Sabbatical Sundays Archives

07Oct 2022 by Tammy Camp

8 Unemployment Lessons From the Last Recession

Just a few months ago, I wrote about how I quit my job during the last recession and how I was terrified I would do it again. Well, here we are! I recently gave notice, and started my sabbatical, and the markets continue to plummet. The Nasdaq and DJIA are both down over 20%; and even more notably the normally more stable bond markets have taken a huge hit too. So now what? Surprisingly, I’m not as scared as I thought I would be. First, I saved a considerable amount to be ready for my sabbatical, and I can get health insurance. But, I must admit I’m still a little bit nervous. So I spent some time reminding myself of the unemployment lessons I learned during the last recession that…

24Aug 2022 by Tammy Camp

How to Get Health Insurance If You Quit Your Job

Sabbatical Sundays

Are you thinking about quitting your job but worry you can’t quit because you’d lose health insurance? Or maybe you’ve just quit your job and are now panicked because you got a COBRA statement and it’s insanely expensive? The good news is I’ve been there and done that and am here to tell you all about it. The better news is you can get health insurance coverage too. If you quit your job for any reason you have at least two and maybe three options for health insurance coverage. I’ll lay them out here along with additional details I have from personal experience. (For more on my personal experience, here are 9 Lessons I Learned from Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical. And if you are really unsure if…

16Aug 2022 by Tammy Camp

What Does Freedom Mean to You?

Sabbatical Sundays

Women’s Money is about helping you to fund your freedom. What does this mean? It means affording the life you want. But what exactly does freedom mean to you? Every person has her own definition. For you, is freedom being free from something? Or being free to do something? Are you looking for freedom from a job? From a boss? From a salary? Maybe you’re looking to move. Maybe you’re looking to be free from a person. Or you want the freedom to choose when and how you work? Do you want the freedom to buy whatever you want? Fly first class around the world at the drop of a hat? Or does freedom look like spend an afternoon hiking in a local park, with no constraints on your time?…

06Dec 2021 by Tammy Camp

Don’t Ask: What Should I Do With My Life? Ask This Instead

Sabbatical Sundays

If you’ve been reading my Sabbatical Sundays series long enough, you know that I’ve been struggling to find my purpose. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to do with my life. Additionally, I’ve been reading books, watching TED talks, listening to podcasts, talking to people, thinking, and journaling. I’m a few months away from quitting my job, without much of a plan. Some days, I feel truly spectacular about that. I mean, who doesn’t want to just have a bunch of free time to read, exercise, clean out closets, cook, and travel? But other days, I don’t feel so spectacular about my plan. I worry about money, and I start browsing LinkedIn, looking at job opportunities. I begin to question if maybe it’s just another…

07Nov 2021 by Tammy Camp

The Best Question to Help You to Find Your Purpose

Sabbatical Sundays

“You cannot be anything you want to be -- but you can be a lot more of who you already are."- Strengthsfinder 2.0, Tom Rath As part of my work to figure out what’s next after my sabbatical, I’ve been doing a lot of reading in order to try to find my purpose. I’ll share a list of recommended books at a later point in time. One of my recent purchases was StrengthsFinder 2.0. For those who aren’t familiar with it, StrengthsFinder is part of Gallup. It leverages enormous amounts of data to help people uncover their strengths. I highly recommend it. In the intro to the book, Tom Rath challenges the conventional wisdom about trying to improve your weaknesses and, notably, that you can be anything you want to…

26Sep 2021 by Tammy Camp

Best Unique Travel Resources for Planning a Trip

Sabbatical Sundays, Travel

I remember a trip to Ireland about 15 years ago. We drove across the entire country. How did we know where to go? We purchased an Irish road atlas from a travel store. I also used Mapquest (yes, remember Mapquest?!) to pull up the step-by-step directions on my home computer, then I printed them out and brought the printed directions on our trip. Now, I often travel to cities and don’t even do restaurant research ahead of time. I just use my Google Map to find-top rated restaurants “near me.” As we plan our extended trip for my sabbatical, here are the top unique travel resources I’m relying on to plan our search. Top Travel Resources for Planning a Trip We have become so incredibly dependent on the internet, but…

12Sep 2021 by Tammy Camp

Where Should I Travel Next Internationally? 9 Unconventional Ways to Figure It Out

Sabbatical Sundays

When you have an extended period of time to travel, like I will with my sabbatical, or even when you are just planning your next week-long vacation, you have to figure out where you should travel next. Have you been considering traveling abroad and found yourself asking, “Where should I travel internationally?” If so, these tips can help you figure it out. Ways to Figure Out Where to Travel Internationally Figuring out where to travel abroad doesn’t need to come down to spinning a globe and going wherever your finger lands. There are some unconventional ways to find an international travel destination that you’ll enjoy visiting. Here are some out-of-the-box ways to answer the question, “Where should I travel next internationally?” 1. Consider Your Personal Bucket List Do you have…

29Aug 2021 by Tammy Camp

I’ve Got Job Offers. Now What?

Sabbatical Sundays

In the last few months, my job prospects have improved dramatically. I continue to get growth opportunities at my current job, and I have had numerous outreaches and offers for other great jobs. So what’s the problem? I want to take a break from my career in the form of a sabbatical, not climb the ladder. Or do I? All of these reminders that I’m good at what I do for my career throw me into a spiral of doubt. I start thinking about making more money, having more friends at work, and contributing more to the world through the work I do. I think, “Maybe I don’t need a break after all. Why was I even planning to take a break in the first place?” These feelings make me both…

08Aug 2021 by Tammy Camp

$100,000 Savings Goal Update

Sabbatical Sundays

This week, I’m providing you with an update on my journey towards saving $100,000 to take a sabbatical. As you know, I’ve chosen this amount based on a specific savings plan with my “why’s” in mind. At the end of this month, when some equity I have in my company vests, I will have reached my goal. There won’t be a big party or celebration. The calendar will just roll over, and it will be another day. In fact, I’m not even planning to take my sabbatical for some time yet. Why not? That’s a story for another post. So, what does this mean for my day-to-day life? Not much. Just like when people hit whatever goal they are aiming for, whether it’s a million dollars, a FIRE number, a weight loss…

06Jun 2021 by Tammy Camp

Should I Take a Sabbatical or Retire Early With FIRE?

Sabbatical Sundays

Since I had a quiet May writing for Women’s Money, you might be wondering where I’ve been. The truth is that I’ve been doing less writing, more thinking, and more doing. First, the doing. I’ve been spending more time doing the things I want to do on a sabbatical. I’ve been spending more time with my kids, exercising more, cooking more, and working on a side business. Next, the thinking. Sometimes it’s hard to write about something when you begin to question it. (Though, when you are questioning something, this is often the time you should be doing the most writing and journaling about it.) For me, it’s been challenging to write about my sabbatical planning because I’ve been wondering more and more if I want to take a sabbatical.…

Category: Sabbatical Sundays