Is it better to have a high pressure high paying job 50 miles away with 70 hours ? or a low pressure liveable wage 20 miles away ? i am torn .i have always gone for high pressure high wage and not really lived ? kid is on the way ?as i type this i know the answer ? but money pays for stuff ? and its nice to have money spare for stuff ect ? no mortgage , no credit cards and no loans ?? just cash coming in to pay for life ? its not a troll? its a MTB guy changing his life ?if he needs to ? sensible answers please .we all need money to live (we all love bikes) kids cost money – advice and suggestions not slating ?

Didn’t you ask this last week? I’m guessing you calmed down and didn’t quit.

I know a lot of people who work away etc. and met a few expats.
There are 2 options
1) Defined time, for a defined objective. Bank/Invest all you can in the shortest possible time then stop. If you start to live on the high wage it’s harder to come down. Short term pain long term gain, you just need to establish the long term aspect really.

2) Living the life forever and becoming dependant on the high income, keeping going and looking at the bank balance rather than life.

There is of course middle ground but you will be mostly in 1 or 2. So which is it?

Yeah i posted Mike, but i did quit and a new job has come up. I am unsure if its more of the same ? money or life , beers inside me and i am torn . I rode a fantastic event last week that i had trained for and loved it rather than – dragging myself around with no fitness and hating it ? Bills and holidays need cash ,families need cash but if I’m not here to enjoy the fruits well ? its tough call , i like spending time with family and family like the cash ?? Ohh to know the answer ? i guess its about growing up and putting family first- but at what expense ?

Overwhelmingly my opinion is: you spend 8hrs+ a day at work, you don’t have to enjoy it, but you can’t hate it…. that will do-you-in.

no mortgage

For me, this would be quite an important factor….. is it realistic (the prospect of having no mortgage)? How long would it take? If you could realistically pay off your mortgage within a relatively short space of time, it might be worth it, as this would then give you maximum freedom in terms of future options. Or are we just talking about paying of your mortgage in 15 years instead of 20?

The other job sounds like a red herring – there are options for you in-between (I’m sure). The real question is: “is the high pay/high stress job worth it?”.

Only you will know….
However if you structure your life at a certain level you will need to maintain it. Not having kids etc. we left the UK and moved to Oz, both now working part time but we have changed our levels of expectation and outgoings to suit.

Some of those I know that spend a lot of time away from families use the extra cash to bribe them for want of a better phrase. Bringing expensive presents home for the kids/wife to make up for it.

Horses for courses. Not a glib phrase – I have friends who literally thrive on high pressure and will drive 50 miles round trip just to get the best lunch. The best lunch for me is waiting an extra two days for those tomatoes to grow red in the polytunnel and contributing/foraging stuff with friends making something awesome out of simple things. I also like to wake up to where I work, or a small rural commute by bike – and often sleep in the morning and work until 3am. Other friends seem to require 6am start and 12 pm finish, interjected only by impressively expensive business lunch or dinner. My idea of hell.

I have tried various working formats including ultra high pressure ‘lean Startups’ (shudder )and seem to default to lower income and (for me ) higher quality life. This would be insane and obverse for an opposite persona for sure.

Kids cost money yes, but earning lots of money can cost you your time and your quality with your kids. Stressed out parent teaches stress to offspring. No use 6ft under at 50. Extreme example but weigh it up – no universal ‘right’ answer but seek the right/best compromise for you and yr family ?

Malvern rider ,
i am a chef who works with local produce from very local suppliers , you have made me see sense, you are not responsible for my next action but can be credited for making me wake up? i will wait 2 days for the best tomatoes or job or new life but i will make sure my family are right there with me to taste the freshest, nicest tomatoes, So best food- best location and best leisure (spelt wrong) chefs are actually thick ? cheers guys and chapeaux .

Make sure you have the long proper version of this conversation with your wife. You both need to be in agreement as to where you are going.