And Vermont has Bernie Sanders, a national treasure for sure.
And Vermont has Bernie Sanders, a national treasure for sure.
Just a quick update for those following our journey or considering a similar route. We are firmly in place in rural Vermont and are certain we have made the right decision. We don't miss our big house (surprisingly at all) and continue to work on simplifying. We got rid of SOOOO much stuff and we had SOOO much stuff we didn't need. In addition, we cannot believe how many unneeded expenses we had when we were both working and striving to keep up our lifestyle. Our expenses here are probably about 45-50% (and probably even less than that) of what they were. My partner has been not working for 6 months and enjoying it although he would like me to join him (as would I.) He has certainly doing lots of projects around the property and I am happy for him (although certainly a wee bit envious.) I am waiting until the end of a big project at my current employer which ends in a few months and then I plan to take a temporary (and likely permanent) 6 month sabbatical to think about what I want to do and to just get out of the corporate whirlwind (at least for a while if not permanently.) I plan to take that time to rediscover what I am passionate about and anticipate we will cobble together a "multiple streams of income" lifestyle with some entrepreneurial ventures as well as working part-time at lower stress (although significantly lower paying) jobs. We do still have concerns about health care costs but we are starting to feel more confident that we can afford a high-deductible plan since we are both relatively healthy and rarely use medical services and also since we have had a high deductible plan through my employer the last two years. We are excited to have made contact with others who have followed similar paths who live in the area which helps to assure me that we are not totally crazy! Thanks again for all who have provided their insights. I really appreciate it and look forward to providing another update soon.
chauddog, Congratulations! You sound like you're really on track. I have a couple of friends who have moved to Vermont, and they love it. They also live simply. I look forward to reading your updates.
Chauddog, you are living your dream! Congratulations on your move and all the savings you are making. I hope you enjoy your sabbatical and find the inspiration you are looking for. "Multiple streams of income" used to sound really messy to me, now I start to see the appeal of not having all one's eggs in the same basket.
Another quick update. Things really have moved since my initial post in January! I leave my corporate job in two weeks. Can't wait for the freedom. We are on track with our plans and I look forward to the freedom! We still love it out here in the country and look forward to the fall and winter. Once I leave my job, we will both be officially unemployed but we are moving forward very excitedly with our planned business ventures and have now found a number of inspirational people who have followed a similar path and made their new lives a reality. We will be looking to them for guidance and advice. Health care remains a concern but in VT, we have found that the cost for health care will be based on our anticipated income and not our past income or our assets, so we are thankful for that. One of our business ventures will be focused on downshifting, sharing our experiences and assisting others with making a life downshift a reality for them and to provide them inspiration and tools on this path. More to come..but first some much needed time off from corporate America. Thanks again for everyone's kind words and inspiration!
Happy to see an update! My hubby & I took an early retirement 2 years ago so get small pensions. Then we each do p.t. consulting in our field & I teach a university class so we have multiple sources of income. When I was younger this would have scared me but it is working well for us.
Just another update...things are still going very well. We are so much enjoying the freedom of living more simply. We have learned so much and have learned to make so many things ourselves. We have been bringing in some money selling things online and at local farmers markets and doing some part time work both online and locally. It is so liberating to be in control of your life which is something we now realize we never truly were before. Luckily, we have been able to live off some of our savings through this cold winter although we have really reduced our spending to a fraction of what it was. I am going back to do some part time consulting for corporate America but most of it will be done from home and it will be entirely on my terms. We have also been able to pursue creative pursuits we had no time for before including writing, acting, cooking, crafting, volunteering, etc. It has also allowed us to spend more time with our elderly parents and especially for me, assist my mother with her declining health needs. And we have found a fair amount of people on a similar path. For those who are considering a life change to embrace simplicity...go for it...this has probably been among the best decisions of our lives and we only wish we had done it sooner. The biggest issue is still health insurance. Although we haven't used it, we have qualified for Medicaid state assistance based on our extremely low income since it does not take assets into account. We feel a little weird accepting that since we do have a good amount of money in the bank so are planning to purchase our own insurance to cover catastrophic stuff should it occur and will need to work some more hours per month to offset that cost since insurance is extremely expensive on the open market. Unfortunately, until our income is higher, our only choice is Medicaid or to purchase it on the open market since we are not allowed to purchase it in the state marketplace based on our low income. If we do not get our own insurance, we will have to pay a penalty at tax time next year although it will be a relatively small penalty if our income remains low. Weird..but it will be worth it.
Hi chaudogg,
I'm reading of your journey with great interest, as we are going through a similar transition right now - leaving the congestion and noise of San Francisco for the quieter and slower life in Oregon.
I love everything about our new home and town, but this week we're back in the Bay Area for the final (I hope) emptying of our house. I am completely out of steam - I just look at all this stuff and want it to vanish!!
Any tips on how to keep the energy flowing during these last laps? We are having our final estate sale next week - I really am feeling that this is just impossible.
On the upside, coming back has just confirmed for me that moving was absolutely the right thing for my family.
Cheers
oh yes, i have enjoyed my jobs over the years but definitely have worked for healthcare. now i do that but also for student loan plan! i have about 6-7 years until i have enough public service years in the program to erase my loans. And i like my job despite the difficulties.Originally Posted by Tammy
this is an exciting story, thank you for keeping us updated.
We are planning a similar escape. Popular articles always say one needs 70-80% of current income to sustain lifestyle in downshifting or retiring. I have a sense that it will be much less than that as we have no interest in maintaining the working lifestyle of traffic, clothes, stress,...Just need to figure out the shelter part for much less than current cost. It irks me that we all have to pay a lot in some form or fashion for what I consider unhealthy health care.
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