Why Hundreds of People Said Yes to Less

They’d take a $20K pay cut willingly. Here’s why.

It wasn’t just about the job. It was about the jet lag of the soul. The stress. The meetings that could’ve been dreams. These aren’t hypotheticals, these are real reasons people said “yes” to a different kind of life.

The Top 5 Reasons People Say Yes

Time Is the Ultimate Flex

“I bought back my mornings, my health, and 300+ hours a year.” - @itsma****

Sanity Over Salary

“Peace of mind, no commute, no office politics. Worth every penny.” - @amy******ot

A Cost-of-Living Advantage Is the Real Pay Raise

“$20K less in San Diego. $30K more in Lisbon.” - @no******h

You Actually Save More

“Lunches, parking, wardrobe… remote life saved me $1,200/month.” - @frug******dom

More Energy for What Matters

“Now I have time to think, move, breathe, and create.” - @quie*****co

I’d Give Up $20K For This

These are the reasons people said they’d take the hit and never look back.

  • “To drink my coffee slowly.”

  • “To watch my kid ride a bike in daylight.”

  • “To not dread Sunday night.”

  • “To never have to ask permission to visit my dying grandmother again.”

  • “To live in a place where the world feels big again.”

  • “To work from a rooftop in Oaxaca with a mezcal in hand.”

  • “To stop performing my life and start living it.”

I’d Take Any Pay Cut For This

Not everyone gave a dollar amount. But they all said the same thing: worth it.

  • “Peace of mind is priceless.”

  • “My time zone doesn’t define my creativity.”

  • “I don’t want to live my whole life in one ZIP code.”

  • “My best ideas come when I’m not in survival mode.”

  • “Corporate America wasn’t built for people like me.”

  • “I finally sleep well.”

I Didn’t Lose Money, I Gained Life

The surprising part? Some didn’t make less. They just stopped wasting what they had.

  • “I spend half as much and live twice as well.”

  • “I cut $2,000 in bills I didn’t even need.”

  • “Turns out: eating mangoes in Thailand is cheaper than commuting in traffic in LA.”

  • “I stopped spending money to feel alive after work.”

  • “My overhead dropped, my life expanded.”

Your Turn

If you knew you only had 20 good summers left… would you spend the next one in traffic? Or in Tbilisi, Lisbon, Medellín, Cape Town?

It’s not about quitting. It’s about choosing.

Ready to start designing instead of escaping?

Subscribe to get the Digital Nomad Checklist + weekly insights from A Texas Nomad.

This is the other side of “Yeah, but…”

It’s not about selling a fantasy. It’s about showing the data behind what people are already doing, with courage, creativity, and intent.

Let me know what you need to make the leap.

A Texas Nomad

Live Light. Move Smart. Reinvent Everything.