Voluntary Simplicity and Work

I've been thinking recently about how to integrate work and the urge to live a simple life. I have had several careers and understand that if you want to play the career game you must give all of your time to it. I have watched colleagues bemoan the fact that their children have grown up without them seeing it or cursing how they let ambition and desire for material wealth ruin their health. Many people hate what they do but but put themselves through it in order to buy the things that society tells them they need. Can you imagine the tragedy of someone who has died from overwork.

I have decided that I really do not want to work full time anymore. Unfortunately, I am not in a financial position - yet - to do so. I am hoping though, over the next number of months, to develop strategy that will allow me to work at least one day less a week - for at least half the year anyway.

Over the next few months I intend to fully chart my spending to see what stuff I actually spend money on and where I can perhaps make savings. I have a few regular outgoings - such as rent and my broadband connection - that I cannot (or in the case of the latter will not) make savings on but I reckon I can manage my expenditure so that my outgoings above and beyond these will be minimal.

Despite being on a low wage I think I can economise enough now to put a regular sum away to use as income for the period when I will go part-time. I am also planning to start buying in and storing stuff that I can store such as tinned and dry goods. If I buy a little extra stuff every week I am sure I can build a reasonable store of stuff that will mean I only need to buy fresh food every week. It'll be an interesting experiment but as yet I have no definite date for starting - perhaps early in 2007.