Good afternoon from the Midwest

[Stacy]

Hi everyone. I read the book years ago and an have been lurking ever since. I live a modest lifestyle in a small Midwestern city with my son. We are considering a move to a bigger city the next state over for more opportunities. I'm a little too old to retire early, so I'm trying to find ways to retire in a reasonable time frame. It seems like it would take a miracle, as I find myself in a low-paying job due to some bad life choices and trying various things that just didn't work out in the past. I consider myself rather frugal, but I clearly need to learn a lot about managing money in other ways.

My dream life is to follow a creative pursuit of some type (I'm thinking along the lines of interior design) and owning a modest house while being able to travel now and then. That's it! Maybe have a garden and some cats, too.

[Dream of Freedom]

Hi from Nebraska.

[Western Red Cedar]

My dream life is to follow a creative pursuit of some type (I'm thinking along the lines of interior design) and owning a modest house while being able to travel now and then. That's it! Maybe have a garden and some cats, too.

Welcome. Are you currently focusing on creative pursuits outside of work? It sounds like you could probably achieve some of those goals while working and making progress towards retirement.

[Stacy]

Welcome. Are you currently focusing on creative pursuits outside of work? It sounds like you could probably achieve some of those goals while working and making progress towards retirement.

Unfortunately, my current job wears me out by the end of the day, so anything creative has been put on hold. I'll have to find the stamina to take classes part-time to develop my skills (which will be paid for with my company's tuition reimbursement benefit), but I hope to be in a higher-paying job in a few years, doing something far more interesting.

[Veronica]

Hi Stacy! Good to see some others in the midwest too!

I totally understand being wiped at the end of the day. Personally, that's when i'm most susceptible to bad choices that put me off track.
I've learned to get a second opinion on anything my brain suggests after 8pm LOL.

What kind of classes are you thinking of taking? Certain job you're angling for?

[frugaldoc]

Hello Stacy and welcome. I am always curious what people mean when they say the "midwest". Having grown up in Kansas I was shocked, absolutely shocked, to discover that people from Wisconsin considered themselves Midwesterners.

Your goals seem modest, therefore achievable. Is there a way to make your work less taxing so that you can engage in some creative pursuits now, even if on a minimal scale?

@veronica- I like your getting a second opinion on anything your brain suggests after 8pm. Reminds me of the wise (and frequently ignored) advice my father gave me as young man: "Son, rarely has any good come from an ATM withdrawal after midnight."

[Stacy]

Hi Stacy! Good to see some others in the midwest too!

I totally understand being wiped at the end of the day. Personally, that's when i'm most susceptible to bad choices that put me off track.
I've learned to get a second opinion on anything my brain suggests after 8pm LOL.

Apologies for starting a thread and then vanishing. I discovered shortly thereafter that I have had ADHD, which would explain some of that bad life choices that got me into my current life situation. I know it's been over a year, but I'll respond anyway.

After two years of doing the job that I really enjoyed (because it was somewhat creative), I'm making a move into one that will be very routine and not involve heavy lifting. This should give me more energy at the end of the day. One thing about being tired is that I end up watching a lot of TV (that is, wasting my life away getting entertained), or scrolling social media (with the same result). I've found that I'm a very easy target for ads on facebook, especially when tired.

What kind of classes are you thinking of taking? Certain job you're angling for?

I was going for interior design but ending up dropping those classes. I realized that I'm only interested in my own style and not everyone else's, so I'm just going to decorate my own space and get a steady job with a decent paycheck. So I completely switched gears and I started accounting classes.

[Stacy]

Having grown up in Kansas I was shocked, absolutely shocked, to discover that people from Wisconsin considered themselves Midwesterners.

Yep, I'm in Wisconsin! I was trying to be vague about where I lived. But that wasn't really necessary. I'm originally from Michigan, which is also Midwest but very different from Kansas.

And I also apologize for not replying for over a year. I posted in here and just kinda forgot due to brain issues.

Your goals seem modest, therefore achievable. Is there a way to make your work less taxing so that you can engage in some creative pursuits now, even if on a minimal scale?

Yes! Next week, I'm moving from my heavy lifting job to one in the same company in which I will be lifting nothing heavier than sheets of paper. That should free up a lot of energy in the evenings.

[Veronica]

Apologies for starting a thread and then vanishing. I discovered shortly thereafter that I have had ADHD, which would explain some of that bad life choices that got me into my current life situation. I know it's been over a year, but I'll respond anyway.

After two years of doing the job that I really enjoyed (because it was somewhat creative), I'm making a move into one that will be very routine and not involve heavy lifting. This should give me more energy at the end of the day. One thing about being tired is that I end up watching a lot of TV (that is, wasting my life away getting entertained), or scrolling social media (with the same result). I've found that I'm a very easy target for ads on facebook, especially when tired.



I was going for interior design but ending up dropping those classes. I realized that I'm only interested in my own style and not everyone else's, so I'm just going to decorate my own space and get a steady job with a decent paycheck. So I completely switched gears and I started accounting classes.

Hi Stacy,

No apologies required! haha
I rarely watch TV anymore, and only have some social media presence (twitter, because I've been able to find people of like mind there).
I think that finding something productive to engage in, especially if you find it easy to get lost in (and maybe even relatively low cost) is the best way to replace TV. For me, that's reading technical books from places like oreilly, springer, etc and just tinkering and writing, which is mostly free.
I've been spending more time cooking from scratch with a focus on whole grains and dried beans, which can also act as a pretty extensive time sink.

I think accounting is a really productive field. I sometimes watch Aaron Clarey on youtube, and though he mostly skews towards a MGTWO/red-pill type philosophy, he also is a big proponent of both minimalist frugal living and learning accounting; I think he offers courses on both that may be of interest, and he talks often about how there are viable paths to get into accounting that don't require a college degree.

Regardless, best of luck! Feel free to keep us updated as you progress. No one is perfect (certainly not me), and the only person you're racing with is yourself.

[Stacy]

Hi Veronica. Thanks for the quick response!

I think that finding something productive to engage in, especially if you find it easy to get lost in (and maybe even relatively low cost) is the best way to replace TV.

I agree! For me, it's tough to get started on something, but I really focus once I'm into it. I have a pile of library books that will be overdue at some point, but it's unfortunately easier to pick up the tv remote.

I've been spending more time cooking from scratch with a focus on whole grains and dried beans, which can also act as a pretty extensive time sink.

I have a variety of dried beans that are sitting decoratively in jars. I really need to get back to that kind of cooking. It's cheap and a lot healthier than the processed stuff I've been eating.

I think I'll skip Aaron Clarey's videos. His stuff on accounting could be good, but he seems like someone whose opinions on women would probably infuriate me. There are lots of YouTubers I already follow in terms of personal finance and frugality, although I haven't looked into any accounting videos yet.

I'm thinking I may start a journal here. I looked at a few, and this seems like just the right forum for it. Thanks for the welcome and encouragement!