Major milestone: I recently retired from full-time employment. It turned out to be an absurdly easy decision for many reasons but mostly that I was just done with the unending toxicity of high tech.
In preparation for this major life milestone, I quietly did the math, consulted with my CPA and carefully laid my plans. Everyone thought that it would be a wild ride to the finish, a screaming celebration and chaotic drama and noise but being that my innate nature is to be introverted about most things, I went out with a sigh of relief and a whisper, not an angry bang.
I was well and finally free.
In finding myself this way for the first time in more than four decades of unceasing toil, I took another good hard look at my expenses. I found that one of my guilty pleasures was streaming services. They still added up to a lot. A. LOT.
I promptly redid one bundle to significantly lower the cost and got rid of another two. That got me down hundreds of dollars a year. Doesn’t may not sound like much for one a year but over a couple of years? That’s a plane ticket. A trip somewhere. An experience worth far more than checking out and watching TV. I gave up one favored daytime drama and one baking competition show but also knew I could watch others for free on the Internet if I so chose to do so.
So far? I have not found the time to veg out that way. I have added more weekly trips to the gym, more time gardening, more writing, more time lavished on my hobbies. More road trips. More kitchen money saving magic. Basically? More life into my life now spent doing the things I love and, on the way, always on the lookout for new and improved ways to save money that I can later spend on doing the things I love like traveling and spending quality time with family.
My point is, life is short so when you hit a particular life-altering milestone, be sure and do your homework in advance so you can relish every moment. Eschew the pricy, mind-numbing stuff for life-enriching activities. Figure out what makes you happy and drive toward that relentlessly.
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the house behind 