There has to be a better system than this.
Live in a country with a decent amount of vacation days.
Guess I gotta move to Iran for that 53 days off a year Wikipedia says they get.
Hot damn! And here I thought 30+ days was decent amount.
Yeah but those days in Iran where it’s insanely hot… I think we are better off in Europe. :)
I get 47 if my math is right, but not all at once. Next year I think it goes to 48.
I hope you can move to Canada and find a great job like mine. Immigrate for any healthcare at all, stay for the vacation days in the woods staring out over the ocean.
What industry and job is that?
and if in germany, get yourself a schwerbehindetenausweis and show it to your employer. they have to give you 5 extra days off when the GDB is at least 50.
I honestly prefer not being eligible for that to having extra vacation days.
schwerbehindetenausweis
What is this? I don’t speak German so Google wasn’t really useful
I’m curious also
It’s a certificate showing you’re disabled. Schwer = heavily, behindert = disabled, Ausweis = certificate.
Source: am deutsch, alla.
What if you’re not disabled?
well then you’re not getting it, but even the slightest autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or even slight physical disabilities will get you one.
brb moving up from austria
Good luck finding a job, though.
i work in aerospace now. you don’t have to tell them when applying for a job.
In what is that a solution :) ? Working 40+ years except 30days per year still make you lose your time, no?
Thank God immigration is such a cheap and accessible option to everyone!
Or work for the government if you’re in the US
Don’t wait until retirement. Balance your life now. It’s going to be a long slog.
You don’t need to find an amazing career that you’ll love doing until you die. People who get that are extremely lucky, and it’s not the norm. You just need a job that will support you while still giving you time to do the things you enjoy.
Follow this: https://youtu.be/YHxwY3Fz2gU?feature=shared
As I tell my kids repeatedly. I am the exception not the rule!
It’s so bloody annoying a 13 year old is supposed to know what they want to do with their life. I fell into my career in IT at 25 after dropping out of college twice, running my own business unsuccessfully and generally doing my best to survive. Now I make 150k which is both too much and not enough money.
Point being, do what’s right for you and only you.
Live with underlying existential dread for decades. Watch as “doing what you love” becomes “hating what you used to love because you’re forced to do it so that there’s enough numbers in the computer to prove that you’re worthy of continued existence.” Contemplate the pointlessness of it all on a daily basis. Be reminded that your feelings are invalid because “other people have it worse” every time the topic comes up. Nod listlessly as “successful” people tout their own hard work while ignoring any factor luck and privilege played, then tune out when they shift into the dissonant duet of “I succeeded because I am exceptional” and “anyone can do the same if they just work harder.”
Wake up the next morning and realize there’s roughly 30 more years of this, barring a massive coronary or aneurism or something.
barring a massive coronary or aneurism or something.
Fingers crossed! 🤞
I need more therapy tbh
Don’t hold on to things you haven’t done before you retire… It is a waste of time and regretting not doing stuff, which lasts for moments, is the folly of youth.
Also what/who you want to do changes as you get older…
/sauce greybeard who is 10 years off retirement.
Thank you HorseChandelier
Yep, your priorities will change, those big plans you had 15 years ago might not seem so important now, and that’s perfectly OK.
Here’s a hot take. Do what you want when you are young. Find a way. I spent my 20’s moving around, having shitty but fun jobs. I travelled. Saw all kinds of places and met all sorts of people. It wasn’t easy and sometimes it wasn’t fun. I found myself homeless even several times. I still wouldn’t change any of it. I found a wonderful partner and we moved together for a while before settling and having kids.
In my early 40s I was diagnosed with a really rare cancer that paralyzed me from the chest down for a year prior to surgery and left lasting disabilities following. Now in my 50’s with declining health I am so glad I lived. It means I don’t have a lot of things others have but I’ve never cared much for the Jones’ anyway. If Cancer taught me anything it’s fuck society and their expectations. Do you. Find a way. Be happy.
Would love to talk further with you. Mid 40s, narcolepsy, and some doubt that I’ll make it to retirement age in a way that makes SSA pay meaningfully.
Struggling thru the next twenty or so years seems like hell. Love my job, but doesn’t make up for the mess that is life for me.
On top of that, I made promises to my wife of fifteeen years, back when, and I’m bent on keeping them.
