Kids and Finances

Due to cutbacks at work, we are all required to take one day off a week without pay for a couple of months. There has been a lot of warning this was coming. I'm fortunate because DH and I have always lived below our means and of course we don't have brats so if I have to cut back it affects nobody except us. Any hypothetical kids won't be beaten up at school because someone is saying no to Juicy Couture or whatever stupid crap kids are demanding these days.

Working a four day week has been like extra vacation to me and it's been great. However, I would be lying if I said I'm not enjoying the whining of a certain protected class, you-know-who, the ones who are always cutting out with some flimsy excuse because of some kid-related "emergency." First they whined that the cuts should not affect them. I'm glad someone took a stand and applied the cuts equally because it's only fair. You'd think they would be happy they get to spend another day per week with their little darlings, but I guess that's not the case.

The absolute worst was a dude who was profiled in our company newsletter, which ran a human interest story about how people were affected by the cuts. He didn't utter a single word about BEING THANKFUL he still HAD a job. It was all, I'm a single Dud! I have court-mandated chyyyld support payments! This is going to be hard on my fambilee! Well, Dud, maybe you should have thought about that BEFORE having those little wallet-rapers. And maybe looked at their prospective egg carrier a little harder.

Seriously, one of the many reasons I don't have kids is that I don't want to be stretched to the limit in terms of time or money. I grew up poor and somewhere along the way in school I learned that the greatest predictor of whether a woman will live in poverty is whether she has children. I've been fortunate that I haven't had a major illness or something that kept me from working and I've always saved my money. My behavior has paid off. I'd hate to be 50 and living paycheck to paycheck. (Hi, Shauna!)

I'm keeping a low profile about how much I'm enjoying my days off because a "must be nice" would be fothcoming.

I can relate to that. I also grew up poor and i saw the huge sacrifices my parents did for me and my sister. Now that we're gone and my parents have the salaries for themselves it's so much better...not bliss but for example my mom could afford some new teeth - it would have been impossible if she still supported us.

Me and DH don't have top jobs (we work in cleaning) and mine is just temporary job. We do live from paycheck to paycheck sometimes and it's fortunate if we can save something. I don't want to imagine if brats would have been in the equation although here the state gives you extra money for every kid you pop. But still it's not enough to live comfortable.

I started studying all over again because the studies from my country of origin did not count where i moved. You can't imagine how many times i heard that i should stay home and drop some brats because DH will keep me. (because that's what every immigrant woman does right?)eyes2 Instead i chose to study and get temporary jobs whenever possible.

This is one of many things that weighed heavily for me in my CF-dom. I would be scared shitless to have to be totally responsible for a small human being...having to provide its every need. I do good to care for myself. If I have a lean time, I can make-do, but, barring luxuries like electronics and designer crap, when a kid has a true need for something, you have to find a way to fill it. I'd worry all the time.

Of course, I didn't know it then, but there were some really hard times for my parents when Sis and I were small. I remember going up to visit my Grandparents during the week, which we usually did not do, and bringing home bunches of potatoes from their garden, and things from my Nana's walk-in closet of a pantry. Didn't think anything of it at the time, but now realize my parents were doing that because we were running out of food. These were the days before rampant welfare, and even if, there's NO way my Dad would have taken it. Even when he was laid off, I remember him telling me "don't tell anyone I'm working". Thought this was odd, because don't you want a job? Now realize he was drawing unemployment and working getting paid under the table.

So, I can only imagine...