Just took a 15% pay cut for flex schedule and zero regrets
Wanted to share a win because I see a lot of posts here about feeling trapped in demanding jobs. I switched from an aggressive startup role to a B2B SaaS company that lets me do 7-3 instead of 8-6. Lost about $12k/year but gained back 10+ hours with my kids (ages 5 and 8) every single week. My wife said I'm actually present now instead of just physically here. Took me 6 months to stop feeling guilty about the pay cut. If you've been considering it - seriously consider it. The mental load is so much lower.
15% is real money though. Did you have to cut anything else from your budget or did you just live tighter? I'm curious because I keep telling myself I'd do this but then I do the math and freak out.