I have less than two months to go before I go from full time down to a part time work situation. I’m self-employed so in some ways I’m my own worst enemy. I’ve been driving myself to work hard so that I can save as much money in this last year - full speed ahead.
I’m a massage therapist, and not only do I work out of my house, in my office, I also have an office I rent about 45 minutes (40 miles) away. I’m so looking forward to not having to make that drive to that location anymore. I hate the drive and dealing with bad traffic, people that swerve in and out of lanes almost hitting me, tailgaters, or just plain weirdly illogical drivers who speed ahead and then drastically slow down. Also, I hate the calls/texts from people wanting an appointment so far away without much notice. Just the other day I worked til 11pm. And tonight someone wants a massage appointment at a hotel in downtown Detroit starting at 10pm – no I won’t be doing that one, fuhgettaboutit. All of that craziness is going to be over soon.
It’s going to be such a strange adjustment psychologically, to be going from squirrelling away money, to deliberately making a lot less. Essentially, I’m putting boundaries on my time, energy, and improving the quality of my life – this is a new and different chapter of my life. I’ve probably oversaved, I could live on a 2% withdrawal rate right now and be perfectly comfortable. I have to keep reminding myself of that – it’s a comfort that is so at odds with the fears I feel from the politics of this country and much of the world.
I also have no good role models in my family, my brother likes status so he lives in a ridiculously expensive house and drives brand new Mercedes and likes to stay at the most expensive hotels, my sister indulges her daughter who can never finish any college program and therefore has tried multiple colleges, $20,000 here another $10,000 there – partly financed by my parents. It’s a weird space to be in and others see me as the odd one not going with the traditional lifestyle.
I have lots of ideas about how I will savor this increased free time. And reading the stories of others on here inspires me a lot.