It' s a pontoon boat made of beer at Wal-Mart, y'all.

 

My friend Steve (he and his wife are 401(k) millionaires, so he knows a thing or two about money), says, “the redneck lifestyle is a beautiful lifestyle”, and I agree. 

Rednecks get a bad rap in America these days, and some of it is well deserved (just Google “Florida man” for proof).  But Steve has a point.  Rednecks know a thing or two about how to savor the moment and how little it can take to live the good life, even if it's just for the weekend.

We have a lake house in Alabama we rent out for short term vacation rentals, and from time to time we'll block it out for our own use.  There's nothing like spending a few hours sitting on the screened in porch chatting with friends and looking at the water to help you let your troubles float away.  Sure, the average redneck might be doing it from a friend's RV, but you get the idea. Friends and nature are two of the most affordable ways to put a bit of life in your life.

There's a temptation to become a heads down workaholic on the way to Financial Independence (FI).  I'm all for frugality and discipline, but for most of us, this is a marathon, not a sprint.   The Mad Fientist has publicly said he became a bit too much of a frugal workaholic for a time, and that he had to back off the frugality and live a little.

So yes, keep taking those checks to the bank.  But leave a little room in the budget for a deposit in the river bank, as well. 

 We got an inner-tube,
We got a trailer hitch.
We're near the river and far from rich.
But we have got each other and gas in the tank,
And we're laughing all the way to the river bank.

– Brad Paisley, Ambassador for the Redneck Lifestyle