Has anyone sacrificed money for happiness/health

**arnie** · 10-29-2010, 03:45 PM

I have been considering leaving my job to take one with less pay. I don't know if its the right thing to do, but the truth is, I hate my job.
I work 50 hrs a week, and drive an hour to work each day. I am mentally and physically exhausted and I have gained weight due to no energy to exercise. I could get a job closer to home for less money, 36 hrs vs 50. My husband thinks I am crazy- but considering that I do all house duties in addition to my job- I think its a fair trade. At least I might actually have time for myself. Has anyone else done this?

**forHISglory** · 10-29-2010, 04:03 PM

I taught in public school for a few years. It wasn't a bad situation, and was much much better than most have it in public school. But I changed to a private parochial school and never regretted it. I only made half of what the public school teachers made, but I tried to manage it well. I had good health benefits at both, but the retirement was a different story. If I had stayed at the public school, I could have retired early with a very nice pension. But I had absolutely no pension from the private school. Nevertheless, it was the right choice for my sanity. And I still managed to retire early!

**Syn D** · 10-29-2010, 04:14 PM

Will the gas you save help some?? Add what you will save in $$ in gas a day or week to what your daily/week pay will be and see if that helps.. It did us in the past..

He went from driving 2 hours a day to 50 minutes a day, and we didn't notice much decrease in the pay, cos' of the savings in gas $$..

Not to mention ware and tare..

**Debbie-cat** · 10-29-2010, 04:34 PM

I say go for it. The two hours spent driving alone adds to more than you are losing. Happiness and health are more important as far as I am concerned.

**kattails** · 10-29-2010, 04:46 PM

you have one life and if you can't live it to the fullest extent what's the point in living it??

I would take the job that you love doing the most, no amount of money is worth your sanity.

**mamachop** · 10-29-2010, 04:49 PM

Go for it! Do what makes you happy! It doesn't matter if you have a job that pays well if your health and family life deteriorates.

**MaryCarney** · 10-29-2010, 04:52 PM

No point being the wealthiest woman in coronary care, now is there?
Quit - be happy. I took about a 30% cut to go from hospital nursing to home care - my life is much nicer, even if my bank account isn't!

**Momto5RN** · 10-29-2010, 05:09 PM

i just resigned from a second job ( that 3 years ago was my only job ) even though it was excellent money for the 1 weekend a month i worked due to the stress it was causing me and affecting me health wise.

dont forget that with more freed up time you can figure ways to save more have more time to make from scratch plan - cut coupons etc
an hour each way drive what is that in gas ?? you can well sabe hundreds a month in gas with a closer job also . you may be able to decrease yoru car insurance costs with a closer job also

its not always the actual $ amt made - its where its going to .
how often are you ordering out etc because of being s exhausted ?

money is nothing if you are not healthy

**Darlene** · 10-29-2010, 05:23 PM

We've been doing without this or that ever since I became a sahm, now that hubby retired early things are even tighter but we're happy.

If you give up a job you hate it'll leave you open for all kinds of neat choices to make and feeling happier & healthier. A job or 2 (if you need a few extra bucks) that you like & that's closer to home is better than 1 that is choking the life outa you. Priorities baby. You need to make yourself one.

Go for it!

**shoiji** · 10-29-2010, 07:09 PM

Go ahead and do it. You will be happier and your family will be happier.

There really is not a good reason to continue with a job that is just causing you stress and ill health. No one should live their life in misery. If you have an opportunity to work some place closer with less hours and that is what you want then do it. I am sure it will all work out in the long run with less mileage, more time to spend at home, time to coupon, more energy, more me time.

Let us know what you decide.

**Imarachne** · 10-29-2010, 07:13 PM

You'd be surprised at the things you willing can give up to live the way you want.

**Wendy99** · 10-29-2010, 08:27 PM

DH quit a job and now prob makes less than half of what he did. It's hard financially, but he is so much happier (as he's home every evening - he was rarely home before & when he was he had to sleep). Honestly in some cases its the more you make, the more you spend. I would quit and be happy and healthy. He is much more happy, kids are more happy and I'm more happy - money can't buy that!

**Elizabeth CM** · 10-30-2010, 01:05 AM

I cut our family income by 60% when I left my full-time job 3 years ago. Not to mention all the benefits that came with a good position in a Fortune 200 company (paid connectivity, travel benefits, bonuses, free phones...)

It was an unpopular decision and we now carry 15,000 in debt that we didn't have that day. Our savings is almost gone.

But...I can't imagine doing it another way. Being home with my long-prayed-for son and reorganizing our marriage - it changed everything. And we're better for it.

Weigh the costs. Make sure you have a back-up plan. Then don't look back.

The best decisions that bring wonder to your life start with "what if..."

**KeithBC** · 10-31-2010, 12:12 PM

I quit my full-time job when I was 45. I had no idea what I was going to do next. After a year of living off savings and doing this and that, I went back to the old job, but part-time.

When we decided to move to a different part of the country, I re-quit the part-time job, again with no idea of what to do next. After a couple of years of more this and that, my old employer called me up and offered me the part time job back, except this time I could do it from home over the Internet.

Aside from being a neat story, it seems that life is trying to tell me something. I need to listen to what it is telling me. When it calls me to change my lifestyle, I can do it and it won't end up as scary as it seems. And no matter how I try, there are some things, like this job, that I just can't get away from.

**annymoll** · 10-31-2010, 12:28 PM

Would you like your job more if your husband relieved you of some of the household duties, freeing up some of your time?If not, it sounds like a different job is in order. I personally would probably hate it also, if I was working ANY job and stuck with everything at home as well. I think you already know what you are going to do, based on your own circumstances. Good luck !