Pulling the rip cord. (Life Downsizing)

Figured since many of you I have spoken to or meet in person to help me sometimes I figured I should tell all of you this. The wife and I have decided after a bit of a health scare and stress to downsize on just about everything in our life. Been such a stress case I have not been able to eat lately, vacations have been pushed back, hell my blood pressure is up so high there for a while I was starting to really feel the effects. 

I have listed the big house for sale. We have a much smaller one located that we can pay for in cash (Yeah appreciation and foreclosures). I am going to liquidate my collection of 8-9 cars down to tw plus one project.

Doing this we are going to live the life I have always wanted which is basically sitting on a big amount of cash. A home paid for completely and two middle fingers up in the air to anyone who pushes on us to work harder or longer hours then what we signed on for. If I want to surf and work a 6 hour day I am going to, if I want a day off and someone else calls in sick tough cookies for the team that is left at the office. When I take a whole day off it means no laptop and no going in for a few hours to mke sure stuff gets done. 

Still going to be out here in Californiastan for another 7-10 years or so due to my parents but you might not see me around as much. We are going to actually take out vacation time in full each year, I am not going to do any of the pawn or inspections on the side to free up time and money. I am not going to flip cars anymore on the side

I will have time and money for personal car projects like the type D build I have been planning for 5 years and a exocet or catfish in the next year or so. Feels good to type this. Bit of stress with the move if we can get it done but I have 30ish days of vacation left and I am going to take them to get it finished right.

Many of you were right that if you have the means to walk away and live a less stressed life that that is what you should do .I feel better even having just types this. Onward to a new adventure.

Good on you and your spouse.  Life isn't about acquiring stuff and money, its about experiences.  Go experience things.

Nice!

Nice! Definitely jealous. I’m trying to do the same thing, but I won’t be able to be sitting on cash for at least 15 years. 

Too much stress and responsibility can take years off of your life. You're making the right call!

HERE, HERE!

Sounds like early retirement to me, and there isn't anything wrong with that.

Good to hear it.  Based on other posts, it sounds like you already have enough to retire on, depending on lifestyle choices.  If there’s something you’d rather be doing than work, and you are able to, might as well go for it.

eastsideTim said:

Good to hear it.  Based on other posts, it sounds like you already have enough to retire on, depending on lifestyle choices.  If there’s something you’d rather be doing than work, and you are able to, might as well go for it.

I like my job I just hate the stress. The work we do will help cure thing that effect all of us equally. Its what I am good at; not what is good for me. This is so I can keep doing it but not kill myself in the process.

Congratulations!...Sounds like a great plan.

Do it! 

After a few threads here recently, I'm rethinking my own priorities. I won't be able to retire anytime soon, but I'm also trying to weigh what I want vs what I need and how that impacts my mental health. 

I'm a big fan of less is more, but there are some things I miss (like having a racing sim) and some things I refuse to do without. Like a huge stereo in the living room (which we have).

Good luck, do what you need to do to keep your sanity. 

Congrats on the low stress option!  My previous job was much less stress and more enjoyable, but it didn't pay nearly as much.  Looking back, I was much happier making less money and enjoying life more.  I am working to go back in that direction.  I applaud your decision sir!

Good on you microbe! Here's hoping to a future that means more fun and less wearyness and stress 

In reply to wearymicrobe :

Weary, I remember when you first joined the forums years ago, I think you were either finishing school or recently graduated? I could tell from your posts here that you’ve been very dedicated to your career. You’ve certainly earned this opportunity, I’m glad to see you take it!

Pete Gossett said:

In reply to wearymicrobe :

Weary, I remember when you first joined the forums years ago, I think you were either finishing school or recently graduated? I could tell from your posts here that you’ve been very dedicated to your career. You’ve certainly earned this opportunity, I’m glad to see you take it!

It's been so LONG time on here. I am so OLD. I consider a lot of you guys good friends.

I remember racing the 914 back when I first started here and then got the S2000. That was like 100 cars ago. Been a wild ride. ~three companies I have been in startup mode with, 4.2 billion in stock sales for the three of them. Married for almost 13 years. Almost 6 launched drugs that I got to work on personally. Someone at the lab I work with actually has a photo when I was 18 loading up sequencer gel slabs for the genome project and then working with golden rice. Crazy stuff like making radioactive tracer drugs, working with the Russian on PCR products. God how and I still alive and healthy, I did unknown chemical identifications for the Russian's for three years here in the states while working on oncology small molecule discovery.

I had HAIR. I had so much hair and it was glorious. 37 year old does not feel that way for me.

It's a smart move, having less to hold you down gives you a lot of freedom.  Sometimes it's enough just knowing you could walk away from your job and still be OK.

I got my dream job out of college, but after working the 80-100 hour weeks and seeing that the prognosis was no better for those who were inntheir forties and fifties  I bailed after a year and a half.  I realized that job would never be compatible with the life I wanted (wife, kids), and it was the best decision I ever made.  I think you'll look back on this decision and feel the same way.

That’s great to hear. I’m at three days a week at work and the others are with my kids. I’m loving it. Hope you have a similar result!!!

Good move. A small paid for house and plenty of money to maintain it and the rest of the complexities of life is a wonderful thing.

Figure out what you worry about, then figure out how to get rid of it. 

Excellent, this could only be a smarter move if you'd done it sooner.

Well done, man.  Very happy for you. 

I often have similar thoughts, and even use the same descriptor (pulling the ripcord).  Working in a high stress job, albeit with great benefits, tends to have a negative life impact.  I am constantly weighing the cost of accruing more vs. getting out and being happy, and wondering how close I can get to hitting the ground without overdoing it. 

Keep us in the loop as you start the next phase of your life.  Gives some of us hope there's gold at the end of the rainbow :). 

I think another thing to factor in is how many hours you've averaged over your working life.  I've been working for 19 years now (post college), but I've probably averaged a solid 60 hours per week during that time.  I feel ancient.  I would guess you're probably feeling some of the burnout associated with your hours, especially because it's likely they're combined with a good deal of stress.

I had a job with pretty crazy hours and a 2.5 hour commute for longer than I should have, but the one thing that kept me sane was an agreement I had with my wife that if it ever became to much, I could quit and walk away.  Just knowing that option existed really helped, even though I never thought I'd pull the trigger.  Last year, I was driving home from work one day and said to my wife "Remember the option I have of quitting?  I'm going to take it."  She was actually happy that I was going to quit.  It was a little nerve-racking quitting without something lined up, but it ended up working out well for all of us.

"As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler..."

.                  --Henry David Thoreau 

In reply to wearymicrobe :

I will join the chorus and say, Good for you! This sounds like an really smart move.  I have done work for several of the notable bio-pharma companies in the Bay Area they wre all pressure cookers. I can understand why you need to step back and take more control of your situation.

Work support life, not the other way around.