I chatted with Brad and Johnathan on their amazing podcast Choose FI. We covered a 100 miles but seemed to keep circling back to:
- grit
- resilience
- how to train yourself to make the hard choices
- the power of gratitude and generosity
- creating a life that lines up with your values and goals
- minimalism
All interwoven in the stories of my life. They did an amazing job pulling this episode together. I hope you find a few takeaways to mix into your own life.
Listen HERE.
Such an awesome and powerful story — thanks for sharing it Jillian!
Thanks Tyson!
I was very intrigued/moved by your story on the podcast and have been perusing your website ever since. I apologize if you’ve already covered this but I haven’t run across an explanation of how you keep health/health insurance expenses regularly under $200/month. With so many of the ACA protections at risk, I worry that we’ll all go back to being what I’ve heard called “wage slaves”…tied to a job with health benefits until 65 and Medicare. It’s interesting that we hear mostly about high deductibles, lifetime caps, and medical bankruptcy but very little about the loss of freedom we experience when the only way to have more affordable healthcare is to work for a big company. Thanks from your neighbor in Idaho.
My husband retired from the military and we have that insurance. We pay 80/20 with a yearly cap. I know a lot of people who use Liberty healthcare and love it or buy off the market. There are a few options out there. It’s what all self-employed people have to figure out. I think it’s really important to have insurance, it just takes a bit of time to figure out your options.
Ah, so I think I understand the co- insurance aspect but a little unsure based on the way you described it. Do you mean you pay 80 and the insurer pays 20? Or the other way around? And the yearly cap… is that on what you pay or the insurer?
It’s insurance provided to military retires so it’s probably not applicable. But for us we pay 20% and the insurance pays 80%. We average about $3000 a year out of pocket. But there is a cap on how much we pay out of pocket. I think it’s about $3500, which would be our max spend. We have come close to hitting it most years.
Thanks for clarifying. I think most families would be happy with that coverage and it’s the least our veterans and their families deserve as a thank you for their service.
I really enjoyed listening to this. You shared so many great things. Some parts of your story make me think, “That is just crazy! How does she do that!?!?!” This episode really made it clear that some of it has been a crazy hard struggle and you’ve done it by being willing to do really hard things.
Especially with the kids thing. I have one son who is almost one, but there have been some times over the last year that were so hard. There hasn’t been a moment that I haven’t been so glad that I have him, but there have been moments when I just felt so much despair. I’ve felt like I couldn’t handle things but then of course, somehow I make it through. I always wonder how anybody handles multiple kids. But I guess it’s just like handling one… you decide that it’s worth it do to anything for them because you love them like crazy and then you stick to it because what choice is there anyway?
When it comes to things that are difficult that aren’t our kids though, we often do have the choice to take the easy way out and not do the difficult thing. It’s clear that you’ve been willing to take the harder route, and frankly, have made sacrifices that I wouldn’t be willing to make or that just wouldn’t be right for me.
This episode and your blog in general does make me look a little differently at my choices though. Maybe I’m not pushing hard for FI or working to see how far I can cut back expenses, but reading about the people that are pursuing or have reached FI makes me more motivated to save a little more and be a little more careful with my spending.
I think doing the hard things is not so hard when you really know where you want to go and you see that this hard thing is the right path. Clarity provides the motivation. And for sure, not every choice is right for everyone. Each person’s journey should be really unique and tailored to them. But I love hearing other people’s stories because it gives me a new perspective and more creativity in mine.
From the Choose FI crowd, truly inspiring Jillian! Thank you
Thanks so much! Hope it was helpful. =)
Hi Jillian! I discovered you through listening to the Choose FI podcast, which I heard about through the Journey to Launch podcast. Your interview and story were incredible. I was really moved by your warmth and determination.
I am so new to FI and I am approaching 50, so I feel really intimidated and wonder if I can get to FI. Hearing your story of retiring debt and reaching FI without a huge income gives me hope, even if I’m almost old enough to be your mother!
I am looking forward to exploring your resources to see what I can use with my own journey. Thank you for sharing your story. There is such power in that.
There is always time to build more financial freedom! Often you can make progress faster at 50 than a 20-year-old can. Best of luck!
I’m finally catching up!
That was a great interview Jillian! Really is so important to keep moving even with the fear.
Things get better with practice. Even building courage takes practice.