Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Money vs. Time

Welcome to the October Carnival of Natural Parenting: Money Matters



In the Summer of 2010, we made a big financial decision. I took on a Part Time job (in addition to my Full Time position) in order to help my mother and to afford an expensive (to us) condominium rental close to my family. The space was HUGE to us and we lived there for the tail end of my pregnancy, the birth of our child, and most of her first year.

Condo Living RoomNot our actual condo, but the same floor plan.

As the lease drew to a close, we knew that it was still a stretch to make all the bills and I was frustrated working the Part Time job. We moved into a much smaller two bedroom apartment and I quit working the extra job. Within a few months, I got bitten by the Minimalist Bug. I had suddenly realized that my dreams were NOT unattainable, regardless how big they seemed! I started getting rid of JUNK. Suddenly, a lot more stuff seemed like junk. We also minimized our bills. We started cutting out / down on things we "needed" and on entertainment expenses, too.

Boulder Ridge - 2 Bed / 2 BathOur 2 bedroom floor plan.

Within two months, we moved into an even smaller one bedroom apartment. We had been a bit tight on funds after missed work for my knee surgery, so this was a great way to cut back more on bills! Thankfully, the new apartment was right across the courtyard, so it was an easy move.

Boulder Ridge - 1 Bed / 1 BathOur 1 bedroom floor plan.

After cutting back SO much, we figured out that we could survive without my Full Time job if I went back to my Part Time job. I went for it. We both hated where we worked, so I was thrilled to leave! (My poor husband still works there Part Time.) As of March, we were surviving on two Part Time jobs.

Sometimes money is tight and that can be stressful. We both prefer this stress to the stress of less time together, though! Even when we're really scrimping, I prefer that stress. We're expecting our last child in January and I've had enough trouble with this pregnancy that I can *not* imagine working, especially not Full Time!

Things have gotten a bit out of our control since April, but we're managing. We'll be moving again soon, into even less space! This all works well into our plan of minimizing into a Travel Trailer, though. I do have a lot more minimizing of "stuff" to do in the next few weeks. The bills will minimize themselves in this move! This is a must, since we're now surviving on ONE Part Time job (plus my daughter's survivorship benefits).

How much financial sacrifice would you be willing to make to have more time with / for your family?

If you're already home full time, what sacrifices have you made to make that work?





  • Money MattersWitch Mom hates money; here's why.


  1. Oh yes, we cut WAY back b/c I quit my job as a lawyer after Kieran was born. That was a significant income chunk. Right now we're fortunate enough to live in a house with no mortgage, and our lives would vastly change if we were forced to switch homes. I would definitely follow your lead though in order to stay at home - it's entirely too important to me!

  2. With priorities and work, I'm always thinking about this joy to stress ratio...how to have more joy and less stress though each decision has some stress, will there be a little more joy? It sounds like you said YES to joy with this plan!

  3. Minimalism is one of the keys to happiness, I think. It's amazing how having too much stuff can rob us of peace.

    One thing I have found that helps simplify and save money is getting rid of all the extra toiletries. I used to have a whole counter-full. Now I realize simple, inexpensive items from the kitchen (coconut oil, baking soda, cider vinegar) have multiple personal care uses. Just this little switch has meant buying so much less "stuff" for me.

    I really want to start getting rid of all the junk now. Every time I read on someone's blog that they are doing this, makes me want to do it too (but then I never find the time, somehow).

  4. Your family is such an inspiration! I love that you prioritize time together over everything. I agree that there's nothing more important.

    You'll have to make your way out to New England when you get that travel trailer!

  5. That's why we've had our own business, and why we chose that uncertainty over getting "real" jobs after we lost our former telecommuting jobs. Sam & I both just really wanted to prioritize spending time together and raising our kids. We've had to make some compromises with how much time we spend with each other as we have more kids, but I can't imagine a different life for us right now. I'm really looking forward to see how your continued minimizing goes!

  6. Oh, I am working so hard toward the minimalism stuff. I, personally, have very few things anymore. I've managed to cut my clothing down to enough clothes for one week, plus a nice outfit and the outer stuff. I have two pairs of shoes and a pair of sandals. I do have to say that I have had a hard time getting rid of some of my kitchen stuff, though. You know, those little doodads that just make life a little easier? Oh, and I have a huge washed-out can/jar/container collection - I just *know* that I can use them for something... someday.

    My husband, on the other hand, can't pass up anything that someone's thrown out and is still usable. Someone in our little collection of duplexes just came into some money and moved out. They left practically everything except clothes and personal items. Hubby volunteered to "help" the landlord clear the place out - and right into ours! Ugh!

  7. we ended up moving to switzerland so hubby could persue a job he was very very passionate about and lucky for me it means being full time mama and being able to work on writing when i have free time.
    I admire you living is a small space and being minimalists - If it were up to me I would get rid of so much but the rest of the family is not ready for such a radical change after our radical move!
    thanks for sharing!!

  8. So encouraging and inspiring! When we had Burkley, we had recently moved. Neither of us had jobs. My husband has now had a minimum-wage paying job for about six months, and I've been blessed to get to stay home. Our income is about a third of what it was before we moved and had Burkley, and we've had to make many sacrifices, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

  9. I so agree with what you say about not-enough-money stress being better than not-enough-time stress! We also live in a small 1-bedroom apt and it's much better than I think many people realize. It's amazing what you can do without!

  10. I'm still working out how to survive on one income, but I don't think it was as big of a step for me as it was for other families that have gone from two full-time workers to one. I've never worked full-time because of school and up until my husband graduated, neither had he. Now that he works full-time with a degree, it's actually a step up from where we were in the past. I think that part of what makes it work is deciding what's important to your family. Other "fun" things that our single friends do without a second thought don't come so easily to us. We think about it and decide if it's worth it for us and in most cases, it's not.

  11. Thank you, everyone, for commenting! I will say it again (as you said it so well), definitely choosing JOY over MONEY should be an easy decision, right?

    And our stuff can definitely wind up ruling us. If you have a large space, you just have that much more to clean. That much more space to fill with... crap, really. When we moved into that condo, it seemed so empty. I was amazed how quickly we filled it!

    You can bet I'll make my way Northeast once we hit the road! I'll actually plan to take a list of people that would like us to visit... especially folks that wouldn't mind us parking in their drive or in front of their house for a few days. :-D

    Jars are, for some reason, hard to let go. I mean, they're perfectly good and usable! I like donating because then I can imagine someone who can and will actually use an item might wind up with it!

    Other than living on the road, I would LOVE to move out of the US. There are some things that are pretty screwy here and I appreciate the differences in other countries.

    This will be the 2nd time we've moved while I am very pregnant. Yes, people don't understand how this many people could live in such a small space. We have our issues (namely, bathroom placement), but we get by just fine!

    You definitely find you have to weigh out the real value of things before committing any money to them. Very often, things (or events) aren't really worth it.

  12. Today I just a told a friend that even though because I don't work many hours week, we are technically considered within the poverty guidelines for our state. But, because I've downsized so much with possessions and priorities and our life is what it is, I don't feel like we suffer at all. Quitting my full-time job has made me richer in my life.



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