Funny how well-laid plans are put to waste sometimes. I had originally intended to utilize my alternate income to pay off my debt even faster and then downshift to an interesting part time job, with the rest of my income made up from freelance writing, our niche site portfolio, and whatever else I felt like doing.
However I was recently laid off from my job (Financial Services + Subprime + Recession = ?), and so this income has been turned back towards living expenses. Thankfully I have a couple things working in my favor here:
- Savings!: My emergency fund could, by itself, provide enough income for me to live on for 3 months. However I wouldn’t want it to come to that, so I have….
- Freelance Work: Seems my writing projects and niche sites have been working to their intended effect! Despite the loss of my full-time job, I actually have enough from other sources to scrape by until i can either build up this income to a full-time job source or gnab some part time work and do a 50/50 scenario, half from my other sources and half from my part time job. This would have the added benefit of health insurance, as well.
I’ll be honest, here. Despite my well-cushioned position thanks to my emergency fund, I was terrified the first few days off during the week. Its weird watching everyone come and go to their 9-5s whilst I plug away at my home computer earning money writing and occasionally taking breaks to go outside and get a breath of fresh air or get some exercise. Everything seems strangely empty in the late morning/early afternoon. As time has passed, however, I actually love it. Being the master of my own time all the time has been a serious breath of fresh air, despite the precipitous drop in income.
Where I go from here is uncertain. I have a number of interviews lined up for full-time work, but my heart admittedly isn’t really in it. Do I want to go back to the corporate drudgery? Can I make enough money on my own? Is there meaningful part time work I can get instead? What about health benefits? All these things will be answered in time, but I’m resigned to enjoying myself in the interim.
Wish me luck.