How do we do it?
A few months back my husbands contract ended. He was working for a computer company that I will not name (they make THE best computers and MP3 players, and have recently put out a new phone which you may have heard of). He started the hunt to find a new job. Everyone was awed by his experience, but were not as awed by his educational background. He was PERFECT for all the positions he interviewed for, but he didn't have the piece of paper hanging on the wall will the gold stamp on it.
For the two months he spent interviewing, I got a little panic-y. I didn't think that we could go very long on one income. But then as the 2 months finally passed, I realized.... We are doing FINE! We can do this!
We had cut back a lot. We didn't eat out as much as we had before. (Good for the pocketbook as well as the waist!)I didn't haphazardly buy things off WOOT! or Amazon anymore. We didn't splurge on weekends away. We watched our Netflix instead of going to the movies. We cut our satellite programming down. We didn't go to the mall.
We decided that we were going to go for it! Ryan was going to stop searching for a full-time job and he would focus on school. I knew how hard it was for me going to school and working full time or even part-time. I wanted him to be able to trudge through without having to worry about getting to work or asking work to try to fit around his school schedule. I especially didn't want work to get in the way of his homework. That was the toughest part about working and going to school... finding time to do the homework.
So, now months later, our bills are getting paid (even though they raised our rent AGAIN), we don't REALLY feel deprived, and we are staying afloat. We even have a bit to spare and put into savings on occasion. When both of us were working I thought we were SO POOR. Now we are living on less than half.
Sure, we don't have savings like we used to. We can't be a flexible or fancy free like we used to be. But you know what! I can still get a pedicure once in a while! So life is good.
For the two months he spent interviewing, I got a little panic-y. I didn't think that we could go very long on one income. But then as the 2 months finally passed, I realized.... We are doing FINE! We can do this!
We had cut back a lot. We didn't eat out as much as we had before. (Good for the pocketbook as well as the waist!)I didn't haphazardly buy things off WOOT! or Amazon anymore. We didn't splurge on weekends away. We watched our Netflix instead of going to the movies. We cut our satellite programming down. We didn't go to the mall.
We decided that we were going to go for it! Ryan was going to stop searching for a full-time job and he would focus on school. I knew how hard it was for me going to school and working full time or even part-time. I wanted him to be able to trudge through without having to worry about getting to work or asking work to try to fit around his school schedule. I especially didn't want work to get in the way of his homework. That was the toughest part about working and going to school... finding time to do the homework.
So, now months later, our bills are getting paid (even though they raised our rent AGAIN), we don't REALLY feel deprived, and we are staying afloat. We even have a bit to spare and put into savings on occasion. When both of us were working I thought we were SO POOR. Now we are living on less than half.
Sure, we don't have savings like we used to. We can't be a flexible or fancy free like we used to be. But you know what! I can still get a pedicure once in a while! So life is good.
Ok, here is the thing. I'm a SAHM and it is important enough to me and my husband make our lives work with one salary. I totally applaud your efforts here to cut back and sacrifice some of the extra's to live and achieve things that are important to you!
Bravo!
Posted by
Loralee Choate |
1:08 AM
When Ryan and I finally have kids I want to be a SAHM too. So, I guess this is a little experiment. I think it would have been more difficult for us to take that plunge into not having two incomes if we weren't sorta pushed into it.
We even have been saving in our "Italy" fund. We plan on going on a big trip to Italy before we start having kids.
Posted by
~Plain Jane~ |
9:15 AM