Agree with the good discussion on this thread. As one poster recommended getting your significant other's buy-in for this lifestyle is important. That is what I use career earnings calculations for so I can show her the relative differences in earnings and discuss lifestyle tradeoffs. Unfortunately when I said--so do you want me home more with less pay or gone more with more money--she didn't hesitate and stated she liked the gone more and more pay. Hopefully my kids aren't quite as emphatic. For now, at least I have a kitchen pass for any future employer.