Means—But Don’t Deprive Yourself

While saving aggressively helps you get to Barista FIRE faster, it’s important to enjoy the journey too. Focus on:

• Minimizing fixed costs (housing, transportation, recurring bills)

• Avoiding lifestyle inflation when your income increases

• Spending intentionally on what brings you joy

💡 Barista FIRE is about balance, maximum efficiency.

4. Stay Flexible and Adapt

Barista FIRE gives you freedom, but life is unpredictable. You may want to take a year off, go full-time for a while, or pick up extra hours to fund a big expense. That’s the beauty of this approach—it lets you adapt without financial stress.

5. Use the Right Tools to Track Your Progress

Beyond our own calculator, here are other helpful resources:

• Fire Calculator – see how long your money might last

• Personal Capital – track your net worth and spending

• “Your Money or Your Life” by Vicki Robin – mindset-shifting classic

• Mr. Money Mustache – great for motivation and strategy

Reminder: Barista FIRE isn’t about quitting forever—it’s about working on your own terms, and reaching a point where your time is truly yours.

Final Thoughts

Barista FIRE is the perfect middle ground between financial independence and staying active in the workforce, whether your work for yourself or for a company. By securing your essential living costs through investments and working only for extras, you can live a stress-free, fulfilling life without the boredom that often comes with early retirement. If you’re looking for a sustainable, enjoyable way to achieve financial freedom, Barista FIRE might be your best option.

“Would you ever consider Barista FIRE? Let us know in the comments—and don’t forget to try our FIRE calculator to see how close you are!”