re: #125 Walter L. Newton

In late 2004, early 2005, I saw some signs at the National Renewable Energy Lab where I worked, signs that indicated they were going to find ways to cut their budget (since congress was cutting their budget), starting with the contractors working for Midwest Research Inc. (the actual company I worked for). I had been there almost 15 years. They were putting pressure on older staff that had evident health problems, pressuring them to take early retirements, “buy outs” or laying them off with a good severance “bonus”. I had spent the the last part of 2004 and into 2005 with 3 broken ribs that were not healing properly, and I was in a lot of pain, and occasionally, on a lot of drugs. Where as my attendance wasn’t horrible, there were times when it was spotty.

So, I had an idea that the shit may hit the fan for me. So, I started to circle the wagons, paying off big bills, dumping cash into all the little accounts… hell, between the wife and I, we made 120 thousand a year, we had a lot of fun money. But I put my foot down and we started to drop debt.

I did get laid off in May 2005, and I was reemployed by Aug. 2005, but it was at 42 thousand a year (I was making 82 thousand) and it didn’t take the wife 6 months to realize that she wasn’t going to be having the same standard of living as we had before, even though it was fine, bills were paid and no one was really suffering.

The marriage blew up, I was asked to leave, over the next few years I lost the house… but I walked away from the whole affair with very little financial obligations.

I’m flexible, I do what I need to do, I can live in a closet if need be… and I basically did for a number of years.

And as a regular Lizard, you you’ve kept up with the recent parts of the story. I’m doing what I need to do… always have.

Downsized is the short answer to your question.

Thank you. Your sense of self-reliance is rare thing these days, but its a good thing to see.