Sacrifices must be made on the path to financial independence. And perhaps most importantly, once you achieve financial independence, even more sacrifices must be made to stay free and grateful for what you have.
For my last trip to Oahu, this time to surprise my father and take him for his 80th birthday, I decided to fly Basic Economy. I’m actually here this week.
I originally planned to splurge on First Class for $1,600 round-trip because the flight was on the Boeing 777 300ER, my favorite plane with solo first class flat beds along the window. But in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much, largely because of my lifelong frugality.
We’ve had such a strong stock market in 2025 that part of me was okay with treating myself. After all, I sold my old house for a profit in the first quarter of 2025 and bought the dip in March and April with about 80% of my home sale proceeds.
But just as I was about to purchase the First Class ticket, I realized something else. I haven’t suffered in a long time, and the longer I go without discomfort, the softer and lazier I become. Look at my growing pack! So I decided to embrace first world suffering by booking not just Economy, but Basic Economy.
The joy of basic economics
When I was about to pay $460 dollars for standard Economy, United gave me a $60 upsell to choose a window seat. That felt like a bait and switch. And an upgrade to Economy Plus would have cost about $750, which wasn’t appealing for only four inches of extra legroom, especially since I average five feet tall.
So, in true personal financial fashion, I declined the upsell and booked Basic Economy for $360. With Basic Economy you cannot select your seat and you are limited to a carry-on bag that fits under the seat in front of you. Based on what I read, I didn’t know my seat assignment until I got to the gate, which meant I had to arrive earlier than normal.
We had to adjust our morning routine. Instead of leaving home at 8:15 to take the kids to school at 8:27, we left at 7:40 so I could drop them off at 7:53 and still comfortably make my 9:30 departure.
Despite the inconvenience, paying $360 felt totally worth it. Regardless of which class you fly, you will arrive at the same destination at the same time. I took most of the difference between First Class and Basic Economy and invested $1100 of it in ours Fundrise Company account for my children.
I’m glad I did because Microsoft, Nvidia and Anthropic have formed a partnership that now values ​​Anthropic at $350 billion. And Anthropic is a core stake in Fundrise Venture.
Winning the Basic Economy lottery
The Sunday before my flight, I played basketball until 10 p.m., hoping to tire myself out enough to sleep more than an hour on the plane. It worked, as I ended up sleeping about an hour and a half during the four hour and forty-four minute flight. These were the most important wins in the Basic Economy lottery.
First lottery win: You can check in online
I received an unexpected text from United. It said:
“New benefit for you. Basic Economy customers can now check in online and receive a digital boarding pass.”
This took away any concerns about having to check in at the counter or gate. I expected a slow two-step process, but instead Basic Economy suddenly felt identical to regular Economy and Economy Plus.
Second lottery win: short safety line
United now uses the international terminal for flights to Hawaii. This made the security line approximately eighty percent shorter than a normal domestic line. I got through it quickly and reached the gate at 8:37 am thirty-seven for my 9:30 am flight.
For context, I only spent 17 minutes from the time I arrived at the airport to reaching my gate. With 35 minutes to spare before boarding, I treated myself to a $23 tofu curry lunch box.
Third lottery win: landed early
The flight took off on time and landed 22 minutes early. My last four United flights had all left late, so this felt fortunate.
Fourth lottery win – the biggest:
I avoided seat 51E, the dreaded middle seat. Since I arrived early, I asked the gate agent if he could change my seat. I requested a window seat as I like to lean against the wall for extra space.
He said he transferred me to 46L, but he couldn’t print a new boarding pass. That was fine with me. When I checked in again it said the change had not been made. He tried twice before asking me to board and hope for the best as the line behind me grew longer.
I was tense for more than twenty minutes. When they finally closed the door, I realized I had secured the window seat after all. That seat was effectively worth $520 dollars if I had booked Economy and paid extra for seat selection.
With the $160 I saved compared to Economy, I bought poke from Tamura’s Market for my parents, sister and me.
Basic economics is a no-brainer for saving money
My seatmate also fit comfortably in her seat, something that isn’t always guaranteed in Economy. She leaned towards me for most of the flight, but it was fine. She flew solo to Hawaii for her thirty-fifth birthday.
I was tempted to write the hilarious “Can I meet you?billionaire investor Bill Ackman suggested on Twitter, but that wasn’t necessary. Of course, we ended up talking about her 10-day plan in Hawaii, her move from Ukraine five years ago, how she enjoyed living in San Francisco’s Richmond District, and my grand plan to surprise my dad.
The flight turned out to be one of my most pleasant travel experiences, especially because I had misjudged the time difference due to daylight saving time. I thought we had another hour in the air, so waking up from my nap and realizing we had landed early felt like an unexpected bonus.
Basic Economy ultimately emerged as the clear winner. And honestly, after this experience, I’m not sure that any income or wealth level would make me pay for First Class on a regular basis. Paying for four First Class seats for my entire family feels even more extreme. We are not big people.
It’s great to be under 6 feet tall. Besides the potential longevity benefit, it’s great for being able to comfortably fit almost any chair and save money at the same time.
Looking for the next attempt at suffering
With this fortunate but ultimately failed attempt at suffering, I must find new ways to empower myself again. Maybe I should take my kids to tennis so they can save $160 an hour in private tuition and tolerate the occasional tantrum. Oh wait, I already do that.
Finally, I realize that there is also an exciting part of Basic Economy that I enjoy.
Even though I expected to sit in the middle seat, the worst is never guaranteed. You can always get lucky and end up with a knee-bashing aisle seat. If you’re into gambling or investing, it’s a bit exciting not to know. Maybe it bothers you, or you might be lucky.
Do you feel happy? I always do that, so I like to try it.
Readers, what do you think of flying Basic Economy? Why not try it now that the price is so much lower? And do you have any ideas about first world suffering that could help me or anyone else grow stronger and increase our appreciation for life? How much money do you need to make to comfortably pay for a First Class seat?
Fundraisingmentioned in this article, has been a sponsor of Financial Samurai for many years because our investment philosophies are aligned. In total, I invested about $800,000 with Fundrise to gain more exposure to private AI companies and to diversify away from my expensive real estate investments in San Francisco.
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