I think the key is just living within your means, and prioritizing fun vs work. The past 5-6 years Ive worked seasonally, Apr-Oct type of thing doing mineral exploration (geology) and then ski bumming/travelling/living in the winter. I can make enough money in 6 months to easily live the winter. Part of that though is i live in the koots where a house doesnt cost a million dollars.
Choices though, all of my shit is reasonably priced and bought with real money,no payments on cars, tvs, fucking fridges, quads, whatever. Instead of going out and buying that new SUV that you totally need to drive to work and back, why not buy something thats like 5 yrs old, is still awesome, and most importantly, doesnt make you a slave to your job. I see so many people, even in my position, who try and make up for lack of free time by buying new/fancy/ridiculous things, and then as a result have to work even more to keep up with payments. Buy something cheaper, then you can afford to work less.
I love/hate people who say their job is their life, and that they are bored with time off. I wish that I could think like that, but ultimately, although i love my job, its nowhere near as sweet as having fun.
Theres so much more to life that work. Society should have gotten to the point that we are working less, not more.
THat being said, this year I signed a fulltime contract, and although Im not loving it, its nice to imagine that i can save enough money to pay off the mortgage a bit sooner, and then when im older, live super cheap.
