What not even I accounted for, was that we'd use the free time to increase our skill sets, so our net yearly income has been increasing in real terms, while our hours decline.

It's wild.

😂 yes, people think we are crazy and doing things backwards. It’s funny though, because it’s our friends who think this, and they are in the same age cohort as us; however, when we speak with people who are older, and that have children that are university aged, they commend us and tell us we are doing it correctly.

I think that it is really important for young adults, who are starting out on their career paths, to realistically assess their “wants” and then match their career aspirations to those goals. I knew early on what I needed to be happy, and was able to attain a career that gave me that. My “wants” are miniscule, whereas others may need all the fancy shiny things.

Also, to your point in your original note, people are always talking about having “FU” money, so that they can be more free, but an equally effective strategy is to be happy with way less. If one were to hop off the treadmill, and minimize those “wants” one could be free with a lot less.

I find pleasure in down time reading a book, cooking a meal, playing a board game, or spending time on the land. All of these things are nearly free.