fireandearth
Dryer sheet wannabe
My boyfriend asked me a question the other day that's been bouncing around in my head ever since. "You have freedom most people don't - what are you going to do with it?"
He's trapped by a house and debt and can think of a dozen dreams to chase after if he wasn't so weighed down. I have no debt, a substantial emergency fund, a month-to-month lease, and I live well below my means. But I don't really know what to do with the freedom I've created. I've been thinking long-term: early retirement in 20 or 30 years. But part of me doesn't want to live the boring, conventional path. Part of me would love to dive into a wild and adventurous life, something with a little less certainty. I don't want my life to be consumed by making money, but a more fun, less reliable income seems to come at the price of devoting many more hours to working. I haven't been a risk-taker at all when it comes to income.
The boyfriend suggests looking into interesting jobs I'm not qualified for. I think about finding ways to have a house without having a mortgage - but I don't want to tie myself to any one place yet. I want to live somewhere outside Virginia at some point in my life - but Northern Virginia is definitely where the jobs are right now.
There's this pull of opposites - and in order to get higher (life experience) returns I will need to expose myself to higher risks. Somehow that sounds familiar...
What's your take? How are other young LBYM folks finding balance?
He's trapped by a house and debt and can think of a dozen dreams to chase after if he wasn't so weighed down. I have no debt, a substantial emergency fund, a month-to-month lease, and I live well below my means. But I don't really know what to do with the freedom I've created. I've been thinking long-term: early retirement in 20 or 30 years. But part of me doesn't want to live the boring, conventional path. Part of me would love to dive into a wild and adventurous life, something with a little less certainty. I don't want my life to be consumed by making money, but a more fun, less reliable income seems to come at the price of devoting many more hours to working. I haven't been a risk-taker at all when it comes to income.
The boyfriend suggests looking into interesting jobs I'm not qualified for. I think about finding ways to have a house without having a mortgage - but I don't want to tie myself to any one place yet. I want to live somewhere outside Virginia at some point in my life - but Northern Virginia is definitely where the jobs are right now.
There's this pull of opposites - and in order to get higher (life experience) returns I will need to expose myself to higher risks. Somehow that sounds familiar...
What's your take? How are other young LBYM folks finding balance?