A few months back I graduated college...well not for the first time. This was a Masters program in Social Work. I've been working in the field since then and I recently passed my licensure test. I'm making a decent income and my wife works full time as well. I also recently discovered I'm an adult now, which comes with a certain set of responsibilities.
Apparently I can no longer go shopping and pick up two boxes of Oatmeal Cream Pies, one of which I eat on the way home. Not only can I not do this because my wife and kids want real food to eat, but my body can't really take that abuse anymore.
As an adult I've been thinking a lot about money. Money is the reason I do a lot of things I don't really want to do, like getting up to an alarm. I despise getting up to an alarm, but I've gotta be to work at a certain time and without the alarm I'd likely lose my job. I need money so I can go grocery shopping and not buy Oatmeal Cream Pies. I need money to pay bills and fill my car with gas. I need money to be an adult.
But...
What if I didn't?
I've been working to eliminate these expenses as much as possible and I've actually been able to gain some ground on my need for money as an adult. Marilyn and I bought a house that has a separate entrance for the basement. We have been working to make this basement its own separate apartment beneath our feet. We put up some walls, made some bedrooms...it still doesn't have a kitchen but we're getting there. Once it's all done and rented out, that basement apartment will pay a few of my bills. The most notable and largest bill is my mortgage. One less bill and one less adulting task I don't have to think about anymore. One step closer to waking up when I feel like it.
If I continue to take these steps and save some money along the way, in a few years I'll be free. This doesn't mean I don't want work anymore, I love working and plan to continue. I just want to do the kind of work I really enjoy, which does not involve punching a time clock or completing lengthy reports for everything I do.
I'm currently saving almost 50% of every paycheck with a goal to save 100% and just live off Marilyn's income. By my calculations that will allow me to stop working a 9-5 job in about 8 years. Again, this does not mean I'm going to live on Oatmeal Cream Pies and watch Netflix all day. I'm a therapist now and I plan to continue working. I will simply be able to work on my own terms.
When I was a kid I couldn't wait to be an adult so I could make some decisions. Then I became an adult and longed for the freedom of childhood. This plan allows me to take some of that freedom back.
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