A day in the life of a 34-year-old early retiree who lives in NYC, grew his net worth to $1.25 million in just 5 years, and wakes up at 7:30 a.m. every morning
Grant Sabatier, age 34, retired at age 30 after spending five years building a net worth of $1.25 million while working in digital marketing.
Sabatier said the only consistent thing in his life is when he wakes up — 7:30 a.m., every day. He does this no matter what time he goes to bed, even if it's at 2 a.m.
Fellow friend and "strategic partner" Vicki Robin has been staying with Sabatier and his wife for the week. She originated the FIRE movement and co-authored "Your Money or Your Life."
If he's waking up at home, Sabatier typically takes his 9-year-old Eskie, Walter, for a 45-minute walk through Brooklyn and its parks at 7:45 a.m.
"Sometimes Walter wants to walk further than other times," he said. "I usually let him lead. He's really walking me."
Other mornings, Sabatier heads to a yoga class with his wife or does a 30-minute yoga practice on his own.
Sabatier is an egg or everything bagel fan. An hour after walking Walter, he grabs breakfast. Today, it's Bergen's Bagels, which he says is home to "the best lox bagel in NYC."
This is part of the Brooklyn experience he's been curating for Robin the entire week.
Around 9 a.m., Sabatier heads to the local post office to mail signed copies of his book. He typically ships out about 40 copies every week when he's home. By now, he's used to carting books around — Ikea bags work best, he said.
"I don't sell signed copies — these are all for people who reached out asking for one, or they missed me on my book tour, as favors for friends, or to people who will be reviewing it or having me on their podcast," he said. "At any given time, I have hundreds of copies of the book and padded mailers in my office."
So far, he's given away almost 1,000 pounds of books.
Afterwards, Sabatier hits his home office with Robin to work. This is the first time in three years he's had an office — he previously worked on his laptop in his kitchen, in libraries, or in coffee shops.
"I really love having a desktop and so many of my books nearby," he said. "My life has changed a lot in the past four years moving from Chicago to New York, and many of my books have been in storage until recently."
His books stack up all the way to the ceiling in his office.
He and Robin spend some time planning their upcoming conference in May, the first Financial Freedom Summit, discussing the history of the FIRE movement, and talking about climate change.
Around 11:40 a.m., Sabatier breaks for lunch, which typically consists of "whatever random things I have in the fridge and pantry mixed together," he said. Sabatier spends so much time traveling and eating on the road that he likes to eat simply at home.
He eats a lot of salads, salmon, avocado, bananas, and eggs.
"I'm not a big cooker," he said. "I'd rather leave it to the pros and enjoy eating awesome food when I eat out. I can roast a chicken and make a killer omelet, but that's about it."
At noon, Sabatier and Robin take advantage of the nice weather and head to Brooklyn Botanical Garden, where Sabatier is a member. "This is one of my favorite places on earth," he said.
The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is "just the right size with the right vibe," he said. "If you go at noon on any weekday then you'll be lucky if you see even 10 people. It's almost like having your own private park. Sometimes I just go out alone and lie down under a tree or read a book. My favorite parts are the rose garden and the Japanese garden."
At 2:15 p.m., Sabatier and Robin tire of walking and drive into Manhattan. They take the long route to soak up the water views.
Sabatier drops Robin off on the Upper West Side to meet her sister for coffee.
Afterwards, Sabatier heads to the central New York Public Library to work on his blog in their reading room.
"The secret is that you want to work on the right side of the library where tourists can't come over and take pictures," he said. "For as many people who are there, it's exceptionally quiet."
He added: "I'm excited because for the first time I've hired three other writers to help me reach more people with Millennial Money. I sit down and check on their work and follow up."
As he heads out around 4:45 p.m., Sabatier spots an exhibit on Walt Whitman, one of his favorite poets, and stops to check it out.
Whitman is also one of Sabatier's favorite marketers.
"After only selling a few hundred copies of the first version of his seminal work 'Leaves of Grass' he kept revising and marketing the new versions of the book," he said. "He managed to get a copy to Ralph Waldo Emerson and his hustle paid off."
Whitman went on to publish many editions of the book. "I like to think we'd have been friends," Sabatier said.
Next on his agenda is hitting up a nearby Barnes & Noble to sign three copies of his book. He tries to do this whenever he's near a Barnes & Noble since they've been a "big supporter" of his book.
"Signing stealth copies all over the country and in airports is a lot of fun — people often hit me up on Instagram when they find them," he said.
Some weeks, Sabatier does a lot of interviews with the media. At 5:30 p.m., he talks with a national publication about how student loans work and the best strategies for refinancing student loans.
"I get asked about everything from how to best use credit card rewards to travel to how to retire early when you're making less than $50,000," he said. "I really enjoy the interviews and always make time for them."
Fifteen minutes later, Sabatier sets off for a walk to Times Square on his way to dinner. "Sometimes I just love to walk 30 to 40 blocks through the city after a long day," he said. "It's the best city to walk in the world."
Even though Times Square is full of tourists and many locals try to avoid it, Sabatier said he seeks it out and walks through it when he can.
He said: "It's like a video game. So many lights, faces, and people to weave through. I first visited Times Square on a family trip when I was 10, and I've been back many times. Every time there are more lights, more screens, and more crazy. We clearly love more. If the internet was a place, it would be Times Square."
At 6:15 p.m., it's time for dinner. Sabatier meets back up with Robin and fellow FIRE friends Julien and Kirsten from the blog "Rich and Regular" to eat at Bareburger, a local organic burger chain.
Sabatier gets the Impossible Burger, calling it "legit."
Read more: These are the 21 ingredients that make an Impossible Burger look and taste like meat
At 7:30 p.m., Sabatier and his friends head to the NYC premiere of the documentary "Playing with FIRE," the first documentary about the FIRE movement and personal finance.
Sabatier was one of the early retirees included in the film, which also gave him the opportunitiy to foster new friendships and participate on panels at both the Washington DC and New York City premieres.
By 10 p.m., Sabatier is home. He enjoys the late summer/early fall glow over the city from the rooftop on his building. He typically finds himself here at the end of a long day.
The roof is where Sabatier meditates, which he typically does three to four days a week in the afternoon or early evening, but he doesn't tonight.
"Tonight, I'm just happy and thankful," he said. "I've only lived in New York City for a year and a half, but it's starting to feel a little like home."
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