“The Only Constant in Life is Change” Heraclitus
It is early 2025 and I have just created a brand-new tracking spreadsheet, and it suggests I have a negative £100 to last me the remainder of the month. Of course, this is still a hypothetical spreadsheet … it assumes I would drop a day of work. I am also yet to compute the contribution from my hobby. But it feels disheartening. Given I have not spent excessively in the first few days this shows that reducing spending alone will not breach the deficit created by this one day of hope. As an aside all of the fixed costs have been accounted for.
Designing your life and making choices has many dimensions, it works until it does not, and then the trick is to somehow pivot without dropping everything else in the process. This is what I am trying to do. I have created a life that I dreamt of having, creative side businesses, career that I love, a home to call my own, independence, numerous voluntarily endeavours that fulfil my intrinsic need for contribution, a life partner and our joint adventures. It does not fit.
Whilst adding each layer I have failed to see the constraints it was putting on me, my time, and my health. Reduction of hours at work is a pivot I would like to try.
I am choosing a Life on a Shoestring.