(Image shows a smouldering volcano, shot in bluescale.)
I try to save between £100-150 a month; £100 is usually possible, £150 can sometimes be. (Yes, Ramit, I know that I should "just automate savings", but I'm not in the tax bracket you work with...)
The impressive thing is that, from watching Ramit Sethi's "Money for Couples", my fixed costs are 66% of the income I get from my current contract, falling to 44% of that income+ the minimum top up I'm likely to get from Universal Credit - and I'm on very low income. There are people making ten times my take home who are running fixed costs of 80-90%, apparently... The reason I can keep mine so low is that I don't have a rent or mortgage payment - my Dad died in 2013, and had been disciplined enough to maintain a life insurance policy through two rounds of sudden layoffs, and terminal illness which meant he had to give up his job; I received a 50% payout of that (£75,000), and, because that money came through in 2014, when the economy was very different, I was able to buy my house outright for £69,500. (If I were renting an equivalent house, my fixed costs would be 122% of my direct income, and 81% of direct income + minimum variable top up... If I were to be completely ruthless, get rid of all my pets, and move into a studio flat? Fixed costs would be 100% of my dependable income, and 68% of my dependable income + minimum varied Universal Credit support...because rent in the UK does not typically include utilities, you still have to pay council tax (and I'm already in the lowest band it's possible to be in... Also, a lot of tenants in the UK end up doing repairs themselves, because landlords here see "You needed something fixed" as "you're a bad tenant, so here's your eviction notice" - especially at the cheaper end of the rental scale. I would also be stressed as fuck, and miserable as hell...I've lived in flats before, and my anxiety was overwhelming, because one of my triggers for anxiety spikes is being able to hear neighbours...which is obviously going to happen in a flat.) I wouldn't be able to buy a house outright with £75,000 now; I got lucky through the worst possible way. If you took me back in time, and told me I could either have £75k, or my Dad could survive and be healthy? I'd take my Dad still being here every time.We've reached the final part of our SMOULDER Sundays series, where we look at the last aspect of the financial concept of SMOULDER, Employed Restfulness. (If you're new here, or just want to recap on what the concept of SMOULDER actually is, check out our first blog on SMOULDER as a financial focus, which gives both a background to why SMOULDER was developed, and a straightforward explanation to what SMOULDER is, and how it works.)
So; Employed Restfulness in place of the typical "retirement."
I was 17 when I first looked at the State of the UK, and thought "they're not going to keep the State pension as a concept long enough for me to get it." That was over 20yrs ago. The options for ordinary people to invest weren't there (and the investment scene does NOT create "literal millionaires in retirement!" out of people on average incomes...it's why Caleb Hammer can only screech about spending at low-income people on his show, why Dave Ramsey demands that low-income people "only see the inside of a restaurant if you're working there!", and why Ramit Sethi gets (politely, demurely) frustrated at "how you can consider yourself a functional adult" on a low income, as well as why the UK (whose investment returns are significantly lower than those available in the US, and whose wages have been more or less stagnant in contrast to inflation for decades) doesn't really have financial advice for ordinary people - UK finance YouTubers are either shilling crypto or MLMs, or they're simply explaining the logistics of effective saving; because the minimum level needed for stocks and shares investments to even begin to show genuine retirement-comfort-level returns is already more than half a genuine low income person's take home. Which, as those on the lowest incomes are forced to spend the highest percentage of their income on the bare minimum fixed costs of housing, utilities, groceries, and travel, simply isn't feasible.
I currently reliably make £1,200 a month. Depending on the month, I can add up to an extra £800 to that, but that amount is wildly variable, as it's Universal Credit top up, which depends on the level of expenses I've incurred earning the £1,200 I reliably make. (Don't ever do non-profit externally funded contracts, kids...it's a battle to get reimbursed for making the things that are mandatory elements of your contract happen - mostly, you'll be paying for those yourself.) If I haven't had any expenses in a given month? I get £600.
My fixed costs run to £800 a month if my wife doesn't have a fair to attend (she reads tarot; it doesn't bring in ANYTHING, typically, unless she attends a fair/festival, and her disability and reliance on public transport means she can only attend very local ones, with low stall hire fees); if she does? That can add a minimum of another £100 a month, often more if the start time and location of the fair means she'd need to stay overnight.
While they are technically fixed costs, because I'm not going to rehome them, and they need to be cared for appropriately, I consider my pets in "guilt free spending" - the things I will spend on without resentment, anxiety, or "feeling bad", the things I always ensure I have money for. They run to £150 per month, including known vet costs.
