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

[redshirts]

I'm 27, single and own my house (with a mortgage). I work full time and am doing a part time course to retrain. I'm finding keeping on top of all that comes home ownership, a reasonably full on job and studying to be overwhelming at times. I have recently inherited £35k, some of which I will put towards my course fees. WIBU to consider using some of the money to go part time to 4 days per week until my course is finished next June? Or how do I avoid burnout? I don't have a lot of family support unfortunately.

Not unreasonable, I would do it

You do you.

But honestly, at your age, with no kids, you should be able to knuckle down and juggle it all.

what,are you hoping for support from family with? personally I would put 30 on the mortgage and spend 5 on a nice holiday

I wouldn’t really expect someone to go part time at this point in their career. This is when you should be leaning in. I’d use some of the money to buy in some extra help eg a cleaner or maybe a Gousto type meal plan to take some pressure off with the chores.

Burn out at 27 from house ownership is ‘erm’ unusual. At that age I’d bought my first house, had a busy job in advertising and bought my first horse so I was riding and mucking out before and after work as well as a having a wild soicial life.

£35k isn’t much ……

Wow, if you’re struggling now I’d hate to see how you’ll cope with kids, a partner, a job, a health issue or whatever all at the one time.

I’d be knuckling down and knocking that off my mortgage.

You’d be earning less and spending the inheritance. It will take a long time to save that king of money again. As pp suggested, I’d look at ways to make things a bit easier now but not spend the inheritance. You’re single and studying. There should be enough time. Do you feel overwhelmed?

I wouldn't. I was a couple of years older, single mortgaged house. Daily commuting from Midlands to London, and doing a qualification to pivot career direction which took 10-15 hours a week. It's do-able, limited my social life, but achieved the outcome.

I assume that there is a back story here that the OP hasn't shared. Significant health issues, perhaps? Single parent?

Op people are being arseholes and deliberately ignoring the fact you are studying as well as working. If you can afford to go part time and you want to then do it. You only live once.

I think other posters here resent the fact that you have choices that they don't.

Don’t do it. Lean in on your career. Get a cleaner for an hour or two if the housework is too much. Allocate 5K for some nice breaks while your course continues and pay a chunk of your mortgage.

Burnt out at 27

God help us

Pay the money off your mortgage

Hire a cleaner

Online shopping

Start living your life you're 27

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.

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 💐

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.

You sound obnoxious.

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

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.

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

What are you studying?

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.

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

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.