My disease is hardly akin to cancer, but I think you have some collected wisdom that would make a meaningful differentlce in our lives.
The alternative is much worse. I don’t want to be poor and/or homeless. I want to be able to take vacations and not worry about surprise expenses. I want to actually be able to retire someday.
The alternative is a much harder life to live, in my opinion. For me, giving up 40ish hours a week for the peace of mind it worth it. Yes, work is not how I’d prefer to spend my time, but it allows me to spend the rest of my time doing as I’d please.
There are more alternatives.
A pivotal piece of advice once shifted my perspective on work. It was put simply: ‘If the thought of retirement is your main motivation, you might be in the wrong job.’ This implies that if you’re constantly counting down the years to retirement, you’re essentially wishing for time to fly by quicker. But those years are valuable, and letting them slip away in anticipation of something else isn’t worth it. The key is to find a career that reduces your stress and enhances your life now, not just in the future. While financial security is undeniably important, it’s also crucial to recognize when you have enough and to prioritize your well-being and happiness in the present.
Its an interesting sentiment… but ultimately it just rings a bit hollow yeah? As if nearly anyone would work 40 hours a week if they didnt have to. You think if 100 people were given enough money to cover their housing/food/leisure/travel they would go to a factory job 40 hours a week? Or even a job they enjoyed or had fun at? Or would they spend their time with loved ones, doing things they enjoy, filling their lives with interesting experiences they can enjoy in the moment and reflect back on?
I enjoy my job quite a bit, It even has value to me in that it contributes to society in a fulfilling way, but 100% I am looking forward to not being obligated to do it
Plan the things you want to do into your life. Drop the notion “when I retire I will…” If you can fit the stuff you want to do into your Annual Leave then that’s a big win. If not then you’ll need unpaid leave. One good time is between jobs.
I’ve pretty consistently chosen less hours and better working conditions over pay since I started to have that choice. It’s made it a lot more tolerable. I’m currently on a four day week, with a minimal commute, good perks and a relatively stress free job that I took a pay cut for. My retirement savings look pretty slim, but due to my health the chance of a long one isn’t much higher anyway.
Not without it’s issues. Pay is pretty significantly below the median. Fortunately I’m not interested in having kids and I’m content living cheaply, even if it sounds boring. But I’m in a weird dead zone for government support; for instance - if I earned more, there are programs for “middle income” housing and the like that I earn too little to qualify for. Low income housing programs are a joke - with wait times being as much as a decade -but even if it wasn’t I’m not high priority anyway. Also no way on earth I’m ever getting a home loan, even though mortgage repayments would be less than rent and I could conceivably make the deposit.
Was just talking about how difficult work is going to make the next three days, so that I can’t wait until they’re over, but that’s another week of my life where I’m wishing for days to pass so I can try to be happy again. Lame. Lame as fuck.
If you don’t enjoy your job, try to change it. I don’t love my job, but I like it; and the people are so great that it’s a good fit. We still have to work, so make it something you don’t loathe.
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Trying to out-earn my age. Can you guess how that’s going so far? :/
I just plan to live forever. Come 2176 I’m going to have enough money to retire in comfort.
I slack. Oh boy do I slack. I’d work so harder if I thought I would actually get something for it. In fact, when I started my latest job, I was doing just that, because it seemed this company was different, and it’s something I’m naturally good at. Got commended by my boss about how much I was doing, how quickly I was learning, how in a year I had already surpassed the next most recent hire that had been there for 2 years… Then time came for my review, and it was a “meets expectations”. Like wtf do I have to do to exceed expectations? Then not long after, they started denying me time off, saying I had taken too much. Supposedly we had unlimited PTO, of which I had taken 2 weeks so far that year (1 week in March, the rest just single days here and there), and my request was for a week in July… Anywho long story short, I’ve pretty much figured out exactly how much I have to fake being busy to not get negative attention, and I do that. I milk cases for all they’re worth. And I’m still getting more done than half my colleagues. I hate it, but it pays decently, so I have a hard time throwing it away for something that might be more fulfilling, but doesn’t pay as well…
That is shitty. My heart goes out.
Hello twin
I simply work part time on purpose. I don’t have my own place (flatmates) so we all split the COL. It’s not truly freedom, but it feels a lot more free than when I worked full time. I usually have enough to save a little and also because of this I am able to travel a few times a year. But you have to be REALLY able to manage your finances to live like this. I have no credit card and prepay everything ahead of time. It leaves me with a lot more time to enjoy LIFE. and feel less constantly tired as well.
