QT002 What would really happen if you got a 20% pay rise tomorrow?

Would your savings rate go up…Or would your lifestyle quietly rise to meet it?

In this Quick Take episode of Life After Enough, Nic breaks down the hidden cost of lifestyle creep and why it’s one of the biggest reasons people stay stuck chasing financial independence longer than they need to.

Lifestyle creep doesn’t look reckless. But every permanent upgrade actually raises the price of your freedom.

In this Quick Take, we explore:

• What lifestyle creep actually is and why it’s so easy to miss
• How spending just $1,000 more per year adds $25,000 to your FIRE number
• Why lifestyle creep turns into time creep
• How “deserved” upgrades become invisible baseline costs
• The psychology behind lifestyle inflation: exhaustion, autopilot, status
• Why FIRE plans fail when spending drifts without intention

Practical takeaways:

• How to freeze fixed costs while income grows
• Why automating salary increases is one of the fastest ways to buy freedom
• How to run an “enough audit” using intentional spending
• One grounding question that reveals bad trade-offs:

  Would I trade more time at work for this?

If you want to learn more about the math underpinning this:

This episode builds directly on Episode 3 — FIRE 101: Freedom, Myths & Math, where we break down how your FIRE number works, why spending matters more than income, and how lifestyle choices quietly add years to your timeline.

The core idea is that lifestyle creep feels like progress but it’s often just disguised delay. Choosing enough over more isn’t about deprivation. It’s about buying back time, flexibility, and peace.

🎙️ Quick Takes are short, reflective episodes designed to interrupt autopilot and help you think differently about money, work, and the life you’re building after enough.

If this episode resonated, follow Life After Enough and share it with someone quietly paying the cost of more.