Scrimping and Saving
I realize most folks are frugal so they can escape the rat race and the idea of living frugally and then spending it all on tuition fees seems somewhat counter intuitive to many people.
Our thinking is that we are paying for a school that aligns with our values and educates our child. We are supporting our family through a great education and the school through our tuition. It means lots of stuff doesn’t happen, and we keep lots of records.
If you are following a similar path, after years of scrimping for school your spending will be on autopilot. And one day you will reach that point where there is no more tuition and you can redirect those funds to retirement savings. And one day you might have the option to quitting your job! Don’t!
An alternative
Instead select a job you enjoy and a cause that resonates with you and funnel your future earnings there. Or take on a volunteer with a charity. Help a family member. Write poetry. Or start a blog. The point is, set aside some side to be productive and direct that output to the benefit of other people.
After all, your education (from elementary school to today) probably cost more than your car. And your house. Don’t let it go to waste simply because you are done with it. After being so efficient for so many years it seems sort of wasteful to let your productive capacity diminish through lack of use.
The idea of voluntary simplicity in spending to eventually to spend most of the time on the beach might appeal for you. And do it. For a year. And then use your good fortune, your skills, and your hard acquired skills and education for the greater good.
Consider giving it away. Imagine the good you can do if you are so fortunate. I bet there is a school you are really familiar with that could use some donations from income you don’t need or hands on volunteer help.
We need you
But don’t quit. We need you. And you need us.
September 2, 2018 at 3:06 pm
If you are like me you’ll need to split your time between paid side gigs and volunteer ones. For whatever reasons the volunteer work fills a completely different set of needs than the paid work. There is no way I could substitute one for the other. In fact one of my volunteer non-paid jobs offered me six figures to come to work for them and I said, no way! It wouldn’t be fun if it was a job. But my paid jobs wouldn’t be fun if I did them for free. It might just be me but I need some of both to feel fulfilled.
September 2, 2018 at 3:12 pm
Awesome! Great perspective – thanks for sharing this insight – I had never thought about the mix before but now that you have said it this resonates with me.