Tried To Walk Out The Door - What Should I Do?

[NYCMiniBee133]

I told my boss I thought it was time for me to leave. They asked me if I would consider another role in the organization. It's a lot of $$$; staying an extra year could pad our stash by 15% of its total value and my DH doesn't think we technically have enough to retire even though I do. Also, presumably it would remove a lot of the stresses that caused me to call it quits in the first place (traveling, answering emails at 9pm and cancelling vacations). However, it will never be as good as sitting in my pj's watching tv and petting my dog. I want to be freeeeeeee. Did anyone experience this particular brand of OMY? How did you decide to pull the trigger regardless, or did you end up taking the alternative they offered?

[James]

I think one of the biggest advantages of Fuck You money is the opportunities it brings. You have this opportunity because you had the money to quit. That is absolutely awesome in and of itself! Congrats!

What you do with that opportunity just depends on so many individual things. Nothing says that just because you get that nice opportunity you need to take it. Just need to weigh it all out between you and your husband. Maybe try for a middle ground with less hours? Just need to figure out what works best for you. If you really have enough money then why stay even for a better job? But since your DH says you don't technically have enough, maybe it's worth staying another year. (Can't have an opinion on that without numbers...)  Not an easy choice I'm sure.

[RetireAbroadAt35]

You're in great shape.  Your FU money has given you the freedom to negotiate your work conditions.  Now you just have to decide how much work you really need to do.

Being an analytical SOB, I'd tackle this by figuring out if I do have enough to retire, and if not, when I'll get there at the salary they are offering. 

If you don't have the numbers worked out yet, swing on over to Ask a Mustachian and post a Case Study.

[DecD]

You're in great shape.  Your FU money has given you the freedom to negotiate your work conditions.  Now you just have to decide how much work you really need to do.

Being an analytical SOB, I'd tackle this by figuring out if I do have enough to retire, and if not, when I'll get there at the salary they are offering. 

If you don't have the numbers worked out yet, swing on over to Ask a Mustachian and post a Case Study.

I agree with this.  It's hard to offer insight without details- how old you are, how much savings you have and when the funds can be accessed, what your spending level is.  If you're 28 and not sure if you're going to have kids or not and have just enough saved to fund a lifestyle at $18K per year, you might make a different choice than if you're 55 and your full pension will kick in 5 years from now. 

It's great that you have options, though!  Congrats on getting a great counteroffer, whether you take it or not.

[Financial.Velociraptor]

I'd agree to try it for 90 days.  You'll know after a quarter whether you made the right decision.

[forummm]

Maybe see how it goes. If you like it, it could be a nice fund that could use for a lot of charitable contributions.

[Scubanewbie]

Nice!  Agree that without numbers it's hard to give an opinion but purely based on the fact that you think you have enough money and DH doesn't I'd accept the job and work with DH to get to a point where we were both comfortable.  That's just me though, DH and I compromise on a lot of things.

[DoNorth]

Same boat--my last day is next Friday and they have been trying to get me to stay.  I took a PT (1-2 days/week with sporadic once a month meetings) job in my new lower cost of living area.  Since I won't have a mortgage, less taxes and significantly less expenses, the ratio of gross to take home is much better than in my current job.  More importantly, its a much lower stress and far more fulfilling position than what I do now.

Take the plunge and you'll be surprised at how you can make money not doing full time work.

[deborah]

Even with a case study, it's your choice. I do think the suggestion of a "probationary" time of 1-3 months for the new arrangement is a good one. The new position SOUNDS good, but will it just devolve?

[Mrs.LC]

Never walk when you can run!!! Do what you want to do and what makes you and SO comfortable. Whatever decision you make isn't permanent either - you can always quit and in many cases be able to go back to work. When we left FT work last year we both stayed on the payroll as occasional/casual employees. In my case I had a specialty position that they hadn't rehired for before I left. I went back a couple days to train the new person a few months after I left. When that was done I quit for good.

[Calvawt]

Don't forget to ask for more time off or a better bonus, too.  I would probably agree to try it out.  You can always quit later!


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[Bearded Man]

I'd try it out for at least a few months. You can always quit. Ask for more PTO though to balance it out so you get more free time than now, while still working and making more money.

[pagoconcheques]

Don't forget to ask for more time off . . . .

So, yeah, if you decide to say another 90 days, which I think is a good suggestion given the delta in compensation, insist on an additional week or two of vacation and insist on working at home 2-3 days a week.  Then take all of your vacation, work only 9-5 or whatever, and hang out in your pajamas when working at home.   

[Exflyboy]

Of course we don't have numbers but if you are at marginally FI.. well then why not try it.

You may actually enjoy the job.. and if you don't well then leave.. Not a hard choice to make unless there are other circumstances.. like in my case I had an 80 mile commute. You can bet I got out of there as fast as I could.

Then I ended up working at an old employer 5 minutes down the road from my house just p.t after I spent 7 months laying on the couch. I am told I have more money than I know what to do with.. But hey its fun, so why not?

[Guesl982374]

I'd ask myself the following questions:

-How uncomfortable is my spouse? Why? If my wife was still very uncomfortable then we'd need to discuss what would make her comfortable.
-Have I tracked our detailed spending over >1 yr to know for sure what my expenses where going to be?
-Would I want to take this job if there wasn't a pay raise? or if there wasn't pay at all?
-What would I want to do with my free time if money wasn't a factor? IE what am I "retiring" to?
-How old am I and what major changes could happen in my life (kid(s), college, housing, length of retirement, medical, elderly parents who need my help, etc)? This to think through how important an incremental 15% of my 'stache would be and to see if I missed anything in planning future expenses.

Depending on how I would answer thoses questions would dictate if I took the job. Notice that the extra money is pretty low on the list.

[frompa]

Thanks everyone for the advice. As an update, I'm still in limbo trying to nail down what the details would look like for a new role. For others who are making a transition, I would suggest spending more time thinking upfront about what you will say or do if they offer to make a new role for you or consider part-time work. I feel like once you start that dialogue, it can get messy fast and if there isn't a real permutation you think would work for you, it's better not to engage at all.

When I read the above, my first thought is that you don't appreciate how much you are in the driver's seat here.  You have FU money; they wouldn't be offering you anything if they didn't really want you to stay.  So, stay in that position, and say you really cannot commit unless the deal is perfect for you, and here's what perfect is: (YOU FILL IN THE BLANK).  Your default position should be that if you can't get exactly what you want, you are out of there.  This leaves "trying to nail down the details" more a matter of you dictating and them saying yes or no, period.  There's really no good reason why you should be engaging in extensive negotiations at this point, given your default appreciation for and attraction to hanging out in your PJs at home.