Quote Originally Posted by Tri Girl View Post
I get this!
At my age (late 30's) many of my friends/peers are still trying to climb the ladder in their careers. I'm trying to figure out how to climb back down the ladder and do as little work as possible yet still make money.

I do my very best at work and try to turn out the best work I can. I also watch the stress-o-meter. If things aren't fun and are causing too much stress- I don't do it anymore (well, not work because I love my job- but in other areas of life).

Life is too short. I always think about my father who worked SO hard his whole life, then died at 54, right before retirement. All that stress and hard work and he didn't get to enjoy life at a slower pace.
I want to enjoy life as much as possible, while still saving for retirement, still working at paying off the house, but still playing and doing the things I love as much as I possibly can. We only get one shot at this, and I'm OK with being on my deathbed and not having won Teacher of the Year, or having 3 degrees or being a CEO. I'm good with having taught thousands of kids and trying to have been a chippy, pleasant, kind-hearted person.
+1
I'm 34. I've not made much money since I left employment to go the self-employment route 8 years ago (marketing and graphic design, publications). However, my life is better. It's not so stressful. I've made money at times to allow my husband to cross into self-employment as well (he spent 8 years as a special ed teacher, oy! Now he's a home remodeler), and he's doing quite well. It has bothered me that I don't make half the income for our household, but I came to realize that what I do, and continue to do, is very important.
If I had remained employed, we would not have had time to buy a couple of rentals. One of those houses we wouldn't have found if I had not been watching the listings every day, and beaten everyone else to the deal. If I were employed, I wouldn't have known the lady selling the other rental, and again, gotten a deal. If I were employed, I wouldn't have seen a way out of debt for us. And now, as we're trying to get closer to our dream of being off the grid, of opening up a small cottage-style vacation spot, I've had the time to be able to work part time for B&B's, garden centers, organic restaurants, etc that gains me experience in all the things we want to offer at our little getaway. I garden organically, because I want a HUGE organic garden in that little vacation spot. I want, instead of making big breakfasts, to be serving HUGE Mediterranean-style dinners where the wine and conversation flow. So I keep working at recipes, making my own up, perfecting classics, and getting better and faster at large meals.
We are not wealthy. We've never made more than 45k in a year. But we've made it work, we're building up our savings, I'm home enough that I can make sure we eat really well & handle details and life's little crisis'. We both work HARD, just because I don't make much in dollars doesn't mean I don't contribute, and some days I have to remind myself of WHY a full time job for me wouldn't work for us, even if the money might be nice. I've tried to go back twice, and the results were just terrible: misery, work-induced poor eating habits, high stress, a messy house, never seeing the hubs and a dog that just couldn't handle me being away. I am where I should be.