Thursday, March 04, 2010

Less Time and More Expenses

So we're sending our son to college next year. For all you who have little kids - start saving now.  I know that's easier said than done, because we had good intentions of saving for our kids' college educations, but finding that extra money is never easy.  Now we just have to make it work.  I keep telling him that he better fill out every single scholarship application he can get his hands on, so hopefully something will come through - if he'd ever get his butt in gear and do it.  (I hope you're reading this, Cory.  I <3 you!)

Also, besides Cory needing to find a job to help pay for his own education, Jeffrey is saying I will need to find one, too - one that pays more than blogging, I suppose.  I'm not so sure what I want to do or what I'm even qualified to do after being able to stay home and take care of the family and the house for so many years.  Not that I'm not capable, but where to start?

I'm also catching myself thinking about all the things I do on a regular basis and wondering how I'm going to have time to do any of that stuff ever again.  Yep, I'm already making a list of all the things that won't get done or that I won't be able to do any more - baking, reading, ironing Jeffrey's shirts, and shaving my legs are only part of that list!  And what about walking?  And if I can't walk will I gain weight and have to buy new clothes?

That brings me to another issue - Balancing Work and Family on a Budget. Because I'm home, I have time to cut out coupons and send in rebates, and fix meals without relying on ready-made foods.  If I'm not home, how will I have time to do those things?  Luckily the boy won't be living at home, so maybe the grocery budget will be able to stay the same, but there are bound to be other expenses that we don't have now.  Thankfully we won't need to pay for daycare, which even with SitterCity coupons, can still be expensive.  That was part of the reason I didn't go back to work while the kids were little - after paying for gas to get there and daycare for the kids, I really wouldn't have been making any money.  And then the kids got older and needed someone to drive them here and drive them there, and there was always plenty to do, and I'm just not one of those 'have to get out of the house' kind of people, so I was happy staying home and taking care of the things that need done.

Hopefully there will be less to be done with no kids at home.  I'm sure it will all work out.  Other people do it.  I will need to find a way to track any extra expenses, so I'll be able to figure out if I actually end up making any money.  That is, if I can find any extra time for that.