“I’ve been self-sufficient since high school. The pay was low, she said, and she faced almost constant online harassment because of the subject matter she was covering. In June 2021, Natalie Hanson, 26, quit her position at her hometown newspaper in Chico, California, where she covered city government, housing and homelessness. ‘I Was Still Very Nervous About Quitting’ We asked readers who have made that reassessment how it has affected their financial lives. “We saw so many different employment opportunities become flexible in their structures, so people started to reassess it all.” “The pandemic made people really think and take stock of their living situations,” said Cliff Robb, an associate professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Karles represent a group of individuals and families who have made a change and are now dealing with the financial consequences, for better or worse. “This is the best decision we ever made.” “We both can’t even believe what we were doing before this,” Melody Karle said. The couple lost some income, but think they found something greater. Melody Karle is growing beets, rhubarb, asparagus and more in her home garden. Several times a week, they sell Ian Karle’s chocolate bars at local farmers’ markets, and they foster cats in their home (no compensation for that latter task). The Karles feel they are living more purposeful lives. And despite the added stress, many feel that the decision was worth it. They have made it work by picking up part-time gigs on the side, giving up certain luxuries or, like the Karles, relocating to someplace less expensive. While some people are now in a stronger financial place and earning a higher salary, others who quit have faced financial hurdles. The so-called Great Resignation has been fueled by people who were tired of unfulfilling work, burned out by demanding jobs and the struggle to make ends meet. Last year, more than 40 million people left their jobs. It’s ridiculous how much happier I am here than I used to be,” Ian Karle said. “You don’t even know how much stress is on you until it’s gone. They are instead enjoying thriftier activities like hiking and gardening. They have had to give up lavish nights out, but those types of temptations do not exist in small town Montana anyway, they said. In total, the two together took an annual pay cut of $100,000 and now make around $70,000.

Melody Karle took a job as a remote library system administrator, and Ian Karle started his own artisanal chocolate company, a passion project that began in the early days of the pandemic. They did the math and decided Ian Karle could quit and leave his industry if they sold their current home and moved somewhere with a lower cost of living. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times

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