My total amount of guilt-free spending varies between £200-250, depending on total income, other fixed costs coming in (not just my wife's fairs, but our respective insurance renewals - my freelance work requires I carry professional indemnity insurance, she has to carry public liability insurance, and we typically add professional indemnity to that, because...while it should be obvious that a tarot reader is not giving you life advice you absolutely must follow...you can't predict what people will try and get a payout for...), etc. I'm trying to work to a position where I don't feel guilt about spending money socialising - for now, because I recognise it's good for my mental health to connect in person with other people, and that often costs money, it's in guilt free spending, but I feel guilty about it.
So; Employed Restfulness in place of the typical "retirement."
I was 17 when I first looked at the State of the UK, and thought "they're not going to keep the State pension as a concept long enough for me to get it." That was over 20yrs ago. The options for ordinary people to invest weren't there (and the investment scene does NOT create "literal millionaires in retirement!" out of people on average incomes...it's why Caleb Hammer can only screech about spending at low-income people on his show, why Dave Ramsey demands that low-income people "only see the inside of a restaurant if you're working there!", and why Ramit Sethi gets (politely, demurely) frustrated at "how you can consider yourself a functional adult" on a low income, as well as why the UK (whose investment returns are significantly lower than those available in the US, and whose wages have been more or less stagnant in contrast to inflation for decades) doesn't really have financial advice for ordinary people - UK finance YouTubers are either shilling crypto or MLMs, or they're simply explaining the logistics of effective saving; because the minimum level needed for stocks and shares investments to even begin to show genuine retirement-comfort-level returns is already more than half a genuine low income person's take home. Which, as those on the lowest incomes are forced to spend the highest percentage of their income on the bare minimum fixed costs of housing, utilities, groceries, and travel, simply isn't feasible.
I currently reliably make £1,200 a month. Depending on the month, I can add up to an extra £800 to that, but that amount is wildly variable, as it's Universal Credit top up, which depends on the level of expenses I've incurred earning the £1,200 I reliably make. (Don't ever do non-profit externally funded contracts, kids...it's a battle to get reimbursed for making the things that are mandatory elements of your contract happen - mostly, you'll be paying for those yourself.) If I haven't had any expenses in a given month? I get £600.
My fixed costs run to £800 a month if my wife doesn't have a fair to attend (she reads tarot; it doesn't bring in ANYTHING, typically, unless she attends a fair/festival, and her disability and reliance on public transport means she can only attend very local ones, with low stall hire fees); if she does? That can add a minimum of another £100 a month, often more if the start time and location of the fair means she'd need to stay overnight.
While they are technically fixed costs, because I'm not going to rehome them, and they need to be cared for appropriately, I consider my pets in "guilt free spending" - the things I will spend on without resentment, anxiety, or "feeling bad", the things I always ensure I have money for. They run to £150 per month, including known vet costs.
My total amount of guilt-free spending varies between £200-250, depending on total income, other fixed costs coming in (not just my wife's fairs, but our respective insurance renewals - my freelance work requires I carry professional indemnity insurance, she has to carry public liability insurance, and we typically add professional indemnity to that, because...while it should be obvious that a tarot reader is not giving you life advice you absolutely must follow...you can't predict what people will try and get a payout for...), etc. I'm trying to work to a position where I don't feel guilt about spending money socialising - for now, because I recognise it's good for my mental health to connect in person with other people, and that often costs money, it's in guilt free spending, but I feel guilty about it.
I try to save between £100-150 a month; £100 is usually possible, £150 can sometimes be. (Yes, Ramit, I know that I should "just automate savings", but I'm not in the tax bracket you work with...)
I try to allocate £50 a month for investments - either my (very small, performing terribly) stocks and shares portfolio (currently worth £90...I spent almost £200 buying the fucking shares...don't get the idea I'm living passive income whilst talking lifelong work out here...) or precious metals, which I buy as physical items. (And which are going to be a better investment than the stocks and shares...) Again, sometimes I don't have the money to invest.
Had I had a crystal ball? I might have brought a static caravan for £25k, with £18k a year fixed site costs (site fees and gas), invested half of the remainder, and used the other half to fund starting a business... But I didn't have a crystal ball, my wife was only just beginning to explore tarot back then...so we're where we are.
Yeah, okay - you have a complex back story! Who cares?! Tell us about this Employed Restfulness thing already!
