AIBU to use inheritance to go part time and avoid burnout?

Why should she?

Put it in premium bonds and use the few hundred you might win every couple of months to pay a cleaner / gardener / handyman.

There's nothing I like less on here than this gleeful doom-laden 'JUST YOU WAIT' pouncing. By any measure, working full time, being the person solely responsible for all the cooking and cleaning, and doing a course part time is busy stuff. Juggling all the things you listed would be hard, yeah, but it doesn't mean juggling a job and a course at the same time isn't hard too.

DS has worked three days office and two days university for the last two years, doing his masters. You need to be frugal but it's doable.

Unless there are other issues no I wouldn’t.

At 27 I worked a 44 hour week in a graduate management type role. Studied part time for 2 years which was two nights a week in college and basically half a day at a weekend. I also fitted in going out most weekends on a Friday and Saturday as well as working in my family farm during holidays.

This is when you put the time and effort in. Good luck with your studies.

To me 'burnout' means that I am a gibbering wreck every time my work phone bleeps, can't sleep, addicted to prescription meds to get through the day at work, can't concentrate, feelings of dread and want to curl up in bed as soon as I get home,hoping it will all go away! That's why I'm leaving my job.

If you are finding the balance of FT work, PT study, home ownership and all the rest hard, use the money however best would make your life better and more manageable.

Ignore those who are saying you "should" be able to manage it all, they aren't living your life! There is no "should", everyone has a different load and different ability to manage things at varying times.

I think going to 4 days in the short term whilst you study could well be a good idea, certainly it's very common for this set up to be the case in professions such as accountancy, actuarial, solicitors etc when training alongside working. So don't feel guilty for taking the necessary time to progress your career.and have a balanced life!

I guess id make sure you could easily go back to FT after!

Other options to help get the balance and reduce the pressure of doing everything and utilise the inheritance rather than reducing work hours could be:

• buying additional annual leave so you can take more regular breaks that are just for resting rather than catching up on everything

• paying for help with household stuff- diy/cleaning/gardening

• online shopping delivery subscriptions - for groceries, toiletries, meal prep kits, clothes, amazon stuff etc so you dont have to physically go shopping (unless of course you enjoy this!)

Good luck with your studies! I completed my degree PT over 5 years whilst working FT (20+ years ago now), and I remember how tough that was and I still lived at home with my parents for 4 years of it!!!

What do you mean by "burnout"?

The use of the term seems to have exploded on here recently and it's not clear to me what it actually means.

In my opinion that's not enough to go part time on. Like a pp said, single, no kids, I would push through it. But I've never had much money so my opinion is very biased.

I’d be looking into what’s causing possible burn out at 27 with no children, a full time job I’d be concerned that you couldn’t handle a part time course.

In your shoes I’d pay £25K of the mortgage, set aside £5K for a couple of holidays to look forward too and pop the rest in an account to pay for help, that could be a cleaner, Gardner, Gusto meals etc

I have recently done this, but I am 62.

I'd give anything to be 27, completely in rude health, and not burned out with family, job, and parents in perimenopause too.

Enjoy yourself OP, buy some treats, but don't go part time just yet. Use this money wisely, and invest/save it. As PP say, it's going to take you a long time to save that much again. Youth is on your side. That's valuable. And making the most of that, and the money, is key.

I would pay £35,000 of the mortgage and bring the payments down, possibly even remortgage for a longer period of time (40years) to bring the payments down even more, which will give more study time. I woukd also be filling the freezer with things like 30 chickpea curries minus rice for £5, and really look at every penny you are spending. If u dont need it - dont buy it! Good luck with your studies

I don't actually think it is about resentment at all.

The OP is asking for advice on whether or not she should do this. The obvious answer, if she is a healthy 27 year old with no real responsibilities other than a house, a job and a part time course of study, would be no, of course she shouldn't fritter away her inheritance now when she may well be in far greater need of it further down the line. Those of us who have been at the OP's stage of life know that there are likely much greater challenges to come, and the OP might be glad of a nest egg later when things may well get more complicated.

But perhaps there are extenuating circumstances which we don't know about which would change the calculus. Perhaps she has a disability or serious illness. Perhaps she has debilitating mental health problems. Perhaps she has significant caring responsibilities etc. Or an exceptionally demanding

Without knowing the details of her situation, it's hard to comment, but I certainly wouldn't rush to the conclusion that people are resenting her for what is actually a relatively small inheritance. People are just confused as to why a healthy 27 year old would be burnt out from what - on the face of it - sounds like a relatively uncomplicated life. But we don't know the back story and there may well be much more to it than the information that the OP initially presented.

I would use it to get in help so cleaner tradesmen etc particularly if it’s only until June

Im not sure why the following would cause burnout: “ I'm finding keeping on top of all that comes home ownership”

OP I think going to 4 days a week in order to have more time to study is absolutely acceptable. However, I think you need to analyse why you’re experiencing burnout, perhaps you can solve the issue is some other way?

FYI, I am a house owner, with 2 children, working full time and managed to complete a professional qualification (I am not single and admittedly it does help to have support at home). There are many people that do this and do not experience burnout.

whatever you decide, it’s great you are retraining and just do whatever you need to get through it!

I think it's a great idea if your work are supportive of that, and if you think your retraining will allow you to make up some of the lost money later on.

Mumsnetters hate anyone having it easier than them so I reckon you'll get a lot more negative responses.

What are you studying?

Why would you burn out because you work full time and are studying?

Unless there is something relevant you haven't told us, I wouldn't, no. I was expecting to say you should do it when I read the title, but having read about your age and circumstances absolutely not. Overpay your mortgage or use it for holidays. Or save it until you are really burnt out, when you're at the top of your stressful career, age 50, married or divorced, kids, juggling all that and childcare alongside demanding elderly parents and parents in law who expect you to care for them yet refuse anything you suggest that would make their lives easier, health issues of your own, worried about affording your own retirement.. That is when you will need it more and you will look back at your 27 year old self and wish you had it so easy again! Stay strong now and well done for retraining AND getting yourself on the property ladder at your age. Thats a great achievement.

Also yy to looking into whether your job can give you study leave. Or even compressed hours?

You sound obnoxious.

When you say “all that comes with home ownership” what do you mean?

Housework? Getting a cleaner seems a good way to solve that one - much cheaper than going down a day at work.

Running repairs? Decorating? - those shouldn’t be long term or frequent things that make you think of going part time.

Yes, doing the course at the same time will make you feel very busy. I think if you’d phrased it as - “AIBU to go down to part-time so as to study xyz, and use some inheritance to facilitate that” - you’d have got much more encouraging responses.

I think it’s when people use the term “burn out” lightly, especially to an audience that is likely juggling more than you’ve described here themselves, you tend to lose the audience.

You won’t “burn out” if you keep working full time. You may do better on your course if you don’t.

Also, look at how much less the four day a week salary actually gives you after tax. Sometimes, I think if you earn in the 50k ish bracket, you don’t lose out on that much. You may not even have to use any of your inheritance to do it.

OP, do what you need to do to prevent burnout, your mental health is important. 4 days work a week while you are studying sounds a sensible idea. Good luck to you 💐

I would start with buying in help like a gardener a cleaner and pre prepared meals. Are their regular maintenance jobs that you are struggling with? There’s bound to be some way of outsourcing those.

Are you entitled to any study leave from your job? Are there parts of the course that will be more intense? You could look at whether it is possible to buy additional leave and take it around those times.

I would be concerned about your reputation in the workplace if you go part time I also think that there are other ways you could use the money.