Work: Full-time, part-time or for yourself?

[Mr Simple]

Hi everyone

If you embrace simple living you don't need a swag of money. So I'm wondering if most people in this forums are working part time or in their own business or are people still caught in the trap of full time corporate slavery?

I'm very interested in simple living as a means to reduce my need to work. I'd really like to connect with people that have made the transition, but I'm also happy to help people who are struggling with the stuck in work/bills to pay mentality.

Cheers

Mr Simple (http://lessisbetter.org/2015/11/04/transform-your-income-transform-your-life-the-problem-of-bad-faith/)

[TxZen]

Left corporate healthcare after 20 years...now I am teaching 20 hours a week while I pursue my Masters. Always was into simple living/minimal living, so that helped. We, as a family, have worked to simplify our lives a little bit each day.

[Mr Simple]

Left corporate healthcare after 20 years...now I am teaching 20 hours a week while I pursue my Masters. Always was into simple living/minimal living, so that helped. We, as a family, have worked to simplify our lives a little bit each day.

Love it. Small steps big changes hey. I worked 60 hour weeks now I might not work that in a month! Voluntary poverty but really never looked back from that choice of meaning over money.

[Gardenarian]

Hi there,

I worked full time + until my 40s, when I had a baby. Both dh and I were able to go part-time at that point. We always lived small and saved big :)

I'm 57 now and retired last year. I have a decent pension, but also choose to work 2 days per week. I'm an academic, so I get nearly 4 months off each year in summer. Dh is a musician, and wants to increase the amount he is working (for love, not money.)

Our dd will be off to college in a few years, and we have a fund that should more than cover that.

We are in good shape financially and have no worries there (touch wood.)

Obamacare has been an enormous blessing to us, saving us over $15,000 per year.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I worked part time for several years, but corporate America really resented it, I mean I was constantly asked to go full time, told I would not be considered a committed employee to the company if I didn't etc.. "Well, I fight authority, authority always wins ...." pretty much. Trying to go part-time in an private sector job is just fighting the tide all the time.

[Tammy]

I went from 50 hour weeks (mon thru fri supposedly 7-3 but never a realistic amount of time for the workload) to 24-36 hour weeks (2 twelve hour shifts a week unless I pick up a third for someone's vacation etc). Made the change just last winter. Because it was considered a promotion (charge nurse to supervisor) managers liked it. From my perspective it was going from high stress full time to medium stress part time, with a slight hourly raise and some weekend differential pay thrown in.

My net pay is a little lower but my life is so much better.

I was lucky - since it's a step up the ladder nobody questioned my loyalty.

[SteveinMN]

I was a full-time cube dweller for 30 years and would have kept working but burned out in my chosen field. I opted to quit (too young for pensions/IRAs) and start my own business. It's somewhat less than part-time. Honestly, I would be fine with working more at it, but my wife and I don't need the money and retired life is mighty appealing. Last year one company at which I worked offered an early buyout of the barely-vested pension I had with them. We chose to take the money and it's made it even less necessary to bring in income.

My wife and I tended to live simply when we were bringing in two full-time professional paychecks. In quitting, I walked away from 60% of our take-home income. Yes, my wife has a job with good pay and benefits. Yes, we built a war chest before I quit to carry us through expected lean times. But living simply and doing more ourselves (okay, me doing it) made it possible and both of us have been happy with the outcome.

[catherine]

Worked in corporate many years; became self-employed, doing the parts of my job I liked the best, in 2008.

[bekkilyn]

Left corporate to go back to school for a teaching certification and am currently student teaching in high school. I'm not sure at this point if I want to go the traditional teaching route due to work-life balance issues, or find some more non-traditional way of teaching that may be more suitable. I will probably substitute teach for a while after graduation just to get more experience with the different schools in my area while I'm figuring out what I really want to do. (And study for and take the licensing exams.) I could always go back to corporate if necessary, but I really don't want to do that unless I just take temporary short-term positions that won't get to the point of grating on my nerves. Fortunately, I've paid off my mortgage, so I have more options to find something more suitable to me without worrying too much about the amount of the paycheck.

[Radicchio]

Self-employed, at home, for a very long time. Having a disabled child who needs me there 24/7 was the major reason for this, but it has worked out well.

[Gardenarian]

Hey ANM, I caught an earworm "I fight authority..." ad infinitum. I don't even know any of the other lyrics!! Aaargh

[ApatheticNoMore]

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/john+mellencamp/authority+song_20074552.html

Though it is a better thing to have to say than:

I fought the law, and the law won ...

:~)

[TVRodriguez]

Another self employed person here. I was full time until I started having kids, went part time, and eventually went out on my own. I love working for myself, but simple living helps keep our stress levels down. That, plus having paid off our student loans and mortgage.

[Rachel]

Full time, all my life except for a year off after baby was born. Not sure whether people in this forum would call our life simple, but we've always saved, avoided debt, and spend money on experiences over things. Love our careers for the most part, and that makes a difference.

[pinkytoe]

I have worked at a state university for nearly twenty years and retire in two months with pension and paid health care. Only went to full time five years ago so that three highest years formula for pension could be factored in. At heart, I am an artist so sitting in an office all these years wasn't terribly fulfilling but I have no regrets other than I wish I had started earlier so I could have retired earlier. I plan to work part-time even in retirement though I haven't quite yet figured out what. Something light and fun and easy to walk away from if necessary.

[Teacher Terry]

I retired almost 4 years ago. within 6 months was bored so started teaching an online university class & do some limited consulting in my career field. I probably work 10 hours/week & it is perfect for me.

[freshstart]

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/john+mellencamp/authority+song_20074552.html

Though it is a better thing to have to say than:

I fought the law, and the law won ...

:~)

and better than I shot the sheriff

[freshstart]

full time with approx 1 yr of a half-time job share in healthcare for 23 yrs. Found out from my Vanguard free consult with a CFP and after meeting with the one from work's 403B, that both said I had saved enough money to easily retire at 55 (I was 43 or 44). I was shocked and was turning that over and over in my head, when the choice was made for me as 1 yr later I became sick, sicker and then disabled. According to these same two planners, I should be able to take enough out to supplement SSDI without ever touching the principle.
SSDI takes two years to get, so I'm in the process of waiting and waiting. My lawyer feels very confident of a win. At that time, I will hopefully finally know where I stand financially. And will again make a plan with Vanguard's CFP.

I am a planner, bit of a control freak about money so all this nebulousness for such a long time is making me crazy. I was definitely not ready mentally to stop working at 45. I loved my job to the point I would not apply for SSDI even though my doctors were in my face to apply because nursing is incredibly unlikely to ever happen again, I was sure "in one more month" I'd be back. So I wasted 9 mos doing that before conceding this is getting to be a long-ish health problem maybe I should listen and apply.

I thank God I had saved every penny possible for retirement and was generally frugal or I would be in a very bleak scenario. I am living on a crappy long term disability policy that is known to be very hard to get or keep so I'm not banking on it.

I would trade this nonsense in a nano second if it meant I could go back to work and retire comfortably at 55