We moved from permanent employment to self-employment and fixed term contracts with reduced work hours and remote working. For us, the flexibility and freedom of less intensive working patterns outweigh the financial insecurities.

Over a number of years we have worked hard to reduce our belongings. We have given away over 60 bags of possessions to charity. We cut back on buying new clothes, toys and books.

We switched to Starling - a bank with no overseas fees. We cancelled subscriptions. We reduced the amount of stuff we buy. By working flexible hours we save on childcare costs. We prioritised paying off our mortgage.

In 2022 and 2023 we travelled away from home for months at a time. To facilitate this we deregistered our children from school. During this time away they learnt from real-life experiences and kept up with maths, reading and writing. When we returned to the UK in May 2023 we reapplied for their school places and settled them back into school. We now travel as much as we can during school holidays.