Employed Restfulness isn't "do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life!" (because that sector's not recruiting...and no one pays for that...) I grew up with my mother twittering nonsense like that (and my Dad rolling his eyes, and muttering to me "Don't listen to your mother...she thinks God called her to just drift around volunteering for church crap." I listened to my Dad...) Even if you can get paid "doing what you love", you often end up falling out of love with it, because it's no longer just a joy; it's an obligation. It's the thing that drains you, not the thing that restores you.
It's just as well I got on better with my Dad than my mother, and thus took his advice over hers, because "what I love" looks like:
. Talking with my wife
. Feeding squirrels in the local park
. Watching The Bill (long-off-air police procedural; ran on ITV from 1984-2010).
. Spending time with my pets
. Spending time with my pets
. Writing
None of those things are going to make me money. I've tried exclusively focusing on freelance writing - I'm still owed nearly £10k from contracts I completed, but wasn't paid for. I can't manage the marketing demands of being a published author. I don't have the social clout to make an actual income from self-publishing. (I self-published a cosy crime series a few years ago, Raglan's Streets...that made me literally nothing.) I have previously had great jobs, which I genuinely enjoyed, working in-house on marketing and comms roles - but my sight loss means I can't keep up with those roles (which have now included videography and social media content in the 'writer's' job description), and they're few and far between as it is now, as more and more companies switch to AI for content creation. (I refuse to work with GenAI, because it runs counter to my personal and professional focus, of improving the situation of the (global, but starting in the UK, where I'm at) working class. GenAI is destroying the planet, and driving people into poverty; I refuse to be a part of that solely to add to the wealth of the top 1% through purely "cost savings", rather than any additional production on their part.)
None of those things are going to make me money. I've tried exclusively focusing on freelance writing - I'm still owed nearly £10k from contracts I completed, but wasn't paid for. I can't manage the marketing demands of being a published author. I don't have the social clout to make an actual income from self-publishing. (I self-published a cosy crime series a few years ago, Raglan's Streets...that made me literally nothing.) I have previously had great jobs, which I genuinely enjoyed, working in-house on marketing and comms roles - but my sight loss means I can't keep up with those roles (which have now included videography and social media content in the 'writer's' job description), and they're few and far between as it is now, as more and more companies switch to AI for content creation. (I refuse to work with GenAI, because it runs counter to my personal and professional focus, of improving the situation of the (global, but starting in the UK, where I'm at) working class. GenAI is destroying the planet, and driving people into poverty; I refuse to be a part of that solely to add to the wealth of the top 1% through purely "cost savings", rather than any additional production on their part.)
I tried with the squirrels in the park thing - I launched a business offering to cater and set up picnics for people...it flopped.
I tried housesitting and dog walking for other people...that did okay, but, because I can't drive (medically banned), and therefore was very restricted in the area I could cover, and the number of dogs I could walk in a time period, it never progressed beyond a side hustle, and now, it wouldn't even be that, because there's three different services run by people with vans and employees, who can do more, and therefore do it cheaper, than I can, within a 3mile radius, plus a professional dog boarding "hotel" just 8miles away.
Employed Restfulness is about identifying the problem you want to solve in the world, then identifying the skills you can bring to solving that problem, followed by identifying a working pattern, and your known and predictable limitations, and viewing these as core to any working contract you sign.
Employed Restfulness is about identifying the problem you want to solve in the world, then identifying the skills you can bring to solving that problem, followed by identifying a working pattern, and your known and predictable limitations, and viewing these as core to any working contract you sign.
In order for Employed Restfulness to be effective, you have to narrow your focus to one problem - but that can be more impactful than you'd think.
For me, the problem I want to solve is the impact of classism on the working class. Solving - or at least lessening the impact of - that one problem also addresses:
. Racism
. Misogyny
. Ableism
. Financial exclusion
. Systemic educational failings
. Systemic healthcare failings
. The destructive nature of hypercapitalism
For me, the problem I want to solve is the impact of classism on the working class. Solving - or at least lessening the impact of - that one problem also addresses:
. Racism
. Misogyny
. Ableism
. Financial exclusion
. Systemic educational failings
. Systemic healthcare failings
. The destructive nature of hypercapitalism
. Climate change
. Pollution
Even thinking about trying to have a positive impact on all of those points of focus is overwhelming. It feels impossible. Narrowing it down to "I want to address classism by working to improve the situation of the working class", you create a feeling of achievability, and address multiple high-impact systemic challenges.
