Money
Retirement
Tips for a simpler life
If you pass this test, identify your strengths, shortfalls, skills and preferences, to work out how you'll earn a living.
* Link these planned activities to the types of locations and properties most likely to provide the best chance of being successful.
* Figure out which priorities are important to you (and anyone else sharing your downshifting plans), to give you the best mix of work/life balance.
* Establish an overall budget for buying and setting up your new home (and any workplace), to allow you to manage your monthly outgoings comfortably.
* If planning to work from home, establish a work space and routine to allow you to both work undisturbed and close the door on work when "off duty".
* If planning to move from town to country, get to know how your property's services operate - and build a list of reliable trades people you can call upon.
* Take time to establish a business plan - it'll show up some considerations and priorities which you wouldn't have thought of otherwise.
* Take your financial planning seriously. Establish a manageable budget with a contingency fund - and stick to it as closely as possible.
* Remember, above all, that an important part of downshifting is enjoying yourself and having some fun - make sure you factor that into your overall plans and priorities!
* These tips follow the details in the chapters of The Downshifter's Guide to Relocation, written by Chris and Gillean Sangster and published by How To Books (www.howtobooks.co.uk).
Other books by the authors include:
Starting and Running a Holiday Cottage Business, by Gillean Sangster (published by How to Books; www.howtobooks.co.uk).
Brilliant Future - work out what you want and plan how to get there, by Chris Sangster (published by Prentice Hall)
Messages from the Mountains/Echoes in the Atrium - two-book set of work/life balance inspirational sayings, by Chris Sangster (Gordon Nott Publishing).
Written by David Allsop
