Welcome to Prison!
With one window per bedroom, you can see that this years FIRE Escape will rival any caged chicken egg-business.
Only joking of course! Can you imagine if one of those windows represented a bedroom each! Ha ha...
OK, the cottage might not pull you in from the external pictures, but I encourage you to check the internal photos before judging. It's a beauty.
Where is it?
Weaver's Cottage is a detached, stone-built, Grade II listed, three-storey property in the village of Thurlstone, close to Holmfirth, Sheffield.
Weaver's Cottage can be found on Leapings Lane, Thurlstone, Sheffield, S36 9QP.
Why did you pick this Cottage?
I like going to different parts of the UK. I wanted to keep it fairly central to allow more people to attend without alienating too many people.
The building itself matters less to me, but essentially I'm looking for a place that has nice open-spaced rooms, a kitchen, bathrooms and a moderate number of bedrooms. Anything else is a bonus.
What are the dates for the FIRE Escape?
Friday 3rd March to Sunday 5th March
These dates are confirmed, booked and paid for.
Arrival is from 3pm Friday, departure is 10am on Sunday.
Don't worry, you don't have to attend the entire thing, most don't. There's always a mix of people that attend for the whole weekend, and the rest come and say 'hello' at various points throughout.
Can I stop at the Cottage?
As you can see from the link, there are 4 bedrooms, fitting 8 people in total. Lou and I have already taken 1 room, so there are 6 beds (3 x bedrooms) up for grabs.
If you're interested in stopping over, drop me a note in the 'contact' section of this Blog on the right hand side or if you have my personal email, send it direct.
Let me know who's attending with you, and the number of nights you're interested in stopping over.
Due to the limited bedrooms set up, I'll prioritise who I select to stop over by considering the following:
1. People that come in two's and are willing to share beds
2. People that want to stop for 2 nights over 1.
3. People that travel the furthest to get there.
Can I still come along without stopping overnight?
Of course!
You can still join us for the whole weekend by stopping in a local hotel/B&B, or outside in a campervan. A few people have done on previous FIRE Escapes.
You can also come and say hello for a couple of hours if you wish.
How much will it cost to attend?
As in previous years, it'll depend on the final numbers. I've paid for the whole accommodation which was £548. If we get 8 people (inc. lou and I) stopping over it'll be exactly £68.50 each for 2 nights, which is pretty reasonable. But if we get 'Day Guests' it'll come down further.
The weekends are non-profit. We just cover the cost of accommodation. The people that commit to stopping over at the location make the weekend go ahead. For that reason, I ask attendees to contribute a fee they deem reasonable.
In previous years I've asked for donations between £20-£30 if you're joining us for the Saturday only. If you're only coming for 2-3 hours, or stopping Fri evening to Saturday afternoon etc. Let's assess it on a case by case basis (which is always negotiable!).
The £20-30 suggested donation goes directly back to the people stopping overnight, which I'll separate between the 8 of us. Your £20 donation divided by 8 people will be £2.50 each. This also helps to compensate people that purchase food, bread, milk, tea coffee, cakes etc,
Ultimately, I don't want anyone to not attend due to the cost. Nor do I want piss off the people that have committed to stopping over and paying for the location. I try to find a reasonable balance between the two, which I believe I've achieved in earlier FE's. I'm always happy to discuss your attendance cost.
If you have any pricing questions, just let me know.
I'll ask for payment, when I have a better idea of the numbers (and cost).
What do you do during the weekend?
Aside from human sacrifices, drugs and taking over the world... we talk about all things money.
This weekend is a safe place to come and talk about Personal Finance, becoming Financially Independent and Retiring Early. It might be Investing, Matched Betting, Kindle Publishing, Self Sufficiency, Frugal Living or any similar topics.
It's totally informal, and it usually ends up with a 50:50 split of new people a regulars.
Do I need to be rich to attend?
Not at all!
We've had a range of attendees in previous years. From people that have already retired (or could), to people that are in debt and looking to clear it, and everything in between.
Are you interested in joining us?
Please leave a comment below so others can see.
If you've been before, give a brief summary of how you found it.
If you haven't been before, feel free to ask any questions in the comments below and we'll answer them between us.
That's it from me, now it's over to you....
(Picture credit: Taken from www.sykescottages.co.uk)
Labels: Dividend Income, Early Retirement, Financial Independence, FIRE Escape, Frugal Living, Kindle Publishing, Matched Betting, Personal Finance, UK Gathering
