A bit behind with all that's going on in this thread, but good luck to those who've managed to get out of the trade
It's a bit of a Catch 22 for me - worried for years that the job might eventually tip me over the edge in some shape or form. But at my age and state of mind, worried that doing anything different might do likewise, so it seems better to do nothing, and to that extent the trade is a comfort zone of sorts
And still got another couple of years with the car before it's up to the council's age rule, so to that extent don't have to put in a lot of hours to struggle by, because the car's paid for, my needs are modest, and (touchwood) hopefully nothing major will go wrong with the car before it gets to 10-years-old
But I'll be 60 by then, and even when I got the current car when aged about 50, the thought of simply putting another vehicle on just about killed me off
So can't see it being any easier in two years time...
If I had a flat or house worth even £100k, say, I'd probably sell up and get the hell out of the area. For good.
Unfortunately that's not the case, and although I've got a five-figure sum in the bank, apart from the car and plate that's all I've got in terms of significant assets, and I'm on the rental treadmill for life
My one spell of property ownership didn't go well at all, but that's been an even bigger nightmare than the trade, so probably better I don't tell all on here
But at least that's why I've got a modest sum in the bank. Enough to keep me going for maybe a year or so if I couldn't work, but that's about it