The Salary Trap: Income Misconceptions About DINKs and 6 Strategies for Ditching the 9-5

Money without freedom.

Wealth without experience.

It’s all sentences on the same crime, and it leads all those who commit it to one thing - a bigger jail cell.

Let’s look at a few examples:

Is that Audi really cool if you’re using it to sit in traffic commuting to a job you hate?

Or how about that closet full of Jil Sander chic you have to keep adding to so your boss considers you "promotion material"?

Worth it? Maybe. But let’s look at the flip side to keep things fair.

The Trap

Let’s say you’ve been climbing the corporate ladder since you graduated from that expensive business school your parents helped pay for.

You’re walking through town by the office one day and you notice a group of sidewalk artists creating the most beautiful mural you’ve ever seen.

Deep down you realize you always had a passion for creating, yet you suppressed it because hey, you need a steady paycheck to survive right?

You compliment the artists and continue on with your day, your life.

Years go by and you’re still stuck in the cubicle, albeit nowadays it’s at least a corner one with a view of the city (a nicer, bigger jail cell). You’re bored, unfulfilled, and still living paycheck-to-paycheck even though the deposits have steadily increased over the years.

You’re selling your soul working for someone whose favorite saying is, “do more with less”. Sounds like an amazing life right?

If this sounds familiar, it’s because 99% of us do this. We fall into the salary trap. We get caught in a better mousetrap and we upgrade to a swankier prison.

But in our defense, we’re trained to do this before we even know what “work” is. It goes something like this:

Go to school. Get good grades. Get into a prestigious university. Get a good job. Climb the salary ladder. Save your way to retirement. Retire old, tired and unfulfilled (if you’re lucky enough to make it this far).

Moth, Meet Flame.

As a DINK (dual income no kids), this trap is extra sticky for us because hey, we’re focused more on our careers than having families right?

I would argue the opposite - at least for me. I didn’t want to have children because I wanted more time to spend on things and people I enjoyed. Hobbies, quality time with family and friends. And yes, more discretionary income helps with all of that.

But it also keeps us on the hamster wheel of needing to make more because we’re perceived to have more, therefore we subconsciously spend more and the cycle repeats.

And because we don’t have kids, we are also subject to subliminal societal pressures put on us to “succeed” even more than our counterparts who do have kids.

We’re expected to have the higher salaries than our siblings with kids. We’re expected to have the nicer cars, travel to more exotic locations, and have money available for Uncle Bob to borrow when he’s in a bind.

In contrast, our counterparts with kids are almost encouraged to make career moves that allow them more time at home, shorten their commutes, take the salary cuts; it's ok - they have a family to raise.

If a DINK takes a pay cut or wants to be closer to home, at best we're practically burned at the stake, and at worst deemed lazy and unmotivated.

Strategies to Jail Break

So what are some ways DINKs can break the cycle and feel confident pursuing a dream of being a sidewalk chalk artist? A YouTube influencer? A doggy daycare van driver (this is mine)?

Pursue Your Passion: WHAT?! Yes. If no one else in your life has given you permission to do this, I’m giving it to you now. If you’re not passionate about your current job, start doing something that lights your fire.

I’m not saying turn in your two week’s notice today, but commit to at least one hour/day to doing something that sparks your creativity. If you want, you can eventually turn this into a side hustle.

Start A Side Hustle: Starting a side hustle can be a great way of breaking out of the salary jail cell. By starting a side business or entering the gig economy, you can learn new skills, explore new interests and hopefully generate extra income in the process.

Self Care Isn’t Selfish: Taking care of yourself is essential for staying motivated. Prioritize exercise, nutrition, restful sleep etc. to maintain your energy and focus for what really drives you.

Network and Build Relationships: Even if you’ve never reached out to anyone outside your immediate circle before, do it. By connecting with others in your areas of interest, you’ll learn about new opportunities and gain valuable insights and advice on the shortest path to pursuing your passion(s).

Challenge Yourself: It’s like Alice in Wonderland - if you’re not growing, you’re shrinking. I’m a self-proclaimed introvert, but even I know the value of sometimes getting off the bench and putting yourself into the game. Look for things you can take on, even if they’re outside your comfort zone.

Celebrate Your Successes: Don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back when you achieve even a small level of success (trust me, no one else is going to do it for you). Celebrating your successes also helps keep you moving forward when motivation is in short supply.

Moving Beyond The Stereotype

Investing in increasing your skillset, pursuing your passions and breaking DINK stereotypes requires risk. However in my opinion, the benefits greatly outweigh the consequences.

Staying in a job you hate because of familial expectations, the fear of not having a steady paycheck, and the need to keep up with the Joneses leads to you becoming complacent, bored and unfulfilled.

Exiting the establishment for a life you truly want to be living requires motivation, perseverance and dedication. It’s a long-term strategy, but offers the opportunity of endless possibilities, waking up every day happy to do what you’re doing, and feeling a sense of fulfillment very few of us every have the pleasure of feeling during our “working years”.

Final Thoughts

I am incredibly grateful you took time out of your busy day to read this post. If you’ve made it this far - you are awesome!!

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-Charlie