Is This What Financial Independence is Like?

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I don’t normally take many sick days off from work.

First of all, I rarely get sick. A few sniffles every so often or a slight cold is about the extent of my ailments.

I attribute being healthy to my eating habits like following the Whole30 program.

And as a quick reminder … I am a big believer in spending extra money on healthy foods. That is one budget category that I am cool with running up a high monthly total.

Cheap food is bad for you. Healthy food is more expensive but it keeps your biggest asset (your body) protected!

We are also trying to adopt a more minimalist lifestyle which helps to reduce stress, etc. All of these factors lead to a healthier body and fewer sick days.

Another reason why I don’t take many sick days is that I like to “bank” them up. My workplace allows you to keep your sick days and use them to retire early when that time comes.

So it all works out, even though every day I drive to work … it is costing me dollars by having a second vehicle.

My First Sick Day in Over 2 Years

As it turns out … I took my first sick day in over 2 years earlier this week.

Our family had a long weekend out of town and we got back really late. Actually, we returned to our house well into Monday morning.

I had no energy and decided it was time to recharge my battery … so I called in and took the day off.

And then I realized something … Is this what being financially independent will be like?

I certainly hope so!

A Day Off from Work

During my sick day, I didn’t really do anything that special.

I started it off by sleeping in. Then I drove my kids to school because we let them sleep in longer from our busy weekend.

After that I enjoyed my cup of coffee and had a healthy breakfast.

Next came a very awesome 3+ hour nap! I can’t remember the last time I took a nap.

I woke up from my nap, ate a little lunch and ran out to the store to pick up some groceries.

When the kids got home from school, I helped them with some homework and started dinner.

We ate an early dinner as 2 of our kids had sports activities that evening.

I ended up taking my son to his sports practice that night.

My wife and I ended the day catching up on a few television shows we had missed from the last week.

Is This What Financial Independence is Like?

You might say that there was nothing special about my day. And you would be right.

Other than my nap, there wasn’t anything out of the norm.

But to me … it was out of the norm.

I felt like I had the freedom to do what I wanted that day. In this case … I got refreshed with a long nap. Helped out my wife by dropping kids off at school and grocery shopping.

Got to spend quality time with my son at his practice.

I didn’t have any real deadlines. No wasted time driving to work.

No distracting social media posts or work emails.

I got to spend it doing things I wanted to do.

If this is what financial independence is about … then sign me up!

What would your typical day look like once you become financially independent?

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