As many of you know, Keith and I decided that once Bert arrived, I would leave my job and stay home with him. We know this is a choice that doesn’t work for every family, but we weighed all the options and decided this would work best for us, though it would mean some changes.
The biggest change is financial. Leaving my job reduced our total income significantly, but we are really fortunate that Keith has a job that pays well and offers good health insurance that makes being a one-income family possible. We certainly did a lot of number-crunching and saving before Bert’s arrival, and I worked as long as possible (up to the day before he was born) to sock away as much as we could before we took the one-paycheck plunge.
To be honest, tightening our purse strings hasn’t seemed too tough, at least not yet. Things like cloth diapering and breast feeding along with many, many generous gifts of clothes, furniture, and baby supplies from family and friends, have definitely reduced Bert’s bottom line. We weren’t big spenders before Bert, so scaling back hasn’t felt like we’re giving up a lot. In fact, it makes the little splurges feel like real treats. We definitely define luxury differently than the Kardashians. Here’s just a few of the things that feel like luxury these days on the quarter-acre:
• Enjoying a cup of coffee from one of Main Street’s coffee shops on a weekend walk with Bert
• A pizza on Friday night (our grocery store has a Friday night special: $5.99 for a large cheese pizza)
• New underwear that doesn’t come four pairs to a plastic pack (new underwear is only allowed around here if the elastic on your old ones is falling off)
• Our Netflix subscription (we cancelled the “watch instantly” package when they upped the prices but still get dvds by mail)
• An occasional meal out (usually breakfast at a diner, with friends if we're lucky)
• Checking out yard sales and flea markets just for the fun of looking, and maybe spending a few dollars
The biggest change is financial. Leaving my job reduced our total income significantly, but we are really fortunate that Keith has a job that pays well and offers good health insurance that makes being a one-income family possible. We certainly did a lot of number-crunching and saving before Bert’s arrival, and I worked as long as possible (up to the day before he was born) to sock away as much as we could before we took the one-paycheck plunge.
To be honest, tightening our purse strings hasn’t seemed too tough, at least not yet. Things like cloth diapering and breast feeding along with many, many generous gifts of clothes, furniture, and baby supplies from family and friends, have definitely reduced Bert’s bottom line. We weren’t big spenders before Bert, so scaling back hasn’t felt like we’re giving up a lot. In fact, it makes the little splurges feel like real treats. We definitely define luxury differently than the Kardashians. Here’s just a few of the things that feel like luxury these days on the quarter-acre:
• Enjoying a cup of coffee from one of Main Street’s coffee shops on a weekend walk with Bert
• A pizza on Friday night (our grocery store has a Friday night special: $5.99 for a large cheese pizza)
• New underwear that doesn’t come four pairs to a plastic pack (new underwear is only allowed around here if the elastic on your old ones is falling off)
• Our Netflix subscription (we cancelled the “watch instantly” package when they upped the prices but still get dvds by mail)
• An occasional meal out (usually breakfast at a diner, with friends if we're lucky)
• Checking out yard sales and flea markets just for the fun of looking, and maybe spending a few dollars
The number one luxury around here would have to be a full night's sleep and that doesn't cost a thing. What little luxuries are all of you enjoying these days?
a slice with Jane.
ReplyDeletenetflix dvd's
dinner out about once a week.
2 new pieces of underwear!
hmmmmm. don't need much. don't want much.
I forgot to add my weekly yoga class. Some days, it is worth paying good money to get and hour and a half of peace and quiet.
ReplyDeleteA glass of wine, dinner at my favorite restaurant, and new underwear are definitely on my list of luxuries!
ReplyDelete