Thursday 7 January 2010

Cutting the tree down

In my opinion, escaping the 9 to 5 with any degree of success takes a certain amount of planning.

In order to cut down a tree properly it must be taken down carefully and methodically. Someone once said that the process of tree felling was akin to leaving the rat race. You take the tree down bit by bit rather than have it all crashing down at once.

So that is what I am attempting to achieve. You see once I am out I really don't want to have to go back into the system, go back to the 9 -5 office grind. Therefore it is important to me to ensure that we have made sufficient provision. It is not that I don't want to work, not at all. In fact I want to work but I do not want to work in the law and I do not want to work in an office (or at least not full time).

I feel that I have come so far in this journey that to have it all crashing down now would be a real shame. You see, even though I hate the grind and I know that money does not in itself bring happiness, I also know that to have no money is as equally if not more stressful.

Hopefully, within several months the escape will happen.

So the rough plan for 2010 is:-

1. Sell the flat
2. Keep our jobs (for a little while anyway, fingers crossed)
3. Live on 30% of our joint net income
4. Escape the 9 - 5 by autumn 2010
5. Spend six months living abroad (somewhere warm!)

6 comments:

Alice Griffin said...

sounds like you have it all worked out... and I'm excited to see where the escape takes you :-) I think you are right in what you say that having no money is equally stressful. We are there now... and wondering whether to live with nature frugally forever, or adapt our dream somehow. Decisions decisions. It's bloody hard this life game. But I'm wishing you all the luck and I hope it works out well for you :-)

Anna said...

Hi! We too want to make Autumn 2010 the month we leave the UK for a warmer, sunnier, more vibrant and interesting environment. Only thing is, my husband has to work for another two years. We thought we might set up home abroad in Autumn with him commuting from the UK every Thursday-Sunday. We think we'll probably head for S.France because at least we have some language skills and it seems a familiar start. But what we really want to do is be nomadic and tour around Europe and see where we want to alight. Also, we don't think we want to rent abroad forever as we really want to live in an ecologically sound house and so can't rely on landlords. It's all a conumdrum really but we've been talking like this for ten years so get the feeling if we don't just take the plunge and do something - it'll remain a pipe dream. And we do not want to just sleepwalk into retirement here: the years are passing so quickly in what feels like half a life.

OlivAmor said...

I completely agree that it takes a lot of planning before taking the plunge (especially if you want the move to be successful).
Good luck!
I have been enjoying reading your blog BTW & have added you to my blogroll. Cheers.

Dreamer said...

Alice, thanks, its all a balancing act isnt it. I struggle everyday with wanting to jump out of my chair at the office and shout "get me out of here" with knowing that I have to kill a bit more time:)

Anna Hi, knowing what you want in life is half the battle isnt it? It sounds like you've got some exciting times ahead!

Olivamor Hello and welcome! Glad you like the blog, hope to see you back and I am going over to have a look at your blog now:)

mdonovan said...

Hey I love this! I have a website called escaping the 9 to 5 :) Great blog and awesome post on balance.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Sure does sound like a plan!!!!