who doesnt have full time job?

[mvolz]

First off,hello. Yes Im new here. I stumbled upon this forum researching on how to be more self reliant. I have always had full time jobs,and have never been happy because I spend more time making someone else rich while I scrounge and barely make ends meet. I have never taken any of my jobs seriously because all they are is a source of money to get by. Its not what I really want to do in life. I would love to have more time to spend with my family,girlfriend, and my dogs. The things that really matter. I dont know how this would be possible without selling my reasonably nice home and living like a bum. I was wondering if any one has quit their full time job to enjoy the simple things in life that really matter? Any replies welcome. Thanks

 

[moolie]

I've seen a book called "How to Live Without a Salary" at the used book shop, but that said I don't know of any family where at least one adult doesn't work at a full-time job.

I think the key to happiness at work is to realize that you spend a third of your day at work (a third at home/commuting, and a third sleeping) and to find the best job possible for you to spend that amount of time on. "Working to live" rather than "living to work".

There's no reason to not enjoy what you do, even if it seems menial or like you'll never get ahead. I've had plenty of grunt jobs over the years and always managed to make the best of where I was and got to know/enjoy the company of my co-workers

 

[mvolz]

Ok- ive found several other posts with pretty much the same question. Shouldve looked around first. Im racking my brain trying to come up of money making ideas that I can do on my own without having to go to the grind for someone else.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I was working as a nurse and making a good living, but had painful feet. Now I'm working as a bridge tender and making less than half the money I used to, but I do have benefits........cash would be nice.
So I can say that the money I now get is about what I would have gotten if I had stayed working as a nurse, but only part=time.
I can bring some of my home chores with me, if I can carry it......really easy job.
Well, SS projects are what makes it all possible. If I just bought all my stuff at the stores, I would have to be continueing to stand on painful feet, as a nurse. I simply couldn't do it. The math just wouldn't be there.

 

[Denim Deb]

I don't work a full time job, in fact, I don't work period. But, DH does. It would be awfully hard for us to live in this area w/out his income, and at least for now, moving isn't an option. :/

 

[Flytyer24]

I agree with rhoda...

I am working in a field that I like but it does become a grind. Self-reliant living sounds wonderful but can you hack it? First see what you can live without. Also see what you can do for yourself first. I do all my own car repairs (thank god for the internet, youtube and luck). I have saved myself about $2000 in the past two years! Also, Do you eat out alot (convenience stores, fast foods, whatever) I cut that out and it is amazing the money you can save. What helped me is to make a spreadsheet of all spending. It is very monotonous to start but once you see what your spending on you can see where you can cut. It was like oh wow I was spending like $140 bucks a month stopping at stores grabbing drinks and snacks.

I would say find out what level of comfort\self-reliance you want out of life and set a goal. If it is that important than it will work out. A couple of years ago I was like I need more money!!! Now I have money for some fun stuff even though I don't make any more.

Good luck.

 

[FarmerChick]

I quit work about 7 years ago when I had my kid. age 43. worked my whole life. I never minded working. All my jobs suited me. Well, I minded going to work, but the work itself I was doing was fine. what got me about work was the tie down. set hours. other employees who could be a pain. drive time. driving in bad weather to get to work...that type of thing.

we income farmed. we made great money. we both worked full time and had a full time farm. whew, only younger you can do that

closed the farm a few years ago. now just farm for us. Hubby still has full time job. We considered over and over him quitting. BUT it was the medical insurance that is the catch for us. can't afford it for him to quit and we buy medical insurance.

remember tho, a job is a source of pride, not just money. the money you make means you support your family. it is a good thing. unless you have a true way to make income don't walk away from a good job in these times. finding another would be rough maybe.


drastic measures? sell your home and live like a bum? doesn't sound like fun to me

you can drastically change your lifestyle if you want, but you sure have to have everyone on board to live that way. Most everyone's life will require money to get by. You have to decide how you want to live that lifestyle on what monies you make. Could you give up your home and live in a very small efficient cheaper situation? Can you do without buying a few luxury items? Can you get by if medical problems arise?

There are so many benefits and some many negatives. Only you can balance those out and find a way to get thru.

There is no 'miracle job from home' that makes tons of cash unless you fall into a niche that makes you a good business and income. Yes you can sell it all and enjoy the simple life, but you can also do that while in your home. Your home costs but if you 'lived simple' in that home you would be surprised how much you do save. all monies for vacations, monies to put into a business venture, for alot of things.


it is hard out there :/ hang in there

 

[the funny farm6]

I know my family and 2 others that are working on the SS lifestyle, and of us 3 there is at least 1 person of the household that has a full time job. We want to get to where dh doesn't have to work but till the house is payed off.......

 

[hqueen13]

I wouldn't throw the job out just yet either, at least not until you have a firm plan of what you're going to do. There are lots of things that you can do from home to make money, lots of people on here make soap and other supplies. It is amazing what people will buy when they don't really want to take the time to do it themselves.

Our future plan is that when he gets a promotion we'll move further south and buy some farm land. At that point, I will probably only work part time, and he'll work full time. Eventually, I will hopefully only "work" around the farm, and he'll hold down the job that will give us benefits and enough income to not be pressured if the farm isn't making us money. But in the mean time, we'll both keep working to prepare for the time when that is possible, hopefully within a few years (few being as few as possible!). Working my day job gets really hard for me sometimes, and I know he struggles to deal with his 3+ hour round trip commute on top of the 10 hour days he works. Its not easy, but we just keep focusing on the future and what we'll be able to do then. We joke together about the "chickens" that we deposit in the bank.

I have to second the idea of keeping a spreadsheet. It is not fun in the beginning, and it isn't pleasant to discover exactly where your money is getting sucked away to, but it is a good thing to know. If you don't know where your money is going then you won't know how to change your spending habits. (We made a spreadsheet for ourselves, let me know if you're interested in having a copy of it) We actually keep it stored in an online storage place that we have access to through our smartphones, so that we can enter every single thing that we buy when we buy it, cash, check, charge or otherwise! It helps us to have easy access to it so that we can stay on top of it.

 

[Avalon1984]

I have been working full time, then was switched p/t and will go back to f/t next week. We are running a farm on the side and it sure makes for long hours and lots of frustration. I have been in the same boat as you have in regards to jobs. Too many times I ended up wasting my time at work and having to smile and say Thank you for it. Just create a self sufficiency plan, start implementing sacrifices you can make to save money, get started on purchasing all the tools you need to be self sufficient (i.e. canning supplies) and whatever you plan to do to make money without having a job. The initial purchases will be expensive but it will save you lots of headache in the long run. I dont know if you whole family will be able to completely live without a job, but maybe youd be able to work a part time job and have more time for your family.