Three months ago, I wrote about wrestling with hypothetical worries while dismantling my old working life. I was anxious about whether we’d have enough resources for a safe and fulfilling retirement.
Well, the office sold. Then we sold the family home too.
It’s taken months of sorting, selling, waiting and finally signing. There were moments when it felt like the transition would never end. But at last we have made it: both sales are complete, and the long process of closing out the old life is finally behind us.
**The Unconventional Solution**
Now we’re fully committed to our rented cottage in the Peak District. And as 2025 draws to a close, we have a completely blank page for 2026.
Here’s the thing: we couldn’t have afforded to buy here. Properties like this: space for veggies, great eco-credentials, direct access to the trails… rarely come on the market, and if one did we most unlikely could not have afforded it. The traditional path would have meant compromise: affordable but the wrong place, or right location but not fitting the requirements list.
So we got creative.
We sold our property and invested the proceeds. Those investments now cover our rent and some of the living expenses. Instead of equity locked in bricks and mortar appreciating slowly, our money works for us, funding the lifestyle we actually want right now.
Think about it: a house you own costs you in maintenance, repairs, insurance, and opportunity cost. By converting that static asset into dynamic income, we unlocked something that felt impossible.
**The Reality Check**
Let me be clear: this isn’t risk-free, and it’s not for everyone. We’re privileged that the sums work for us. We ran the numbers carefully with multiple scenarios, stress tests, contingency planning. And we’ve kept a safety net: if circumstances change, we can step back onto the traditional property ladder.
But here’s what surprised me: the very thing we’re told equals security, home ownership, would have meant a life of compromise. The cottage we rent gives us trails on our doorstep, a community we love, and a life aligned with the values of slow living and intentional choices.
**Questioning the Rules**
We inherit so many beliefs without examining them, and owning your own home is one – “an English man’s home is his castle”. For many people, that is a primary goal and something worth sacrificing for. But it’s worth asking: “Is this asset serving my life, or am I serving this asset?”
For us, the house had become something we maintained rather than something that enabled us. The cottage, though rented, gives us freedom, flexibility, and enables the life we want.
Those Saturday morning worries I wrote about? They asked whether we’d have enough resources for a fulfilling retirement. The spreadsheets said yes, but the fear persisted. Now, with the decisions made and the moves complete, I have a different answer: yes, we do. Not because the numbers changed, but because we stopped letting conventional wisdom define what “enough” looks like.
There’s a deep sense of relief in reaching this point. We are no longer homeowners, no longer business owners. We’ve stepped into a new rhythm, surrounded by hills and quiet skies.
It feels good to breathe.
**But arriving isn’t the same as being settled.**
Selling and making the move was one thing. Now comes the real work: living out every day with intention. What does that look like in practice? What rhythms and patterns will make this season truly fulfilling?
That’s what I’ll be exploring next, starting with the framework that’s been shaping my thinking.
More on that soon.
Great2Live 
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