Would you like to Simplify your life. If so how would you go about it?   I have been thinking about doing this for a number of years now, but cannot decide what direction to take. My thoughts were back on this track after meeting up with my ex sister in law at a wedding this weekend. I have not seen her for over 20 years and the first thing that struck me was that she was a very chilled person. She once had a top city job and a house in London, two kids and a husband. After her marriage ended, she finished her kids educations, university etc. Then with the new man in her life she sold everything and moved to the peak district where they now run a seasonal caravan site. Their living costs are now at a minimum as they live in a caravan which comes free with the job. No fuel bills, no council tax etc. With money available from the house and possession sales they have traveled the world during the off season at the caravan park. I asked her what they will do when they are too old to work, as they would have no where to live. Her answer that was they would deal with it when it happens. That is now their philosophy on life. Enjoy it while you can and deal with things when necessary. I think it is f**king brilliant.   My thoughts have ranged from a caravan, house boat or a derelict premises with a workshop where I can make things and fix up bikes. For me this is still work in progress. My kids although grown up still seem to need some level of guidance from me. I want them all to be completely settled before I move on.   Please share your thoughts.                                                                                                                                                                             

I'm 25 and still take a lot of guidance from my dad. for example i've just bough a new car but i would't do a deal until he said it was a good purchase. I very much trust his judgement                                                                                                                                                                             

goodness yes.    a nice little place with enough land to have my own mini orchard, veg plot and flower garden, no mortgage.    Would also like to set my own business up, which isn't really simplying life, but at least i could work for myself, doing something I want to do.                                                                                                                                                                                       

I have had this chat loads of times, but with being married a couple of times before and, like David said, sorting out your kids etc etc  i  just cannot afford to chuck work and do something else. Still got a number of years to pay on me house yet etc. etc.   Only way I'll get simplified for the foreseeable future is a win on the euromillions lottery, which i won this month by the way.................3 quid.   I'd love to help out on a preserved railway if i could just chuck it all in, and have the time to learn to play guitar.  One big regret i still have is that i never pursued that one..                                                                                                                                                                                 

To do this, I think it has to involve a complete change in the way you work. Also owning a house may not form part of the process.   Regarding my kids. They are no longer little, they range from 20 to 38 years old. But there always seems to be something that I as a dad have to do to help them. Once  a parent always a parent.                                                                                                                                                                             

Now my son is qualified and set on his merry way to his dreams i am seriously contemplaying where i want to be in the future :)                                                                                                                                                                             

wow your ex sis in law sounds like she really got it sussed well done her i say .... i too have been thinking for a while now what my options are to get out of the rat race... never really been one for caring about loads of money or holidays abroad the same time every year or any of that.....   i have thought about selling up and buying a boat as then i would be mortgage free and then just working part time or someting to have minimum money to live on ... bt for me my life is farrr more important than any 5 day working week... grrrr hate it....   maybe its easier to do if you have a partner coz you give each other the courage to just do it!! i dunno bt im still looking at different options available to me... i wodl love a derelict old cottage with land and some car and bike projects going on and a very outdoor life with a chilled live each day outlook... that really is the life to me   the only troulbe with buyin boat to live on is you dont have any land and also i think the government have made sure its not such a cheap option either now with all the outlay costs etc... so that kind of put me off that idea... bt i know what you mean i DEFO need a major life change of some sort... after all we only got this one life... so its a project in progress...                                                                                                                                                                             

I think that to make this major change to your lifestyle, it has to start with how much money do you really need and what you do to earn that amount. Obviously what you do for work has to be something you enjoy doing, or something that does not take over your life and gives you plenty of time for enjoying life. Then it is a question of where you want to live and what sort of accommodation. This could be like my ex sister in law where accommodation is included in with the job, ideal I know, but there must be other similar situations out there.   The thought of getting rid of most of your possessions can be too much for some people, but it can be done. A small example:- A couple of years ago, my garage was full up with stuff I thought I would use at some point. This resulted in a garage that was no longer any use to me, as I couldn't get anything else in it. I ordered a skip and went through everything and had to be ruthless. After wards I had a nice clear garage and one very full and overflowing skip. Two years on I am yet to realise if anything has been missed and it hasn't. Life can get like an overfilled garage or house and a good clear out allows you to move on and it makes you feel brilliant.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Oh yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssss, have infact a thread on here somewheres a while back relating to living in a caravan etc etc                                                                                                                                                                              

Yes I remember that thread, but don't remember anyone coming to a workable solution.                                                                                                                                                                             

