No longer an equal partner

March 30, 2013

I awoke way too early this morning, a morning that I could actually sleep in until 6:30am!  Oh well.  I'm up.  And I'm thinking.

The most difficult part of this transition to working only part-time and being a stay-at-home-mom will be the idea that I'm no longer an equal earning partner in our family.  I've always run my own business successfully.  I've always contributed equally (and some years more than) in partnership with my husband. 

Therefore, I've never felt guilty for spending money on myself (not big things but hair cuts, clothes, etc) and now I'm going to feel like I need permission to do those things.  What I partly intend to chronicle here in this blog is the money.  How it is (because I'm being optimistic!) possible for a family of 5 to subsist on one middle-class income.  We can do this.  I can make this work.  This will be my full-time job.  I will plan, budget and we will be happy as a family.

I know money shouldn't define happiness, but it sure has been a blessing the years when my income was enough where we did not have to fret over every little expense.  Because we've been there, there were difficult years and months where the tiniest extra bill would throw me into an anxious tizzy because I didn't know how we were going to pay for it.  I've always been the financial keeper in the family, but now I am taking that (to borrow a phrase) to the next level. 

Okay, enough of that.  What's on tap for today?  First a personal training session, then my husband, son (8) and I are going to run a 5K in support of our local National Guard Troops.  After that I'm set to bake, cook and prep for Easter.  Very excited for a Saturday afternoon at home in the kitchen with the family.  The last few months my Saturdays and Sundays have been plum full with training sessions and I'm glad for the reprieve this weekend.