Plan to live within my means..

 The Question:

I work part time employed and part time self employed. The employed role pays pretty decent for the 3 days I do but it really does not bring me joy hence working on my part time self employed business as would like to eventually move away from the employed role.

I’m divorcing and downsizing considerably I have made a point of not purchasing too much house and plan to live within my means.

I enjoy holidays and days will my children but try to do these frugally.

We sell everything we can and I cook from scratch.

What else could I be doing to help me get away from the souls destroying part time job sooner.

Being employed helped me get my mortgage but I'm fixed in now for 5 years so that is sorted.

Any other things i might have missed?

Thanks.

What did people say?

⇒ Tamsin: I probably wouldn’t thank me for this suggestion but could you do your self employed business on days 6 & 7, go full time for 1 yr at the sole destroying role or get a second employed job on days 4 & 5. Building a savings pit to fall back on if self employed takes a bit of time to pay sufficient reward.

Or get a different proper job that brings some joy.

⇒ Charlotte: I don’t want to bring negativity, but, if I understand, your mortgage is fixed for 5 years? That concerns me as much as health insurance! Please consider everything carefully. Also, your getting divorce. Will you get child support? If so, how old are your children? But to just answer your question, making my own clothes saves me tons of money! Going back to the way grandma lived, don’t do laundry during peak hours. Air dry clothes or dry them before sun comes up or goes down. Grown as much of your own food as possible and pressure can food. Also, my oven might be used 3 times total in summer. Crockpots are life savors.

⇒ Marilyn: Make sure you have a savings for emergencies and a retirement plan if you live in the US. Healthcare for you and your children must be considered if you're not covered by your former husband.

⇒ Alexis: Heath care, social security contributions, and taxes are something to think about, but I totally understand the soul sucking job situation. Do you live in an area where temp work would be an option? Heath insurance would be a big draw back for leaving.

⇒ Connie: So.. I’d find another job.. one that I enjoyed better.. full time or PT.. with a new house, I may look for full time and still work my own business PT.. as far as saving money.. buy second hand clothes and housewares when possible. Shop end of season sales and also shop clearance with birthdays and Christmas in mind. Pay extra toward principal on the house when you can.. and also build a savings account for emergencies. Membership to Sam’s club can be shared with someone else… you just have to say you reside together… split the cost of membership and enjoy the wholesale pricing on items you need. Shop Aldi also…

⇒ Beth: Be the best worker you can be. Look at what you can do to improve yourself even better than you already are. If it’s a totally soul sucking environment, stay away from the biggest suck employees -the ones who delight sucking the most out of others. Think about the things you need to do in your self-employment while you’re at the soul sucking job, specifically the actions you can take to get out of the soul sucking job faster. When you’re not there, take action. It may be uncomfortable but you’ll feel better when you go back to the soul sucking job.

⇒ Christine: Adapt your day to day life to economize/ecological options-they mostly go hand in hand. Hanging clothes to dry saves wear and tear on the clothes as well as saving electricity. Putting leftovers in reusable containers saves to plastic use. Using rags/bar towels/dish cloths in place of paper towels and sponges. Thrift clothing and reduce the quantity of clothes and gifts. Cook from scratch/eat at home/meal plan/meal prep so you can have a free day by pulling dinner from the freezer. Remember work is work, no one ever promised we’d enjoy that part of our day I’m sorry to say.

⇒ Allison: I would say just try to have a nice chunk in savings to supplement your income when you need it or have unexpected expenses come up.

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