It occurred to me that before Mr Money Mustache there was a man. 

‘Sometimes, there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that’s the Dude, in Los Angeles.’

Not only is The Big Lebowski my favourite film of all time, but it is also a cult classic. I must have seen the film over 20 times and I enjoy it every time. For those of you not familiar with the film, it was released in 1998 and follows Jeffery Lebowski aka “The Dude” as he and his hapless friends Walter and Donnie try to solve a mystery of a kidnapped wife of the “Big Lebowski” after he crosses path with the wealthy Jeffery Lebowski in a case of mistaken identity. 

The thing about the Dude is he doesn’t work. He spends his time drinking White Russian cocktails and bowling. He is certainly Retired Early and one must assume he is Financially Independent. 

The film never explains how he maintains this life of leisure from a financial viewpoint. It is said the Coen brothers deliberately kept that a mystery, and I like that as knowing his financial history would have taken away from the mystique of the Dude. There is a theory that the explanation for his idleness is that his father invented the Rubik’s cube and he lives off the royalties from this; however, he lives a somewhat frugal lifestyle so I’m not sure that would be true as Rubik’s cubes are very popular and sell millions a year. 

No, I think the Dude at one time decided he was going to FIRE and saved and invested and lived frugally. He worked as a roadie for Metallica (“fuckin assholes”) in his younger days so probably saved a fair bit. All he had to do was stick it in a Vanguard account and there you go. 

I’ve always been envious of the Dude’s lifestyle and attitude to life so maybe through FIRE I can achieve the same end. I’d love for people to dismiss me and assume I’m poor when I have several million in the bank. That side of FIRE really does appeal to me. I’d be happy to be out there “taking it easy for all you sinners.”

I’m going to channel my inner Dude and keep on keeping on and save that money. 

Have you ever wondered about the finances behind a film character? Leave a comment below and let me know.