My limitations are that I can't be highly active for more than two consecutive days (thanks, chronic fatigue as a cascade impact of sight loss), that I can't drive, I can't do high-graphic work, I can't edit videos, I can't do screen based work for more than 2hrs continuously, and I need support, and considerable notice, to be in unfamiliar locations (impacts of sight loss), I can't work away from home at short notice, or for prolonged periods (kinship care responsibilities for my wife, and her own disabilities meaning she can't manage the care of my pets on her own for more than 4-5 days at absolute max).
My working preferences are that I work remotely from my home, although I am happy to include planned, scheduled attendance at locations that are easily accessible by public transport, ideally not more than once per week, and that I work for three days per week, with only two of those being consecutive. (Currently I work in a paid capacity Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and work on things which might add to the paid work I have, but which do not currently pay me, on Sundays and Mondays, on an ad-hoc hours basis, rather than a fixed focus.) I know I will be able to continue working like this well into my 80s+, if I live that long. I will also be able to reduce my paid working days in older age, as I will have fewer pets, and a decreasing need, as children are not part of my life or my future, for both savings and investments.
For me, the most effective way to bring about Employed Restfulness is to focus on building a viable freelance career (which means triggering my social anxiety by networking, and reaching out to relevant people...which my brain insists is "bothering them", and therefore the most selfish and awful thing I could ever do...), within the niche of providing inclusion and class consciousness support for leadership in the public and private sector, and supporting non-profits who are working in class consciousness with written communications, admin, and project management, all of which are skills I have proven in private sector employment over many years.
Working freelance is the most achievable way to mitigate my limitations and ensure my best working patterns are in place, as well as allowing me to (within reason) set fees which meet my financial needs within the bounds of my working preferences and limitations. It is the most effective way for me to keep working in a sustainable, balanced way well into older age.
As a side hustle to my freelance work, pursued when I genuinely want to, or when I know that my freelance opportunities will be entering a slow phase, or I'll genuinely need additonal income, rather than "to get even more money every month!" I can submit articles to magazines, and run courses.
Employed Restfulness may look very different for you - if you'd like to book time for a free 90minute conversation to explore and outline your version of employed restfulness, just drop me an email: theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com
Even thinking about trying to have a positive impact on all of those points of focus is overwhelming. It feels impossible. Narrowing it down to "I want to address classism by working to improve the situation of the working class", you create a feeling of achievability, and address multiple high-impact systemic challenges.
My limitations are that I can't be highly active for more than two consecutive days (thanks, chronic fatigue as a cascade impact of sight loss), that I can't drive, I can't do high-graphic work, I can't edit videos, I can't do screen based work for more than 2hrs continuously, and I need support, and considerable notice, to be in unfamiliar locations (impacts of sight loss), I can't work away from home at short notice, or for prolonged periods (kinship care responsibilities for my wife, and her own disabilities meaning she can't manage the care of my pets on her own for more than 4-5 days at absolute max).
My working preferences are that I work remotely from my home, although I am happy to include planned, scheduled attendance at locations that are easily accessible by public transport, ideally not more than once per week, and that I work for three days per week, with only two of those being consecutive. (Currently I work in a paid capacity Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and work on things which might add to the paid work I have, but which do not currently pay me, on Sundays and Mondays, on an ad-hoc hours basis, rather than a fixed focus.) I know I will be able to continue working like this well into my 80s+, if I live that long. I will also be able to reduce my paid working days in older age, as I will have fewer pets, and a decreasing need, as children are not part of my life or my future, for both savings and investments.
For me, the most effective way to bring about Employed Restfulness is to focus on building a viable freelance career (which means triggering my social anxiety by networking, and reaching out to relevant people...which my brain insists is "bothering them", and therefore the most selfish and awful thing I could ever do...), within the niche of providing inclusion and class consciousness support for leadership in the public and private sector, and supporting non-profits who are working in class consciousness with written communications, admin, and project management, all of which are skills I have proven in private sector employment over many years.
Working freelance is the most achievable way to mitigate my limitations and ensure my best working patterns are in place, as well as allowing me to (within reason) set fees which meet my financial needs within the bounds of my working preferences and limitations. It is the most effective way for me to keep working in a sustainable, balanced way well into older age.
As a side hustle to my freelance work, pursued when I genuinely want to, or when I know that my freelance opportunities will be entering a slow phase, or I'll genuinely need additonal income, rather than "to get even more money every month!" I can submit articles to magazines, and run courses.
Employed Restfulness may look very different for you - if you'd like to book time for a free 90minute conversation to explore and outline your version of employed restfulness, just drop me an email: theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com
.jfif)
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