Me Ranting for a bit. Sorry.
I mean, I know I want to get out of the daily grind sooner rather than later. So, the desire is there. But do I have the WILL to make it happen? What about accommodations I must make for my family? Do I just need to be more patient to allow myself the chance to amass wealth and save, save, save?
I think part of my problem is that I need my job to cover my expenses, as is life thus far. That job right now is sucking the energy out of me and basically I get home a deflated balloon.
Job PROS: Only have to be physically at job during normal work hours. No overtime required. Also, the paycheque. Maybe also social interaction? But being an introvert, I can take it or leave it.
Job CONS: Job is currently mentally sucking the life out of me, so when I get home at night I really have no energy left beyond making dinner (or let’s be honest, putting a frozen pizza in oven), having a bit of family time, pushing through getting 5 year old in bed (a long, drawn out affair), cleaning kitchen from pizza dishes (and let’s be honest again – other crap that has built up through the week), and attempting morning prep (may or may not happen). By this time, it’s say, 8:30pm. I’m physically and mentally wiped.
Technically a grown adult should be able to function past 830pm. I mean, I get 5-8 hours of sleep per night. But for whatever reason my 40-something bod just shuts down around this time. I can stay awake, but putting mental effort into anything seems so difficult. I attribute some of this to my under-active thyroid. Back in my regular thyroid days, I could go strong till 10 at least!! Then again, maybe it’s just age. Age steals fortitude. I need to fight against the effects of aging a bit harder, methinks.
Me thinking about what I can possibly do about all that.
- Convince Hubs to downsize our home or purchase a live-in rental property. This is probably not going to happen.
- Downsize other parts of life, such as “fun stuff”, and any lingering expenses that aren’t absolutely necessary. This can be done; it won’t offset what we would save on housing but it would certainly help. That said, a balance IS required. Life cannot be all work and no fun. So yeah, #2 is feasible to some extent.
- Increase income. This can be done, but I need to eliminate all fluff from my waking hours and focus on it 100% of my free time until I start generating regular income. #3 is probably feasible, I just need to really get my act together on it.
HELP! What else can I do to accelerate my path to FIRE? I appreciate you feedback and ideas. In the meantime, I really need to tackle # 2 and # 3, if # 1 is off limits.
Me, lamenting my lack of blogging as of late.
BTW I’ve not posted my JULY FIRE Report, and it’s almost SEPTEMBER! So, I’ll try to get both July and August up over the next week. I am thinking I may do some kind of summary of the year so far to see a snapshot of my progression, or in some cases, regression. We’ll see what the week brings.
It’s back to school week next week, so lots going on in that regard. Laters!
Patience is definitely the key to FIRE. Sometimes the small gains don’t seem like much until you look back after a couple years and realize how far you have come. Keep it up, find the right pace for you that keeps FIRE and life in balance.
I hope you’re right. Thank you for the positive feedback!
You’re in what I can the doldrums of FI. It’s still so far away, but you want it here now! All of us have been there or will eventually be there. So you’re not alone!
Is increasing your income through your day job a possiblity? Could you change positions or employers to get a bump in pay? Some people realize huge wage increases when they job hop.
I think you’re doing great, but just throwing the suggestion out there! Keep your chin up. You’ll reach your goals if you just keep working on it!
Doldrums of FI. Yes! So glad there is a name for my affliction! I’m not sure of the answer to your question but that is an option I can explore. Thanks for the idea. I need to do some research on salary in the area. I’m definitely going to try to put more effort in for September since August was not a great month. Thanks for the idea and vote of confidence.