To drop a day at work at the moment?

[CPHB2021]

It's arisen at work to have the opportunity to drop to four days a week. I only work 6 hours on the 5th day anyway. I am so torn between giving it up and being able to be with DC or staying to have the extra cushion financially.
We are fairly comfortable and DH does well at work, but still reliant on my income. The difference is just shy of £5K before tax, per year. Would you lose £5K to have more time with your children (3 and 6yo) or would you stay as is, and have the extra few hundred pounds a month, looking like £350 ish I'd be losing.

In a heart beat. We did it and absolutely you do notice the drop in income but the difference it's made has been massive. My kids are in school but I blitz the washing and house of my day off or get my hair done etc so it keeps weekends free for the fun stuff !
I'd take three days at this stage if it was an option.

I would if I was absolutely sure that it was affordable - after checking income and expense figures many times - and that there would still be a financial buffer every month. Will it still enable you to save? If not I would only do it short term while the kids are young, but would probably still do it.

You only get one life - would the money or time with your family bring you a better quality of that life?

Yes 💯 you will have more energy and it’s better for your health and life balance. No brainer. If you regret it you can always find 5 day jobs again

I don't know! That's my dilemma. I spend all of the holidays with DC but our time in the week is limited and we use wrap around care for DS. Money is not the be all and end all, of course, but not having enough could be really stressful. DH work fluctuates so some months he will more than compensate for the loss of mine but it's not guaranteed. I really want to be able to provide a good and comfortable life for our DC. But equally, time is something we will never get back!

Given the hours you are working I would absolutely drop the fifth day. I reduced from 5 days to 4 and it made a massive difference to ywork life balance and benefited our family as a whole.

I work 4 days a week and my DC is a teenager. I love having a day to get some jobs done, have any optician/dentist appointments etc. I also try and do a class at the gym and then have a swim and relax in the jacuzzi. It means we have more family time at the weekend, I get a bit of me time and I'm usually home when DC gets home from school.

Sometimes DH finishes early and we walk to the pub for lunch!

I work 4 days a week. I used to work 3 days. My children are both high school age now, so no childcare issues or costs anymore. My husband has dropped a few hints about me going back full time and I often think it would be nice to have the extra income. But we can live without it and even though children are older, having a weekday free is so handy as any appointments for them or me, errands etc can be scheduled for my day off. I get most of the housework and washing sorted that day and then it leaves the weekend much easier with more free time for everyone. Work life balance is important - if you can afford it, do it.

My DH is self employed and it has been scary dropping my earnings, we still have a bit of a buffer - but are not as comfortable as we are and things are tighter than they were, mostly on Disposable income. Its taken me bit of time to adjust to being a bit more careful with what I buy, meal planning for shopping and such instead. :)