Life options.

You come to realise at one point that for normal average every day people, we have to choose one path or another. There's only two options and you can't head down both.

1: Work and save until you realise you'll never be able to save enough and still eat

    Equivalency Test in Mathematics =£450 (would probably still fail)

    Masters=£3300, over 2 years part time while you work

    Keep trying to publish books in pitiful spare time and give up because you don't have the brain power left over.

    PHD=5 years, never mind the cost, part time, thinking that now you've failed as an author, you'll eventually be a lecturer and get paid lots of money to teach other aspiring dream-blind kids how to write.

    Throw in trying to get a mortgage somewhere

    Add a car and everything that comes with that

    Remind yourself you're still not in the career you'd like because you're still studying part time and cramming in exams and prep every evening after work.

    Eat crap food because its quick...get fat...try to go to the gym but fail because you don't have the time unless you sacrifice 2 hours of precious sleep on a Saturday morning.

    Attempt to edge in a few holidays so you can pretend to yourself you've travelled

    You want a pretty wedding on the tightest budget you can imagine and still end up being in debt for £15,000 on top of your mortgage and student loan so now any hopes of saving to move to the countryside one day are shattered. Regret wedding. Blame society for expecting it of you.

    By the time you're qualified enough to get a job you think you have wanted your whole life, you work a year realising it's not all its cracked up to be, you never switch off, it effects your semi-happy marriage and you're stressed and wrinkles have started invading your face.

You look back at all the time you've wasted building towards a better life not realising a dream has taken over your actual life which has passed by so quickly.

   Then the doctor says you're struggling to conceive because of this, this and that and you feel as if you've missed your chance. Maybe you finally strike lucky...

 Then you have to go back to work because after all what was the point in all that hard work, money and waiting. You rarely see your kid, who almost calls nanny, mommy, and runs to someone else when they're upset.

You finally think you can start saving a little towards a dream home in the country and an early retirement when suddenly the rest of life leaks all the money you can possibly earn out of you.

You get a painful divorce because of reasons such as: we've drifted apart and not truly spent our marriage together but fucked every once in a while and said have a nice day in the morning.

 Mortgage on a home you once loved goes down the drain.

Dreams of your perfect life are gone

Your kids don't really like you much or bond with you because you're a 'work-a-holic' who never made their Easter bonnets with them.

You're thinking this all over, asking: "What happened to my life?" when you're hit by a car and die. And you didn't even get to dip into that pension you saved so seriously.

Ok...so I'm having a little bit of a down-day, but this is what happens when you try to juggle the idea of doing everything.

Plan 2:
  Work and save
   Publish more books
   Don't bother with the whole career building, using my degree stuff-I wish I hadn't gone, too late, can't change that now.
   Manage to get a small home eventually, and can afford a few holidays-good enough
   If you hate your job, try and get a different one but not so different you have to re-train.
   Alternatively-Train part time in a lower level course than a degree in a new career you've given thought to which doesn't require a degree in that particular subject...that could work.
  Get married but not with a wedding, just a bbq at home afterwards. Use money saved for a little more travelling.
 Work 9-5 and you're not too thrilled with it but you have the rest of your time to enjoy with your partner- relationship stays intact and wonderful because you both respect each other, both bring in an income, and still have time for each other rather than selfish needs.
Have babies before your face is falling off with middle age.
 Change your job to a part time one (whatever that might be) so you can actually raise the kids you've birthed
Kids go to school and you can return to work full time, or perhaps now is the time for career change, you've studied etc in your length of time being a part time home mother. Maybe the cake course, and small business course.
Spend life saving a little and work towards that comfortable early retirement in the countryside somewhere.
Open a shop and sell stuff in country-ish village. Including cake.
Look after grandkids often.
Die.