<prompt> Human: Hey PF, first time poster in PF but wanted to share my recent thoughts with you guys. Any feedback and personal anecdotes would be most appreciated! A little bit of background about me, Im 26 and make 80k a year. Ive been working for almost 5 years now and even though Ive been maxing my 401k for the last 3 years, I still feel that I can do more to achieve my goal of early retirement. Ive been on a huge FIRE research binge and have the allure of early retirement has really got me hooked into thinking about how amazing it would be to retire at the age of 35. At the same time, I take a look at my peers and it becomes increasingly obvious that FIRE is something that would be laughed at if brought up. IT seems the only place I can discuss this would be in a forum like PF. 1. Drinking or lack thereof: Most people in my age group enjoy drinking on the weekends. Obviously this can get out of control fairly quickly, but it seems like the only real advice out there is to either be the DD or just be sober. There really doesnt seem to be a good common ground between spending money on going out and not. 2. Shopping on discount websites like slickdeals: I fall into this trap far too frequently. Just because something is 25, 50, or even 99 off doesnt mean you have to have it. The advice that if you put something into your shopping cart and wait one day will work wonders on impulse shopping. 3. Big life event budgeting: You can always choose between the 2000 ring and the 10000 and the analogy continues with the wedding. Do you have a small intimate affair or do you want to have a huge celebration of people? Although I am not looking to get married soon, this is something that is definitely on my mind. 4. Keeping up with the Jones: I think every person has at least one moment in their life where they fell hook, line, and sinker and did something purely for the status or coolness factor. This was me in 11th grade buying an ipod nano because having an ipod was cool. I know my collection of thoughts may seem random and disorganized, but my goal is to share the types of decisions that may positively or negatively impact my end goal of FIRE. Likening it to weight loss, it really is a genuine mindset and those who are able to maintain consistency and discipline will realize their dreams.  <response>: Drinking tip: order a tonic water in a rocks glass with a twist of lemon. Tip the bartender decent for the first one and tell him youre the DD for the night. Youll drink for free after that and your friends are none the wiser. This is an old poker players trick. 