TLDR
- A taxi driver I met in 2026, now 47, was retrenched during Covid. Because he and his wife had paid everything down, he realized he didn’t need another full-time job.
- He now drives from 4am to 12pm and stops. No politics, no drama.
- Paying down debt shrinks the number you need, because spending that has ended doesn’t need funding forever.
- Most people never decide what enough is, so the target keeps moving: a bigger car, a bigger home, more toys.
This week I met a man who is already living what I’m working towards.
He drives a taxi. He’s 47. He was retrenched during Covid, and his kid is sitting the O levels this year.
When the job went, he realised something most people never find out. He and his wife had paid everything down. So he didn’t need another full-time job. He could have stopped.
He decided to take a taxi license and drives a taxi instead. 4am to 12pm. Then he’s done for the day.
He goes home, sleeps, exercise, hangout with family, prepare a meal, naps, then drive again.
No politics.
No drama.
He’s happy doing what he does, and then he chills.
What I told him
I told him I was really happy for him.
And that I’m working towards what he’s done and is doing.
He sounded surprised.
I told him – not many people in Singapore do what you’ve done. Not many people know what enough is, or when to stop. So they keep going. NEXT: Bigger car, bigger home, more expensive toys.
Until they die, or go broke.
He kept quiet – I think he knew.
Enough isn’t a number you reach. It’s a number you decide, and a date you hold yourself to.
Why paying it down worked
The maths behind what he did is simple, and most people miss it.
Your FI number is what you spend in a year, times about 25. But a mortgage that’s paid off isn’t spending anymore. Neither is a car loan that’s finished. Every debt he cleared was spending he never had to fund again. I’ve worked that through here.
Then the driving covers what’s left. Eight hours, done by noon, on his terms. That’s what the FIRE crowd calls Barista FIRE: part-time work covers the gap, so the pot can be smaller. He never needed the word. He just did it. (He probably doesn’t need it, but does it for fun, for some pocket money, maybe extra socialization).
Two things shrank his number:
- Spending that ended, and
- income that doesn’t need a boss.
Those are two of the three things that shrink anyone’s FIRE number.
The part that isn’t maths
The hard part was never the maths. It’s deciding where the line is, and then not moving it.
Most people never draw the line…or are even able to commit to a number. It becomes a false moving goal post – every raise becomes a bigger instalment. Every promotion becomes a nicer postcode. The finish line walks away from them at exactly the speed they run.
He drew his. Maybe accidentally cos of COVID, but its a nice accident I think. And now he finishes work before lunch.
I congratulated him again. I meant it.
Find your line
Open the calculator and put in what you actually spend. Then take out the debts that will end. That smaller number is closer to your real enough than the one you’ve been chasing.