AI FREE CONTENT BELOW
Almost £20,000 less than what I used to make before freelancing. Almost 3 times less than when life was... comfortable. This is my journey and how I got here.
For a little background, I've worked since I could. In the UK, legally, that's from when you receive your national insurance number. I was 16 when I got my first "Saturday girl" job and since then, I've always worked. Through a gap year and studying online with the Open University, I was envious of those who managed to navigate life through seasonal work, freelancing or choosing when and where to pick up work. How were these people paying their bills? Where were they living? Where's all their stuff? What happens if they don't get paid one month? Wont they lose everything?
I came to understand that most people have a fail safe, and for many, it's family. Since I didn't have this, working was my safety net. I mean, where else would I stay, and how would I pay my bills? And what if my Wi-Fi got cut off? What if I couldn't find another job? In a sense, I was stuck. Stuck in the idea that the UK does a fantastic job of creating; that there's nothing better. And I truly did feel like that. My work life balance was INSANE. I was always playing in the mountains, on holiday exploring new mountains and still managing to travel in between.
That's me exploring 20 mins from my old house!
So why did I give it all up?
I just felt chained. Chained to a lifestyle that renewed every year. So, it was time to try how other people lived. I started slow. I was meticulous about everything but I can kind of break it down into an action plan.
The Action Plan
Getting the motivation
I took one month off work in 2023 year and went to the Himalayas. That was enough to make coming home realise, this can't be it all. That was all the motivation I needed, really.
Mental Preparation
Moving into a shared flat. In doing so, I reduced my belongings. My responsibilities. Less to think about when the time came to pack up.
Building experience in quiet moments
Literally. When work was quiet, I started volunteering my time in the areas I enjoyed. It started as offering help to small businesses in social media management but grew into operations, having enjoyed travel and expedition planning. This was literally the ground work that would get me recognised when travelling, and securing my first clients, or at least having work to include in my portfolio.
Saving, obviously.
I've lost and re-made money over all my years working. You'd think I'd have loads saved up after all this time, but things just happened. So I started again. Moving into a shared flat also reduced my bills, so I had made many intentional decisions that prepared me to take the leap.
The hardest one. Asking for help.
As a hyper-independent elder sister. This was a biiigggggieee. My mindset is always if you can't do it yourself, you don't deserve it. Needless to say, I also started counselling at this time, and reaching out to let love in played in a big role in leaving.
I'll pause here to say, I could not live this life without the people who are in it now.
Me doing some cool stuff in my little work break, but not really work break, whilst travelling.
Alright, so I have the experience, the courage and now the money. Time to leave! What happened next?
It wasn't until I came home in July 2025 that the real work started. The only reason I made it so far was because I travelled in a low income country where it was cheap to exist (relatively) and I was doing side hustles to keep going. Savings dwindled and being back in the UK, I now needed a regular income. What I had left wasn't going to last me long so it was time to stress. Well, stress is a good motivator I guess. A few chances came my way and I started making money. Here's what that looked like:
July: £65
August: £659.59
September: £910.91
October: £901.50
November: £686.70
December: £1,241.70
January: £1,069.20
February: £1,069.20
March: £1,130
April: £1,130
May: £1,194
June: £1,317.90
July: £1,758
A whopping £12,003.70.
How am I survivng you ask? That's for the next one.