Today is Sunday, and my husband has finally returned to his normal self. It typically takes him all of Saturday to shake off the stress and frustrations from his job. Things weren’t always this way, but the recent crisis has made the situation worse.
On the bright side, he’s gained a clearer perspective on what it’s like when someone else controls your time and freedom for the sake of a paycheck. He still has 4.5 years to serve in the military before he can retire with a full pension.
For now, he takes a deep breath and keeps pushing through. He’s on track to reach Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) with a nice nest egg. We’ve talked about what we’d do if we suddenly came into a million dollars. I have a feeling he’d leave the military immediately and retire.
I’m grateful he has a stable job and paycheck to keep his FIRE journey going, especially when so many people are currently job hunting. I’ve lost most of my online income, although a few clients still stick around. My Airbnb properties in Guatemala haven’t had any guests since early March, and I don’t expect any until maybe Christmas.
I’d consider other jobs, but I’m waiting for my green card and can’t work in the meantime. If I had a work permit, I’d probably pick up a part-time job at a supermarket just to stay occupied. Income isn’t a pressing issue for me, so I feel a bit conflicted about taking a job that someone else might need more. Plus, with the $600 extra per week in unemployment benefits, people are better off staying home than working minimum-wage jobs.
I do volunteer work like walking an elderly neighbor’s dog, and I enjoy it. It gets me out of the RV, and the 3-mile bike ride each way gives me some fresh air and exercise.
I empathize with people who need jobs but can’t find them right now. It’s unclear how unemployment filings are progressing, but it seems like some folks are having trouble getting through.
We’re very fortunate; even though I’m not working at the moment, I have enough savings to last a couple of years before needing to touch my investments. My husband’s military job is probably one of the safest in the country.
He has two years until he needs to re-enlist for the final stretch. If budget cuts come into play, it could become a stressful period, considering he needs to complete 20 years to get his pension. At this point, that’s his main motivation for staying in.