Letter to the Editor: Wish Me Luck

To send a letter to the editor, simply write in. You’ll get a reply and we’ll anonymise any blogged version.

Reader E writes:

Howdy RW (and fellow Escapologists if you’re reading),

E here writing to you from West London – actually, from Croatia where I am lounging on a beach near Split. But usually, based in WLdn.

I am currently re-reading I’m Out (my signed copy… thanks!!) and pondering my current life situation; more specifically, where I may still fall into The Trap.

This year I made a pledge to limit my shopaholic tendencies and have purchased just one non essential item of clothing all year, a very pretty silk dress, at a 15% discount, which I wear almost weekly. Other than that, I have curbed my spending on clothes exponentially, and it’s had an impact on my other spending too. Money spent on non-essentials translates into hours of work I’d need to undertake to pay for them, and whether I would be willing to sacrifice e.g. a day of early retirement for a takeaway and a new jacket. The answer is usually no, and I’ve managed to save approximately a third of my net income per month since adopting this mindset.

I am about to turn 22 years old and am in quite a unique situation where I am a homeowner with no debt, due to a series of both fortunate and unfortunate events, and so I am seeking ways to further reduce my spending so that I can retire, ideally, in the next 18 years. Possibly sooner, 40 just seems like a milestone age. Realistically, with an income of circa £2k/month after PAYE tax, £1.5k after council tax and bills, I should be able to cut out even more expenditure. If I can manage this without cutting out trips to my local pub and social club, this would be ideal. I am attempting to get back into sewing and repairing my own, and friends’/family’s clothes, and have tried my best at cooking from scratch (and growing my own herbs on my flat’s tiny windowsill).

I hope you know you have inspired me to see my friendships, happiness, relationships, hobbies, etc., as priorities over the Trap of careerism. I work a bullshit job. Everyone around me does too. Nobody will remember me as “a competent customer relationship management administrator” when I die.

Cheerio, look forward to reading the next one.

Wish me luck!

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Well, what are you waiting for? Wish her luck, everyone!