The Fire method: Would you cut your lifestyle to the bone, just so you can afford to retire early?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The high costs of life in Ireland make ‘extreme saving’ tricky

Kel Galavan does a shopping list at home in Kildare. Photo: Frank McGrath

Gabrielle Monaghan

After the 2008 recession struck, Kel Galavan turned to the Fire method (financial independence, retire early) to dig her family out of a financial hole.

Her husband had lost his job when his employer went out of business, and the couple could no longer live in the home they’d bought at the peak of the Celtic Tiger after anti-social behaviour set in when construction of their new estate came to a halt.