I couldn’t agree more that having to live on an actual, fixed budget where spending on X means you have to curtail spending on Y is a drain on your mental energies.

This is happening to me right now as I try to get my startup off the ground. I have some side income but not enough to support the life I was living back when I had a full-time software job.

I find myself saying no to all sorts of things that may or may not lead to opened doors —e.g., I am no longer willing to attend paid meetups and events. A part of me worries that such events are where the truly serious people in my space hang out but I guess I’ll never know.