Hello, MFLC! Mostly Funded Lifestyle Change

There has been a lot going on lately around here. Between the separation, figuring out life, figuring out finances, figuring out new income sources… It’s a lot to take in, let me tell you. I’ve felt overwhelmed, underwhelmed, like I’m drowning financially, and also feeling at times like I’m sort of safe in my little lifeboat floating above it all on a calm sea just watching storm clouds building in the distance. To be honest, that last statement sums up how all of this “new phase of life” has felt for me. There are worst places to be in in SO many ways, but my Mostly Funded Lifestyle Change (MFLC) has helped create that lifeboat and let me decide how to deal with those storms building in the distance.

I’m really fortunate to be in a really, really, good place financially (all thanks to Mrs. SSC, thank-you Mrs. SSC!!) and this is what I’ve done with that freedom.

Mostly Funded Lifestyle Change, MFLC

With all changes come new acronyms! MFLC, Mostly Funded Lifestyle Change, is where I am. Am I FI? Hahahahahaha, no. Am I really well off financially? Hell to the yeah!! Am I still “retired”? I honestly don’t know that I ever was, but I’m not exactly looking for permanent full time work, except for when I am. More on that later. My financial reality stays grounded with my friends and people around me, unlike PF Twitter where I’d be “a failure”, “a retirement fraud”, “SAHD doesn’t count as retiring”, “I money poorly” and more of the usual helpful (read shaming, not helpful) stuff that tends to make the rounds in the Twitterverse. I’m not saying it’s all like this, but lord knows there’s plenty out there to go around, lol.

To start, it has been a major relief being as financially stable as I am, even with this life upheaval. I can’t imagine my mental state and levels of anxiety if I didn’t have such a nice cushion to fall back on, draw from, look at to ease my anxiety and more. While this is nice, I realize not everyone is as fortunate to be in this position, so I try to stay grounded to that reality.

By staying grounded I mean, in the span of 6 months, it seems almost everyone I know that has been debating leaving their current living situation, finding a new partner, or getting a divorce has made movement towards that and they have been finding their footing just like me. Unlike me, they don’t all have a shitload of money set aside to be able to relax and figure out what they would “like” to do. They’ve been scrambling to save up enough money to move out on their own, figure out new budgets, etc…

Money: The Cause of and Solution to Most of Life’s Problems

We’ve, my friends and I in this sort of situation, had lots of talks around that topic because it is triggering as hell when your mental space is almost 100% occupied with money worries. I’ve written about it, and how I get triggered even being in my current financial situation. It’s real, and if you’ve never been triggered by money stress, count your blessings that you’ve lived a very fortunate life so far. Not everyone’s that lucky, so I’ve helped where I can. Besides giving my tips to reducing my money anxiety, I’ve also introduced the group to helpful apps like Acorns, Mint, YNAB, and more, although the cost for YNAB is out of reach for some. Yes, that’s the level of income and financial security they’re dealing with. It helps me feel grateful and fortunate for my current position in life, because I know I can be back there in no time with a few poor decisions here and there. I’ve also introduced those interested in budgeting tools, blogs, and more to help with their situations and help alleviate money stresses.

Being active with them and other friends going through similar life upheavals and transitions has given me a constant appreciation for where I am and being fortunate enough to have the time and capital to look into creating a passive income stream and not desperately “looking for any J-O-B” to cover the immediate bills.

