When can I ease the pedal

[chasedream2002]

I have been saving and investing crazily in the past five years. I had a late start with zero net worth a few years ago and I am 38. Currently I have 820K net worth, about 200k house equity and 620K invested in low cost index funds (both regular tax account and retirement account combined). Currently my household income is 230K, but the job is not very stable and can go down to 130K after one year. I have trimmed down my spending in the past few months and my current annual spending is about 60K including mortgage payment (11 years left) and it can go down further after retirement. I plan to retire around 45 and switch to part time jobs. I haven't taken any vacation in the past five years. I am wondering whether I can ease the pedal a little bit and take some vacations at this current stage.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

No one is promised tomorrow.

Go on vacation.

 

[RobbieB]

Yes. I always went on vacations.

 

[Dtail]

I took vacations every year. Got to recharge the batteries and it helps then to be happier with the workload upon return.

 

[ckelly78z]

I still take, and have always taken every day of vacation that Megacorp gives me. They somehow get by without me, and will do the same when I don't come back at all !

 

[USA]

By all means take the vacation and go somewhere.

 

[Katiek]

While it's good to have a goal and work towards it, it's also important to enjoy the "now".

 

[pb4uski]

Vacations remind those that you work with that you are not totally about work... that you are multi-dimensional... also it is good to get away and let others take the heat for a week or two.

What was always amazing to me was that as indispensable as I was, when I was away things continued to get done... I was lucky to have good people working for me so when I was gone we didn't miss a beat.

 

[Lakewood90712]

NOW !

 

[RenoJay]

Congrats on amazing results. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back, be proud, go on vacation then return to a sustainable pace.

 

[Vacation4us]

Go!

You need to live today while saving for tomorrow.

 

[dtbach]

By all means take a well deserved vacation

 

[MarieIG]

First of all, you are doing amazingly well financially. Congrats.

Second, there is a HUGE variation when it comes to "vacation." Not sure whether you are talking about chartering a private plane to Tahiti or something less extreme.

Make sure that you get some rest and time to recharge.

If you are concerned, there are plenty of low cost vacation or stay-cation options. You do not have to spend a mint to get enjoyment: but, you do need to appreciate time in the present; as well as plan for the future.

 

[DrRoy]

We didn't always spend a lot but I always took all of my vacation.

 

[Nick12]

Take the vacation. Stress kills. I 've seen it happen.

 

[MI-Roger]

Vacation!?!

What is a vacation?

I actually took three days off from work between Christmas and New Year. These days were book-ended by the two weekends and two days off my employer gives us for each of those Holidays.

A total of 11 days off! I couldn't remember the last time I had more time away from work than a 4-day weekend

 

[Carol1862]

You are doing a great job saving for your future, but are losing sight of your present. Take that much needed vacation. Those memories and the recharge will last a long time.

 

[VFK57]

Stress at work and, in some cases, at home is a slow killer. The older we are we become less tolerant to stress and like many doctors point out most deceases are directly relating to prolonged stress. In all your plans and goals do not ignore it.

 

[chasedream2002]

Thank you all for the comments. The vacation may cost about 6000 dollars and this can significantly impact my annual budget. My other concern is that I may lose 2 weeks of billable hours and it equals 8000 dollars. My job is very unstable and it may end by the end of year. I just want to stay focused and finish the FI journey as soon as possible. I am afraid the vacation may derail my journey to FI.

I did take short vacations such as driving to nearby cities in the weekends/holidays, but I haven't taken any long vacations that require long time off from work. I have accumulated about 500 PTO hours and plan to cash out when I get fired in the end of the year. If I consume 80 PTO hours in the summer, I may lose a big chunk of final cash out money.

 

[Milton]

Living the American Dream

Apparently you're on the right track. But you need to stop saving money and go buy a Cadillac.

 

[Andre1969]

Apparently you're on the right track. But you need to stop saving money and go buy a Cadillac.

How'd that old Billy Joel song go... "Workin' to hard can get you a Cadilac-ac-ac-ac-ac!"

 

[chasedream2002]

LOL, I am driving a 8 year old car with 140K miles on it and plan to keep it to my FIRE date.