Let's go! I'm currently living rent-free in an unoccupied student room in Edinburgh (it's out of term here, and I'm living with friends). I'm spending most of

Let's go! I'm currently living rent-free in an unoccupied student room in Edinburgh (it's out of term here, and I'm living with friends). I'm spending most of this month enjoying the Edinburgh Fringe Festival[0] (I saw 7 shows yesterday). The remainder of my time goes on Open Source/contracting work. Due to the Fringe, this month is unusual and I'm not satisfied with my open source activity: it's mostly code reviews, force-multiplier work, mentoring and small changes, rather than larger architectural work or features. Financially: In the UK, the minimum wage is £9.30/hour. This is around $20k/year. Open Source work nets me between $10 and $1.50/h via Open Collective (donation funded), plus <$100/m monthly from Patreon/GitHub Sponsors. I have a financial buffer from previous employment and my main aim is to avoid drawing into this buffer. I contract on a part-time basis, and this fills the income gap. I've previously listed my hopes for the next month[1]. I want a multi-monitor setup for my next 2-week project, and that's not feasible to travel with. Am I OK? I am for now. Although my lifestyle offers me a lot of flexibility, it isn't feasible to start a family or hit the traditional 'life goals' while living in this manner. It's a shame to have to fundraise for small personal projects (<$10k), rather than funding them yourself. I'm making financial sacrifices to be where I am and have an irrational worry about what the move back to traditional employment would look like in terms of salary, perceived experience, and coming to terms with the reduction of personal and creative freedom. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Festival_Fringe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Festival_Fringe [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32312955 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32312955