&gt; <i>is there some kind of unmentioned catch</i><p>Speaking from experience, the catch is you won&#x27;t get to live the life of convenience and luxury that marketing has been pushing down your throat for the last 20+ years.<p>When you work less, you have less money, which means you spend less money, which means you often do things for yourself. Oil changes can be dirty, chopping wood can be hard work, and canning vegetables is a loooong process.<p>If you are afraid of hard work and want life to be &quot;easy&quot;, by all means keep going to work and simply pay for everything. On the other hand, hard work is extremely rewarding, especially when it&#x27;s for your own survival.<p>It&#x27;s a choice, you&#x27;re free to make it either way you want. I wish more people knew it was a choice they can make.