Well they live without most of the things we pay for. If you never paid for air conditioning, restaurants, internet and a ton of other amenities then you likely could get by with one or two people in your home having a light workload as well.

We see that as crazy though, because of how we were raised.

For my income I actually don't spend a lot, on housing I spend more than the average rental, to live in a nice neighborhood, but this is maybe 2 grand a year in difference. I drive a 1400 dollar car I paid for with cash, I don't have air conditioning and only run heat when a sweater won't do. I walk to work (which helps offset the slightly higher price of housing). My yearly bus pass is paid for by work.

Now I do spend a bit on: video games (actually pretty cheap as hobbies go), kitchen stuff (not as cheap, but I don't go too crazy), eating out (I splurge a lot on this, I'd rather have this than a nice car, so there ya go), and liquor (I like good stuff and pay for it, so again, splurge).

The parts that kill me are:
1) Medical insurance, it costs too bloody much (if you have one child to insure you're paying for "dependents", which means a lot), the portion that covers me is covered by work, but additions for family are not and they're pricey. In addition anything bad that happens can cost 1000s after insurance has paid. "Individual" plans have been mostly nixed by the industry so there's very little opportunity to shop around. As well, dental isn't even covered beyond very basic stuff, one bad tooth problem and you're out another 1-2 grand. I really wish I knew how to reduce this, but there don't seem to be many options beyond simply remaining uninsured (which I find unconscionable since I can technically afford it).

2) Lack of options for "working less". If you want a professional job in this country, especially if you need benefits, you will be generally hired salaried, meaning they don't expect you to work "less" than 40 hours, i.e. that's the minimum. No one hires part time or on an hourly basis. If you run your own gig, you'll typically be working more and not less. I could live on 40% less than I make, but I have no way to trade back 40% of my time for the 40% salary decrease in this country.

Hell, if you or anyone have any suggestions for this, I'd love to hear them, I just can't see a way out in this society. If it was structured in a better way I think you'd see a lot of successful people opt to work a lot less over here. "Making it" and then continuing to kill yourself to keep making it sucks... not more than the alternative, but with a lot more irony.

Most Americans will scratch their heads and say "what the hell is that". Most Americans are lucky just to get 2 weeks holiday and thats only after 6 months on the job or longer.

Yep, its the Protestant work ethic taught to most American children. To be a successful and repected adult, you are expected to work 40 to 50 hours per week, otherwise there is something wrong with you.

Not in the UK I'm afraid you get worked and taxed to death here , The people who get holidays like that are the politicians or some people who work in the Financial sector in London ....

...

I work for a bank and they want people to take time off.

However if I asked for a 'long service leave' I would get it plus I would also get a nice and clean P45 in my hands (aka fired)

This is true. I wouldn't be able to take all my time off at once either.

Two weeks is the maximum single leave of absence. I could ask for more, but it has to be a down time and has to be approved.

Nope! It's always "work more, work more, work more. I'm your employer; why should I care about your quality of life?" Ugh.

I think that the US is a great country, meaning that it will probably make my top 10 list.

But what I really do like about the US is the work ethic. Europeans could learn a lot about that.

Same here but I know I have to give a 28 day notice of the absence. Saying that I rarely take more then 8 days off a year but I am allowed 32 days off,

Either it's because you just woke up, or I wasn't clear.

AFAIK there's no such thing as automatic sabbatical. It's generally something that the university grants to people who apply for it and then it's usually because you're wanting to write a book or you're going to the LHC to do some research. At none of the schools I"m familiar with is it granted on a basis of being there for a certain number of years. It might be granted earlier or later depending upon the needs of the schools.

Teachers at any level are rarely given time off when there are classes and release time is generally given in order to do something for the school, or where mandated by law.

Yes, I'm pretty sure sabbatical has to be approved just about everywhere. I didn't mention that, so I can see how I unintentionally implied "automatic".

I believe there is usually the requirement of six years of service between sabbaticals (hence the name) and from what I know, they can have up to a full year for their sabbatical (based on approval of course).

I base it on the only person I know who took sabbatical. While my wife was getting her master's degree, one professor was either gone for her first year or first semester. I forget which, but I know he was gone from his classes and had to have a temporary replacement for them. The other professors mentioned taking sabbaticals as well, but we did not know them then.

Yours is a neighbouring country from mine, and you do know how shitty the work regulation in mine is, right? So I suppose I need not explain further :-)

I do. I am in your country right now. People seem to work very close to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week.