r/baristafire

Has anyone here worked full or part time for an airline as a BaristaFIRE gig? When I hit my FIRE number, I’m thinking it might be a possibility to work as a gate agent or something similar until I am eligible for Medicare.

I live in a city that is a hub for American Airlines and it looks like you and your spouse can get free standby travel and access to health insurance as benefits. This could solve the healthcare issue and also make travel a lot more affordable.

The downside would be having to deal with assholes a lot of the time, but I do that already. Has anyone done this?

Using a burner account, but I’ve been a longtime lurker of this side of Reddit!

TL;DR - How can I BaristaFIRE while my partner continues to work? When is the best time for us to each independently step away (or become 9-5 optional)?
numbers and context below:

30 y/o, MCOL US City

Income:
9-5 Salary: $250k/year
‘Passion’ Earnings: $300/month (Variable)
Partner’s Salary: $159k/year
$18k annual ‘trust fund’

Net Worth:
$300k in Brokerage Account
$210k in 401k/Roth IRA
$20k in HYSA
Partner’s Liquid NW: $100k (401k & Brokerage Combined)
—-

Roughly my annual expenses are roughly $75k which I split with my partner, so really my annual expenses are closer to $37.5k. My partner is in a career he enjoys and pays more than enough to support our shared annual expenses ($75k), however, I’m less content in my corporate job and would rather pursue my passions, which I’m currently doing on the side of my 9-5. I make a little bit of income from my ‘gig’ work (anywhere between $300-600/month) but could probably scale that up a bit more if I had more time/energy to invest in that area of my life.

Regarding the trust fund - my mom ‘gifts’ me around $18k cash every year as that is the highest amount that she can transfer without triggering a taxable event. I’ve only had this for two years and I’ve just put it right in my brokerage. I recognize that this is a huge privilege.

My partner and I don’t always split everything 50/50 and he’s open to the idea of me leaving my corporate job, but I want to make sure I’m not putting a burden on him by ‘increasing’ his expenses by covering for both of us while we wait for our investments to just sit & grow. We have no interest in having children, we own our condo.

I’m looking for help understanding when would be optimal for me to leave my 9-5, and how that would impact my partner’s ability to leave his, should he choose to in the future (I’d love for him to have the ‘work optional’ freedom).

Any perspectives on how to best make this work, milestones to hit with NW or savings so that my partner and I can both reach FI would be greatly appreciated :)

Thank you!!

I have officially reached my number!! I'm able to leave my stressful job and take a more relaxed job teaching English overseas. My plan is one year in Prague, then off to Hong Kong for 4-5 years or so. The ESL pay isn't much, but I'm prepared for that. I was only making $1800 a month teaching English in Japan before we came back to the US. The biggest shake up was going from less than $2k a month to over $10k. Yet, we avoided lifestyle creep by living on only 40% of what we make. Surprisingly, it wasn't too difficult because we live in remote Alaska and there isn't much to spend it on anyway.

Hong Kong pays a lot more, but I need a recent year of classroom teaching to go with my MEd and Prague is where I'll be taking my in person TEFL class to refresh my skills as I haven't taught English since February 2025. Has anyone else looked at baristaFIRE abroad? What made you decide to go and where did you settle down? We won't be returning to the US, I'm already 51 so my husband and I will be leaving Hong Kong and heading straight to the Philippines (which we love) to retire in Baguio. We've been global nomads since we sold everything and moved out of the US in 2022. Coming back was never part of the plan, but I'm glad that we did for this two-year contract. This sub has provided so much great information. Good luck out there!!

After the last few days' gains, my investment account has crossed an important threshold - where I can live on a 4% withdrawal (maybe a bit less too with some proper planning). I am from the USA and 47 years old. But, I would be depending on the ACA marketplace for health insurance with subsidy. Without the subsidy, the numbers do not work yet.

So, I am thinking instead of completely letting go, how may I spend some time on my craft in easy mode and earn some money. The problem is I have zero knowledge outside of a few mega tech companies where I worked, and they will never allow a part-time employee. I tried to get a job in smaller-size companies and while interviews went well, I could not convince the hiring managers that I am genuinely interested to work there for an easy workload, helping other people to solve their problems, review their work etc. And I am fine with an 80% pay cut for that.

I am sure I can help some company in some corner, but I am kind of clueless about how to find them. My network is good for full time job, but now what I am looking for.

#firstpost

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