My date is June 29, 2022. I started a new job on June 29, 2020 after being laid off due to the COVID mess and I would need to pay back relocation fees if I leave early. I debated at the time of layoff whether I should just call it quits but (1) my portfolio had dropped nearly $700K right around layoff time so that sent me into a bit of a panic, and (2) this job just popped up and I wanted to end my career on my terms, not with someone telling me I was done working. I think I would have been too scared, and my ego too bruised, to quit.
Of course, had I known that I’d be sitting here after the market rebound, with more than $200K in my portfolio than I had before the drop, I might have just lived with the bruised ego and stopped working! But I made the choice and am going to try to honor the terms of my relo agreement.
If I make it to June 29, 2020, I’d just have to pay back half of the relocation costs, so there’s a relatively painless escape hatch if I decide not to endure working life for another 17 months, 21 days (not that I’m counting
). If I can get to March 2021 or so, I’d have my bonus payout and could pay half the relo and still have enough for some movers to take me to a preferred destination. But if I get to March, I might as well stay til June.
I’m practicing this year on living within a budget, saving money and practicing financial prudence, even more so than in the past, because I want to prepare myself for life with no salary. It’s nice to have a paycheck coming in while I practice. I’m not terribly materialistic, but I admit that I’ll stop at Starbucks on a regular basis, which is SA waste of money, and I’ve always spent more on my hobbies than I should. So I’m stopping the wasteful restaurant/cafe spending and reducing the amount I spend on my hobby.
I’m hoping by June 2022 I’ll have another $25K or so socked away in savings and investments (aiming for $40K though). And I hope to have a short list of retirement destinations (maybe even a list of 1) by then so I can get out of my current location and choose a nice, new destination where I can be free.