If you were guaranteed 1,200 a month income…

[Tja1]

Would you give up full time work and a stressful job for something low key with minimal pay and minimal responsibility?

I’m 43. I’ve been a single parent for several years. It’s been a struggle. I have income guaranteed of 1,200 a month. My mortgage is 980 so this income only really covers that and council tax.

I have around 2k spare a month at the moment that I can put away after all expenses but my mental health and general health is very bad due to the pressures of the job. I am seriously considering just throwing the towel in and getting a job two days a week doing something basic (I can’t go part time in my current industry), just something that pays the extra bills and a bit of spending money.

has anyone done this? Is it crazy? I’m so depleted and I’ve exhausted all other options including sick leave, annual leave and therapy. I just want to get off the treadmill.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Can you take a career break?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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.

Meant to add - you would never be able to renegotiate a new mortgage on a low salary. So I would aim to knock a chunk off and renegotiate THEN earn less.

Could you do it long term? No, probably not.
Could you do it for 6 months to a year? Yes.

What about your mortgage though?

I would outsource what I could cooking, cleaning and childcare and look for a job in the middle of the two extremes.

I completely sympathise as I am in the same boat, but I've also done low paid part time work etc and it was also no picnic. So id rather the money.

Hi im guessing you might be in teaching? I feel similar and totally burnt out due to demands of job and being a single parent to a young child. I don’t have any guaranteed income though so feel really stuck. I’m currently saving and then hoping to go part time. If I did have your options I’d be taking them. Good luck!

If I could do this, I 100% would.

What is even the point of life if you're stressed and unhappy all the fucking time?

She says she can't go part time.

You could go interest only on your mortgage for a while too perhaps. This could cut outgoings

Op I was in a similar situation years ago. My health just got worse and worse and I felt like I was on a constant treadmill. Then my dh needed a serious operation and was unable to go back to his previous full time job. So we now both work part time, our salaries combined are about £1800 a month. That covers all our essential outgoings. We ve had to change our lifestyles and make alot of sacrifices. But we wouldn't have it any other way. Our quality of life is so much better now, our health has improved and life is so much more manageable. I would definitely recommend it, even for a year.

I work part time in a low paid job and it has done wonders for my mental health to be honest but the money situation is dire. I'm not a single parent and on paper we should be saving something like £500 a month but it never works out that way. There's always unexpected bills, school shoes, birthdays, car maintenance etc. I'm not sure you're budgeting enough money, especially if you're used to earning a lot more