I am already rid of all debt! Even my house is paid off, so all I need now is food and water! And electricity. And taxes and insurance. And repairs and maintenance. I also still want my car and my electronics. And I get pressured to not wear threadbare clothes and to join my friends in movie theatres, in restaurants, and on vacation. Doomed!
I'd only have to last 6 years until my pension kicks in. I have enough vacation saved up to cover 4 months of expenses. And I've started buying dividend-paying stocks--those dividends will cover $15 of my living expenses each month! I do have a lot of money in my Roth IRA that I can withdraw penalty free (I've been contributing the max since it was invented, and they let you take out the amount you put in for free), and then I'd still have some left (the growth part) to help cushion my pension if necessary. But even with all that, I'd still have to work almost 30 hours a week at minimum wage to cover my expenses. And of course there's no guarantee I could get any work at all.
Still, I'm ready to risk it. My newish boss is pushing all my buttons, including buttons I didn't know I had. After a year of working with her, I have not been able to learn near enough coping skills; things are only getting worse. For example having figured out that one big problem is that she can't draw inferences doesn't help. (It explains why I feel like I told her something and she feels like I didn't, but knowing that doesn't help because although I will happily explain the same thing three or four different ways to the same person, I do not have the skills or the time to explain the same thing 45 different ways. Let alone a hundred billion ways.) I'm turning into a real jerk, and it's bleeding over into other people and other areas of my life.
So, I'm leaving. But not until I acquire another year of service (January 15) so I only have to wait 6 years for my pension instead of 8, and not until I take my paid vacation (early February).
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Your plan sounds awesome. Have you read "Your Money Or Your Life"? It's about how to get to the point where you are financially independent, and so you don't need to work unless you want to. Have you read "The Tightwad Gazette"? That has many frugality ideas and also general frugality strategies. Have you seen earlyretirementextreme.com? It has the same goal as "Your Money or Your Life," but shows you how to do it a lot quicker if you really, really want to get out of the workforce. Like live in a trailer or boat with a roommate, bike everywhere, eat the same delicious cheap foods each week, bought in bulk, buy everything else used, etc. Even if you use some extreme-seeming strategies for a short period, it can make a big difference, and occasionally you luck out and find that you like the cheaper strategy better anyway.
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I'd only have to last 6 years until my pension kicks in. I have enough vacation saved up to cover 4 months of expenses. And I've started buying dividend-paying stocks--those dividends will cover $15 of my living expenses each month! I do have a lot of money in my Roth IRA that I can withdraw penalty free (I've been contributing the max since it was invented, and they let you take out the amount you put in for free), and then I'd still have some left (the growth part) to help cushion my pension if necessary. But even with all that, I'd still have to work almost 30 hours a week at minimum wage to cover my expenses. And of course there's no guarantee I could get any work at all.
Still, I'm ready to risk it. My newish boss is pushing all my buttons, including buttons I didn't know I had. After a year of working with her, I have not been able to learn near enough coping skills; things are only getting worse. For example having figured out that one big problem is that she can't draw inferences doesn't help. (It explains why I feel like I told her something and she feels like I didn't, but knowing that doesn't help because although I will happily explain the same thing three or four different ways to the same person, I do not have the skills or the time to explain the same thing 45 different ways. Let alone a hundred billion ways.) I'm turning into a real jerk, and it's bleeding over into other people and other areas of my life.
So, I'm leaving. But not until I acquire another year of service (January 15) so I only have to wait 6 years for my pension instead of 8, and not until I take my paid vacation (early February).
**
Your plan sounds awesome. Have you read "Your Money Or Your Life"? It's about how to get to the point where you are financially independent, and so you don't need to work unless you want to. Have you read "The Tightwad Gazette"? That has many frugality ideas and also general frugality strategies. Have you seen earlyretirementextreme.com? It has the same goal as "Your Money or Your Life," but shows you how to do it a lot quicker if you really, really want to get out of the workforce. Like live in a trailer or boat with a roommate, bike everywhere, eat the same delicious cheap foods each week, bought in bulk, buy everything else used, etc. Even if you use some extreme-seeming strategies for a short period, it can make a big difference, and occasionally you luck out and find that you like the cheaper strategy better anyway.