Existential dread. I am not here to be a wage slave but I can’t figure out how to get out. I just drink a lot
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I live in the UK, so I get 25 days off work, and I take full advantage of that, I rarely do staycations.
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I’m about to buy a property and I’m deliberately going to get a mortgage where my monthly payments are not as much as I can possibly afford, but a bit less. This means that it will take me longer to pay it off, and overall it will cost me more, but I will have more disposable income today to spend on life’s pleasures.
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I don’t have kids and don’t plan to.
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I stay physically active, just simple going to the gym 5-6 days a week. And I think this is really important. It will keep your body in shape and by the time your 60 or 70, you’ll be able to do much more than your average peers who spent their middle age doing office jobs followed by evenings in front of the TV. And here, instead of my 41-year-old self, I’m going to use the example of my mum. She’s turning 70 next year, but it was only when she was 68 that she started taking swimming lessons and she got to love it. It was also around that time that I floated the idea to her “why don’t I take you for holidays to New York”. She was all “no, no, I’m too old, it’s too much walking, you took me for a holiday to London when I was 55 and I was totally exhausted, I wouldn’t be able to do New York at this age.” Now that she’s had over 1.5 years of almost daily swimming (and cycling, she’s also a keen cyclist) - she said yes. She said she’s feeling perfectly fine doing long walks, she’s more energised, and she already gave me a list of what she wants to see in New York.
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Other than physical activity, scientists seem to agree that the other two pillars of long and healthy life are good sleep, and good diet. For the former, I recommend reading Why we sleep by Matthew Walker. And good diet means varied diet, vegetable-rich diet, and low-calorie diet (too many books agree on that for me to recommend a specific one).
I stay physically active, just simple going to the gym 5-6 days a week.
jesus fuck how is that simple?
Maybe it’s just a 10min walk to the gym? Saves a lot of money for membership as well.
Simple doesnt necessarily mean easy to accomplish. I took it to mean they just go and so something as opposed to some structured, unwavering plan or training so hard they cant walk 5 days out of the weak.
Could probably accomplish something similar with 100-200 squats and push ups a day, but going to the gym gives you more variety
Yes, I guess whatever regular physical activity is good. But not gonna lie, during the pandemic when gyms were closed and all I had to stay active was my dumbbells at home, it was pretty much harder to motivate myself to do the limited number of exercises available to me in this set up. Gym does allow for some variety.
Are you talking about time constraints? (again - no parental responsibilities here, so pretty simple) Or are you asking how I motivate myself?
Also, I meant simple as in, I don’t play any sports, or do some varied types of physical activity. Just gym.
Both?
Working a full time job leaves neither time nor energy for that, for example.I work a full time job. 5 days a week, 8h a day. I don’t have many other responsibilities, so it’s not that hard. I would say that gym consumes 2h in one day, including traveling to and from (although my gym is like 1 minute off my route to work) changing before and showering after and that includes 60-75 minute workout. Days when I make plans with friends in the evening are trickier but if I stay disciplined, I make it work. Also, I start work at 7 and leave around 3.30, so I’m home around 6pm after a day of work and gym. And as for being drained after work, my job is mainly thinking (I’m a scientist). I don’t know what you do, but I can imagine having a physically demanding job can indeed discourage from the thought of lifting some dumbbells after a whole day.
As for motivation, don’t have much more to advise than: you just have to force yourself. I guess sticking with it for a few months and seeing the effects is indirectly motivating. Scientists say that will power itself is like a muscle: the more you exercise it, the more of it you seem to have. Every day is an internal struggle for me, fending off the thought “maybe just today… I can skip gym?” Sometimes I cave, but I do manage to make it 5-6 days a week.
Your point about the mortgage eventually costing you more in the long run is exactly what I advocate for. So many moneybros out there advocate for living in squalor so you can both aggressively save for retirement and pay down all your loans.
But life is uncertain and even if you live a healthy life, you never know if you’ll just be hit by a car and killed one day.
Life is about maintaining a balance. Sure, save for retirement, but don’t do so so aggressively that you ruin your ability to be happy now.
Another way see a loan is that you’re buying time. When you see it for what it is then you don’t have to fall for heuristic thinking.
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