30-Day Challenge To Help You Reach FIRE

Who doesn’t like a 30-day challenge? They’re a great way to get you moving towards your goals. This is why I’ve compiled this great list of 30 different things you can do in just 30 days, to help kickstart your journey to financial independence and retiring early!

What’s even better is that these actions take less than an hour to complete, meaning you aren’t giving up a big chunk of your day to do them. Before we begin, consider downloading the PDF chart of the 30-day challenge so you can track your progress in real-time. Now let’s get started!

1. Calculate your FIRE number

Your FIRE number is how much money you need to reach financial independence and retire early. Look at your estimated annual expenses in retirement and multiply that by 25. Finding this number is the first step in your FIRE journey.

2. Write down your FIRE plan

Figure out what you’re going to invest in to get your goal (FIRE number), when you’re going to invest and how long it’s going to take.

3. Re-evaluate your emergency fund

Make sure your emergency fund is fully adequate. Consider inflation, change in expenses, and any previous withdrawals.

4. Renegotiate your credit card interest rates

Just pick up the phone and call your credit cardholders. All you have to do is ask for a lower credit card rate and - boom! You’re done.

5. Plan your recipes for a week

Pre-planning your meals = less likely to eat out or buy expensive “convenient” meals = saving $$$.

6. Set up an IRA account

Be it a traditional IRA or Roth IRA, this is a great tool to help you start saving and investing for early retirement.

7. Find 5 items you can sell

Most of us buy things we don’t need and barely use. Go through your belongings and sell at least five of them - the money is worth more to you than the items!

8. Try to invest 10% more

Beef up your investment accounts by adding a little more this month. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.

9. Calculate your credit card utilization ratio

Take the total amount of credit you’re using and divide it by the total amount of credit you have available. Reducing your utilization ratio will increase your credit score.

10. Talk to your HR specialist about job benefits

If there are benefits you aren’t utilizing, find out. It could save you time and money.

11. Research your investment costs

Things like annual fees, management fees, expense ratios, etc. Figure out if you can reduce or eliminate them.

12. Check your credit report

You can do this at annualcreditreport.com. If you see any issues, fix them ASAP.

13. Have a money date

Take someone you love (friend, partner, family member) and talk to them about money. How you invest, what your goals are, what you’ve achieved in the last six months, etc.

14. Check your brokerage account

Make sure you automatically re-investing your dividend payouts.

15. Calculate the hours you worked to pay for the last big-ticket item you bought

People often fail to make the connection between the hours you work and the items, but it’s an important one. This will encourage you to reclaim your time and freedom, which is a big part of FIRE.

16. Subscribe to our YT channel and Instagram

With over 170 videos on Youtube, you’ll find plenty of useful information and inspiration for your own FIRE journey.

17. Create a 72-hour buy list

Every time you see something you want to buy, write it down on a 72-hour buy list. Wait 72 hours until your impulse to buy has been reduced, then ask yourself if you still want to buy these items. In most cases, you’ll change your mind (and save $$$).

18. Write down your plan for tackling debt

Sit down and write a detailed plan to tackle your debt, and make sure to prioritize which debts you want to deal with first.

19. Review your subscription services

It’s easy to forget about your subscriptions, and they can really take a chunk out of your bank account. Evaluate your subscriptions and figure out which services you can do without.

20. Automate your investments

Automatically transferring money from your checking or savings account to your investment account is a great way to take the emotion out of investing.

21. Improve your financial literacy

Books, podcasts, videos - whatever it is, improving financial literacy is one the best ways to help you grow and sustain your wealth.

22. Exercise at home

Health is wealth! 30-minute walks, 20 minutes of yoga, pick whatever works for you.

23. Get something for free

People give things away all the time, especially on Facebook and Craigslist. Try to find something you could use, like a piece of furniture or equipment. Getting things for free means saving money, and saving money means more to invest.

24. Rebalance your portfolio

Rebalancing your investment accounts will minimize risk and maximize profits.

25. Create a budget

One of the foundations of FIRE is setting a budget. Make sure you allocate money to your investments, your FIRE goals, and growing your wealth first.

26. Research any financial questions you have

Whatever question you have, take an hour out of your day to dive deep and get the answers you’re looking for.

27. Remove your credit card information from online sites

One-click buying is an invitation to spend, whether you need to or not. Removing credit card info makes it harder to make purchases, and will make you think twice about your transactions.

28. Join a FIRE group

Spending time with people who are pursuing FIRE will encourage, inspire, and motivate you to work harder to achieve your own FIRE goals. You can share and gather new tips and find support from people who share your ambitions.

29. Delete shopping and spending apps from your phone

Ubereats, Amazon Shopping, all these apps are built to make gratuitous spending more convenient. Deleting them will help you avoid unnecessary spending.

30. Give back

Do something for someone else, or for your community. Donate your time or your money, make sure you do something that impacts someone other than yourself.

So that’s our 30-day challenge. Make sure to track your journey by downloading our 30-Day Challenge PDF. It may seem like a lot of tasks, but I guarantee you’ll be so much closer to achieving FIRE once you’re done. Good luck!