…I’m not exactly looking for permanent full time work, except for when I am…

Life. It Keeps on Moving. Always…

I can’t believe it’s almost March. March! What the hell!? Where did the first 2 months of the year go? It went by the wayside if you weren’t paying attention or doing anything productive. I was being productive, although at times it sure didn’t feel like it. At other times I felt like I need to slow this train down, sort of like this current week. I feel like this morning is the first day to take a breath and relax. By relax, I mean I have 283 steps since waking up this morning because I’ve been at the computer catching up. I’ve been emailing with students about a project, tidying up my Canvas material, reviewing/editing upcoming lecture material/in-class work/homework/reading, researching entrepreneur possibilities, commercial space rental prices, and more…

I finally had a month where I didn’t feel like I was buying new/used everything to stock a house/apartment. So, I can finally figure out what my monthly occurring expenses are and create a financial plan, budget and outlook for 2020! OMG… I just typed “create a financial plan, budget, AND outlook for 2020!!” And I’m going to do it! I think that even though I get triggered by money stresses and anxieties, doing little things to ease these anxieties really helps me out a lot. One of those things is applying to jobs like Oprah giving out cars.

Ugh, not a J-O-B…

My level of “income needed” is pretty low currently. I currently have zero debt, and just monthly rolling financial obligations. This is amazing because it opens up WAY more opportunities than if my Lifestyle needed the level of support that the Oil and Gas salary would provide. And let’s just say, Thank the sweet baby Jesus for that, because oil prices are in the toilet and no one is hiring. Or rather, no one in O&G in OK is hiring.

Some would call this “under-employed” to which I would reply, “Yes. Yes I am. That was the point of our Lifestyle Change. I would leave my career, which involved turning down a promotion, and supporting Mrs. SSC in her new career, while transitioning to being the SAHD/Default parent. It is exactly what that means, underemployed.” Personally, I don’t want to be “adequately employed” or whatever is a level above under-employed, lol. That was literally the concept of our Lifestyle Change.

This means I can look for more meaningful work, meaningful to me as a human, not my bank account, because we all know social work pays about as well as substitute teaching. I’m still holding out for the CASA supervisor position, it is still in the pipeline but based on numbers alone, at least 1 new supervisor will be needed if only PT, but most likely, would be FT or turn into FT quickly. That would solve lots of problems and I’d get to work with people I like and get along with and feel like I’m helping the community at the same time.

What About Health Insurance?

Yeah… The elephant in the room, am I right? Currently, I am on Mrs. SSC’s insurance as were still married and she’s very nice. In our last discussions, she was going to leave me on it as long as possible, or until I do something dumb to irritate her enough to take me off of it. This is my biggest fincancial worry. Without health insurance covered by a job, my out of pocket would double my yearly income needed, for the most basic of plans.

I can’t say I didn’t expect this, but I am definitely kicking that can down the road as long as possible. Yay for having one of the most broken, expensive health care systems in the world. If I didn’t have kids, I’d be interviewing for one of those “go teach English in China for a year” type of positions, Wuhan province would be on my “no list”, lol. I would have no issue with becoming an expat for a bit and dealing with life as a global citizen, but since I’m tied to OK for the next 12-15 years I’m also tied the shittiest health care system ever. Yay ‘Merica…

Needless to say I currently have no good plan for health insurance beyond self-funding medical costs, (note to self: please don’t get seriously injured or sick during this time), applying to be a student and getting student insurance (yes, this would be cheaper than buying a private health plan – stupid backwards country…), or getting something thru ACA or private insurance market.

Beyond “J-O-B’s”

I’ve also been researching multiple other income streams. These range widely in scope, startup capital required, and more. The list of potential ideas now includes:

Rental Properties

Medical Marijuana Dispensary

Medical Marijuana Grower

Micro/Nano Brewery

CASA Related Venture

Brewery Tours

These all have their own pros and cons which I’ve been working on researching over the past few months. Look for a more detailed comparison of these ideas in a later post. Currently, I can’t do much until the divorce is finalized and I get access to my share of the assets. Until then, affidavits dictate no selling, hiding, being shady, etc… with the assets to ensure everyone is being treated equitably in splitting up said assets. Yay, life!

That’s about it on updates and more from me. Life is moving, always moving and I feel like for the first time since December, I am sort of, kind of, getting a grasp on the new Lifestyle. It’s different and has it’s own challenges and opportunities. I’m more excited about what’s to come in many, many ways, more than focusing on the negatives of this situation, and that is a big win for me!