If you were guaranteed 1,200 a month income…

You're 43 now. You've probably paid something like 20-25 years of NI contributions. You need 35 to qualify for the full State Pension and that probably won't kick in until you're 70. In 27 years, your £1200pa may be worth less than half its value now, but it will still be counted as fixed regular income. So you could end up with, say, half the state pension and no access to pension credits or other benefits because you have this extra reliable income. In the meantime how will you finance the next car, the next major repair bill on your home, the next washing machine etc? If you can come up with a plan that gets round all that, go for it.

If I was you I'd be looking for a different job or using the £1200 to train for a better and more rewarding career. I'd counsel against stopping work and taking a breather unless you're able to be really disciplined. Too many people take a few months off and then it's too late, they're in their late 50s and their options are very limited. Good luck, I hope you can find a way that works for you.

I think I would throw everything at my mortgage for a while first then renegotiate it to bring that bill down.

You can find out about that on the moneysavingexpert website. If you put an extra £2000 a month into that for a year, it would knock a lovely chunk off and the interest side would go down a lot. It would save you much more than you could make in interest on savings.

In a heartbeat I would. If I could afford the leave work I'd be gone!

I don’t blame you OP but I’m not sure how easy it would actually be to find a job for two days a week. Could you look for something with more days but a lot less stress?

£2000 a month isn’t exactly riches with two kids to support. Is there no way you can reduce hours/switch job?

The mortgage alone is £1,200 a month, so no, I couldn't do that.

You have to do what is best for your health but that also includes having enough money as part of that equation.

Can you do part time and top up with one day a week doing a food delivery job that pays for your “spending money “ or food shop
It’s can be just as depressing on no money .
You need to do what’s best for your health though.

I would work two days a week in that situation and I think I could just about manage, but my mortgage is less than half what yours is so I think I'd need to work an extra day in your situation.

I agree with others that national minimum wage jobs are often stressful. You aren’t valued because you’re seen as replaceable. Customer service facing jobs you’re often treated like crap by customers. Shifts change and are inconvenient.

So you might be out of the frying pan into the fire… just with less money.

Do it. Take time out. Life is short. Use your savings and find something part time, less stressful, possibly more fulfilling.

I would find the new job first otherwise you’ll burn through your savings pretty quickly on luxuries like food, electricity and petrol.

If you are so mentally burnt out that you need to give up your job, it’s also worth speaking to your GP. Being signed off for a couple of weeks may give you the breathing space you need.

Can you take a career break?

Go for it, OP. Have a break, recover from burnout and see how you feel. It's not forever. I'd definitely do it in your shoes.

I don't see how your savings are so relatively low if you have 2K over each month. I'm a couple of years older than you and I would only do this if I was mortgage free and have enough saved up for my retirement already, but I'm also very financially careful. I am not sure you will be able to get a new mortgage the next time your term runs out and that would worry me.

I do get the stress you are feeling is very damaging but financial stress is also awful. I can't help but think there is some middle ground here that is between 2 days a week in a minimum wage role or working yourself to the ground.

If your car needs work and your boiler breaks then that’s a huge chunk out of your £10k savings in a one. With the numbers you’re talking about just about covering your current outgoings, you’d struggle to replenish them.

If your mortgage goes up?
What state is your pension in?
How old is DC - are they going to be heading to uni?

That really doesn’t give you a lot of breathing space. Being skint is a whole other world of stress.

A 2-days a week minimum wage unskilled job can still be VERY stressful. It could be a zero hours contract where getting shifts depends on being on the right side of the manager/supervisor, it could involve working with rude and aggressive members of the public, it could be (or become) a toxic bullying work culture, it could be very hard to get an 'easy' job in the first place.

If I was burned out in my current profession and had a trust income that covered rent I'd be thinking long term (you're only 43) and looking at training for a new profession/trade using the savings you have now but planning to work in the new field for 20 years.

I'd be bored silly. With that savings buffer, I'd retrain and do another full-time job that was less stressful. Or part-time but more than 2 days a week. At 43, that's a loooong time to be filling 5 days a week if you're not ill or something. How old are you kids? I'd want to keep earning to help mine through uni and other things like house deposits. You're clearly capable, just tired, so take a breath and do something else but don't give up to the extent you're talking about. A PP talked about feeling permanently on holiday, but other people would get depressed by it.

If I had a guaranteed £1200 I would want at least 150 locked into a pension.
At 43 at least 50k in accessible savings I could access to I retire.

I think you should change your lifestyle, but why not look for working 3/4 days as week in a less stressful job. You’ll still have half the week off work and try get help to manage any stress. If you needed help with house or garden or childcare you’d have a bit extra money from the extra day.

Is there a middle ground?

I’ve done this, OP. It was the best thing for me and I am 100% happier. I now work four mornings a week and it feels like I am permanently on holiday.

Absolutely no point running yourself into the ground and becoming miserable if you have enough coming in to keep a roof over your head and bills paid. You never know what's around the corner but once the essentials are paid for I think peace of mind and quality time with friends and family is worth so much more than accumulating more stuff/ bigger house etc.

If you found out tomorrow you didn't have long left, would you regret how you are spending your time now? If you looked back on your life in 30 years time, would you regret not having spent more time in a job you hate?

You do need to consider retirement plans and also how old your child is / how close to financial independence they are and their plans (college/ uni etc). Can you downsize or reduce your mortgage payments to give you more of a buffer?

Suggest that you speak to a financial advisor before quitting your job

43 is essentially very young to retire from the workplace

If you work, you may receive free contributions from your employer into your work pension, plus life insurance & other benefits

Can you work until your children are 18 ?

Is your state retirement age 68 ?

If you do not work, you can only pay £2880 per year into a SIPP, although you would receive tax relief on top. However I believe that you would not be able to access this pension until 57 at the earliest

Have you considered downsizing to a smaller house in order to reduce your mortgage? The thought of having to service a mortgage of nearly £1k a month on a low (and diminishing in value) income would keep me awake at night.

What if inflation rises again? Interest rates would increase and the value of your income from the trust would decrease.

No I wouldn't.

Don't compromise when it comes to jobs. There is something out there that will give you literally everything you need rather than trading one disadvantage for another.