For me that was a Friday last month. It was March and a rare day of good weather after a long, wet winter. I was working from home while our little one was being looked after by our nanny. (A couple of months before she has a spell of very bad health with one hospital stay after the other, so we decided to get a nanny for a short while. She is now back at nursery.)

At some point the nanny announced that they were going to the Science Museum in South Kensington, London, enjoying the sunshine and warm weather on their way there.

And then she asked me if I’d like to join them.

“Yes!”, my inner voice shouted. But as I thought about it, I knew I had to stay home and work.

That feeling still sucks.

And that is the day I decided to get serious about financial independence.

I like my career and I like working.

I like earning my own money and not be dependent on my husband.

But I’d love to be able to decide when to go out and just enjoy the day with my daughter. Or pick her up early from nursery and go for a walk in the park. Or generally just work less.

I’m not the kind of woman who stays idle and does nothing with her time. I’d probably be busier than ever, but on my terms.

Before falling pregnant I thought a sabbatical was the solution, so while on maternity leave I felt really relaxed and invigorated. It felt like the sabbatical I had been longing for.

Now I’m back in full-time work and I know that I’d like that sabbatical to be the norm so I can spend more time with my family while still doing some work. The work I chose to do, when I chose to do it. Not merely aimed at paying the bills.

That was the day I got serious about financial independence.
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