No indeed sadly, living accomadation i can i'm pretty sure make work. But the need to earn some kind of a living makes it difficult. You see i have a caravan and cheap campsites somewhat basic it's true are readilly available. But having no paticular trade/skill dictates i stay at least near to London for now, as i dont think sadly theres to much call for motorcycle couriers in say the Lake district or Brecon for example. I consider but myself fairly capable in motorcycle mechanics for instance but not sure i could make a decentish living at it. Leaving where i am would likely reduce my outgoings immensely but if i'm honest i suppose even with paying the exorbitant council tax etc for this place i'd guess it would be quite hard to get something like it again should the need/want to get something again arise. Ok guess that means i gotta win the lotto? heres hoping lol

hmmmm well im busy trying to look at all other job possibilities and cutting down hours ~   means less money if i cut my hours, but i am recoking that it will be worth it and on that day im not working i may be able to do something voluntary that i enjoy more and get the skills to then go on and get a job in it?? maybe who knows its an option....   another option is finding a man who also owns a house ~ we sell one and thereby both are mortgage free....PMSL and then woowwww that opens up other things as really mortgage is mostly what needs paying   idealy i would live in a village in a lil stone cottage with land and bike projects and other biker mates in village or v nearby and  i woudl work in teh little corner shop and serve dorice from up the road and hear about how donald had lost his courgettes again ths year and then i would go the local pub and that would be about it.... PMSL   i have got a cople of things im looking at too ~ thing is jobs used to be easier to walk out of one and straight into another years ago... seems times have changed unfortunatley grrrrr....bt im defo workin on it and have a couple of positive options so farr......                                                                                                                                                                             

Perhaps the answer is not to complicate your life in the first place
                     Ain,t hindsight great                                                                                                                                                                              

I had big life changes forced on me when I was made redundant from a challenging job with a pretty good salary  3 years ago. I was devastated and really scared at the time. I had loved that job but the last couple of years were pretty bad & very stressful as we went through restructures and streamlining (ie making fewer people do more work)....and also waiting for the sword to drop on me.

So there I was unemployed, still had dependent kids, tied to the geographical area cos of daughter & 'A' levels etc.....and no well paid employment around here

I found a job any job cos I had kids to feed, a mortgage to pay & the severance payout only lasted for a few months....BUT....I did use it to buy my first motorcycle, pay for the insurance & my CBT

It isn't the job of my dreams. I've taken a drop of 50% in my salary. I didn't intend that I would still be doing it after 3 years but do you know what, it's easy, it's ok. I go in, I do my work, I actually enjoy talking to my customers, the day passes pretty quick, I come home and I forget about it. I'm going to try at sticking at 4 days rather than full time cos over the last 3 summers I've had so much more freedom to go out on my bike & meet up with my mates and enjoy my life

3 years on my daughters are fledging and are planning to leave (one is only here at uni vacations anyway). I don't need to flog myself to death to keep and run a 4 bedroom house myself, which is what I've been doing for years. 

......I've done the doing up houses & fantasised about a boat but mid-ish 50s now and blahhhhhh, that all sounds like too much hard work to me ....might be different if I had someone to share the dream with but I don't......Nahhh it's a bijou little apartment with covered secure parking for the bike for me 

And I thank those ruthless, garotting managers who homed in on the kill and chose me to sacrifice....I wouldn't swap my life for yours any day                                                                                                                                                                              

Nice one minnie. It sounds like you are almost there. You are also in a very nice part of the country to enjoy more free time.                                                                                                                                                                              

y'know Minnie always good comes out of  a bad situation and usually works out  the best for us, we simply don't see it at the time .

David , I have had this planned  for a long time now, my youngest needs to finish Uni, my mortgage not long left to run 

I have two ideas running , one is once house is paid for  sell up , pocket the money ( sod the kids inheritance ) and travel  (  I will  deal with having no where to live on my return , when i return )

the other seems to be a common thread . move , foe me  its up north to Cumbria,to a  small cottage out of the way of people , veg garden  etc , enough room for  some dogs, bike   and  live  a simple life  (almost self sufficient )

Like Minnie, time is  when i no longer need to bust a gut to keep my house / family                                                                                                                                                                             

simplified my life by losing a wife ,drawback was having to take a hefty mortgage to cover her moving out of my face,house and eventually life,just another nine years of scratching a mortgage up and another couple of 'seperated' living years,then i will be truly single on paper and legally....albeit with my children home..but they chose me to stay with..!! usual hopes,huge lottery windfall...moving back "home" to cumbria....(sigh)...met a great lady on here,she gives me cause for optomism in life...x                                                                                                                                                                             

Good luck with your wishes to move to Cumbria Feylin & jinx....tis truly a very magical place and I never, ever stop being thankful that fate brought me from inner city Manchester to this gorgeous (although a tad wet) place

It's a bit bloomin expensive living in some places here though                                                                                                                                                                              

I want to get away from people as much as is reasonably possible anyway, so Peak District or Yorkshire also being considered At the moment needs to be within some easy commuting distance from work , but I have started looking at property and / or moving workplace , so plans starting to take shape :)

the trick is never buy your own house and never have children!

unfortunately I did have children but they are all grown up now - fortunately I don't own my own house which means if the mood took me I could just up and away.

9 years ago me and my then husband just decided to move out to Ireland from N England...it was still a great idea and decision and I haven't really regretted it. its like stepping back 30 years...the pace of life is slow, theres zero traffic ( but the irish will tell you the traffic is awful! lol)the roads are great. the only downside is irish men are still in the dark ages as regards women.....hence im still single but lovin it! :)