I took a 20% pay cut for 8 months so I could spend an entire summer with my kids. It was worth it.
As my maternity leave ended, I wanted more time off with my four kids. I took a 20% pay cut and got almost the whole summer off with them.
After her fourth child was born, writer Natalia Costa wanted to spend the summer with her kids. To do this, she took a 20% pay cut for eight months, sacrificing €10,000 (about $11,200) in income. This decision allowed her to take 73 full days off, combined with her maternity leave, weekends, and public holidays. She spent her summer painting, drawing, gluing, doing yoga, napping, and playing at the pool and beach with her four young children.
While she lost €2,100 on childcare costs, she saved about €9,300 by not paying for day care or summer programs. Overall, she found the trade-off worthwhile, both financially and emotionally, as she gained more time with her family.
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