I got this question in response to the last post " If possible, can you talk a bit about what you do in your day to day life after FIRE? "
Of course it's possible, so here goes....
Well, it's been a little over 9 months since we moved back to Oz and I quit my job. I guess there are many different versions of FIRE, depending on your life situation, age, etc. In my case, FIRE involved moving countries and returning to the place I grew up, but hadn't lived here for 17 years. The bigger transition by far has been giving up a cushy Mon-Fri office job to be a Stay At Home Dad. I guess that would be the four letter answer to this question - SAHD.
I severely underestimated how time consuming and exhausting it is to look after kids. I took a lot of things for granted before when I used to walk out the door to head to work. But just to catch myself in case I start whinging, it is completely a labour of love ! I wouldn't change anything. And I know it will only be the blink of an eye before my eldest is in kindy (well, a little over a year actually but the time flies), so I want to make the most of this time while I have it.
I think it would've been helpful though to have a more realistic expectation of Stay at Home Parenting before I started. It would've saved me some frustration in the first months, as I gradually re-calibrated ... Maybe something for you to consider Rob_S (?)
So coming back to the question, usually 5-6 days of each week I'm looking after two toddlers together with my wife. We have 1-2 days where grandparents help out with childcare, and those are usually bursts of productivity to do shopping, gardening, maintenance, errands, etc. I visit my great grandmother who's in an aged care facility.
And now to share a recent development for me, I've started some part time contracting work in the past months. I'll put this forward as my excuse for the infrequent blogging of late ! It's only one day per week, but has been a nice change for me. I guess I wasn't that successful at the "RE" part of FIRE !!
What else can I share ? We see plenty of family and the kids are developing bonds with their grandparents, uncles/aunties and cousins, which is the main reason we wanted to be back, so that is fantastic. Asides from family our social life has been limited, which I guess is not uncommon for parents with toddlers, but it's something we're keen to change in 2016 to reconnect with old friends (and make new ones too hopefully !)
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Maybe quite different to expectations, sorry no fairytale holidays or golfing to report as yet, but hopefully more of those to come also :)
Wishing you all every happiness in 2016 ahead !!!
Stay at home parenting is a tough gig. I cover for the missus on weekends as she sleeps in for her late shifts. Toddlers can run you ragged. I have many cat naps on the couch :)
ReplyDeleteBy the time I'm FI the little guy will be in grade 1, maybe 2. Which would mean me and the missus would have most of the day to ourselves. The original FI idea for me was to be around more and I think we will still get that. More quality time as a family.
Back to your post. Had you always planned on working the odd job once you were back in Aus? What were your thoughts in picking up the 1 - 2 days work?
hi Rob! you passed the test!! I put that little personal comment in there just to check if you're really reading :) And since you did, I will even leave out the spaces before the exclamation points.
DeleteRegarding your question, I'd actually planned to study part time, if anything. On the work front, odd jobs and part time work were definitely in my plans down the track, but I was keen to make a break from my previous industry and get into something new.
So it's turning out a bit differently than planned, but that's ok.
It's funny how things work out, I'm sure if I came back desperate to find work, I would end up with nothing. Instead, coming back and not even looking, I end up with a unsolicited enquiries. And despite pursuing these with limited interest/urgency, they still end up happening... Maybe that's God's sense of humour. Or it's best not to want anything too much, just go with the flow and be open to what comes your way.
Anyway, I still have plans down the track to switch paths and maybe study, but there's a lot of time for that. I came to the realisation that any major projects/efforts may be better to wait until after the kids (or at least #1) has begun school.
On the money front, I guess the extra pocket money is a nice thing. Given the market has been drifting downwards, I'm sure it would be more on my mind if we were in full FIRE mode. However knowing we had a decent buffer, and with this unplanned work income now there as an additional safety margin, I guess it has helped me relax and ease into the mode of having a much reduced active (salary) income for the rest of my life, and shift into the mindset of living off passive income.