I should have started this blog a year ago...

A year ago today I quit my job. I quit my amazing job at a non-profit, with an inspiring mission, doing things I never thought I’d get to do, in a position I will probably never be able to replicate. Why did I quit? Well, I stayed longer than most folks at the organization, I was genuinely tired from three years of working weekends, and my team and I hit our growth goals. I felt good about leaving the organization in a good place, and I desperately needed sleep and some time with my family.

I thought for sure I’d be back at work within six months, tops.

My first month went by and all I did was sleep and read books in my ample spare time. Fine. I expected that. I needed a rest.

In early Spring I worked for an old boss on an economic development event – fun, demanding, and distracting. I joined the Board of Directors of a small arts organization. Then my daughter graduated from 8th grade, and I realized this was probably her last lazy summer, so I stayed home for spontaneous trips to the beach, and to support her transition to high school. I wrote essays, read books, learned music, walked five miles a day and played word games on my phone. Come Fall I picked up a few early music gigs in the music side of my life that kept me busy. I also started an Etsy business with my brother-in-law making leather bracelets. And then suddenly it was December.

A year went by, just like that.

All year, though, I read through hundreds of job descriptions. I walked hundreds of thousands of steps and thought long and hard about what I want to do next. (Work in the arts.) I arranged informational interviews with professionals in arts organizations. Walked and thought some more.

And I learned how to save money. Midway through my year I knew I wanted more time off, which meant I was going to have to start seriously changing the way I spent money.

First thing I did was cancel my subscriptions. I went through my credit card bill and called at least 12 companies to cancel subscriptions, including cable. I subscribed to a Movie Card which was great for the first six months I had it. (I’ve since cancelled it.) I stopped buying new clothes. I wasn’t working, so I didn’t need new outfits. I all but stopped eating out. If something in the house broke down, I learned to fix it or work around it. Finally, I cut back on our food waste by buying groceries daily, not for the week. Because I wasn’t “Working Mom” I didn’t have to stock up for the week. Now I walk down to the store in the afternoon, buy what we need when we need it, and eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.

I also learned to shop the sales just for the stuff we needed, which takes patience because you have to look for deals, learn the sales cycles and wait for them. I’m an instant gratification kind of person, so this was a trial for me.

And I planted a vegetable garden, which prompted my friend’s grandmother to call me “thrifty” on social media, which really got me thinking about my cash flow goals.

Let me be perfectly clear – I’m not a chicken coop urban farmer DIY kind of person. If I can throw money at the problem, I will. But my money wasn’t growing, it was diminishing. My goal was/is to slow the atrophy down without sacrificing my quality of life.

Now that a year has gone by my relationship to money has shifted from one of anxiety when I had it, to clear-eyed acceptance now that it’s scarce. And although I’m near broke after a year without a job, my quality of life has measurably improved. Go figure. I mean it. Please figure it out, and then get back to me. I’m still working out the mechanics of this.

So, I THINK this blog is about how my relationship with money is changing, and my search for the last best job of the rest of my life. Because if I’m choosing a job out of anxiety over money, how great a fit can it be?

Comments will be open because I want to hear about what’s worked for you. I’ve only just skimmed the surface of my relationship with money and the job market – I know there is so much more to explore.

When looking for a job, start the day with a cup of tea.