Living the Good Life on $24,000 a Year? Retire in Your 20’s or 30’s?

[Kal Di]

It misses the point to assume that retirement means doing nothing (which is not necessarily boring) or being bored (which doesn't always come from doing nothing). Plenty of people are busier in their retirement than they were during their career. It all depends on what you choose to do. But the choice is yours. You're not tied to a job or a business, unless you want to be. If you get laid off - who cares? If management changes, and you just want to bail - no problem! If you want to pour all of your time into a new passion project, or work on that doctorate, or read every single book you've put off for "some day" - go for it!

... The plan, as it was outlined, seems to put you in a position where you're essentially doing nothing all day, every day.  It doesn't actually allow you to do anything you want, it simply removes employment from your life. ...

volunteer at an after school program and tutor math (I did that for a year)           

hike the Continental Divide Trail (I would LOVE to do that if I didn't have to work)

volunteer at a hospital (I did that for about 6 months - escorted patients around the hospital, restocked the supply closet in the ER, defrosted the refrigerator in the staff break room, they even decided they were going to teach me to draw blood LOL)

volunteer at a summer camp (I quit my job once and spent the spring, summer and fall at a camp in upstate NY -- spent the spring hooking up the plumbing, painting the cabins, getting the pool ready -- spent the summer teaching fishing and frog catching to a bunch of 8 year old kids -most fun I have EVER had- and spent the fall closing the camp -disconnecting the plumbing, draining the pool, locking everything up -- did it all for the room and board -one of the best 7 months ever)

teach English as a Second Language -- I volunteered in China Town in NYC for one week teaching English to Asian immigrants
had to quit when it became obvious that 75% of them were single women who were looking to get married
it was just too weird

but there is PLENTY you could do if you looked around

I agree many people assume retirement means doing nothing or being bored. Some people have personal pursuits like getting a doctorate degree, producing a film, or explore a new country for a year. A $24,000 annual salary is possible to live in some small cities or rural areas in the USA. However, it's easier to live a higher quality of life with that income in a Latin American, Eastern European, African, or Southeast Asian country.