Jan. 19, 2008

Copied older post:

How important is money in life? Is it everything? Is it not important at all? I struggle with that all of the time. Most people, myself included, would say it is nice to have money and to not have to worry about not having enough. But it seems like some people have become so obsessed with money that they will do just about anything to have more. The perfect example of this for me is mothers who work. All I have ever wanted is to have kids and be a stay at home mom. Granted, I don't have children yet, so that is not something I am currently doing. It is, however, my ultimate goal. I realize the importance of being a stay-at-home mom after growing up with my mom always at home and seeing how other kids turned out who did not have a mom that stayed at home with them. I don't feel like working to make more money will make me happier.....especially at the expense of my future child or children. I am willing to live my life down a notch from where I am now. It is nice to have two newer cars and a decent sized house and to be able to afford nice things. But material possessions are not enough to make me work after I have children. I am ok with having last years clothes or a car that is more than 2 years old! I just don't get it.

I am not saying that if something were to happen to my husband or our finances that I wouldn't get a part time job to help out. I am simply saying I don't feel money is worth the sacrifice you make of not having that special family time, of bonding with your children as they grow. I do not want a day care to raise my children. I realize it is a big responsibility to raise my children the "right" way, but any sacrifice will be worth it.

I suppose what brings this all up is the fact that I have been working a large amount of over-time at my job. Sure, the paycheck is nice, but I always wonder if giving up my free time is worth it. I have been working so much out of necessity to perform my job well, not the motivation of a larger paycheck. I guess just stepping back and thinking about my life and my current job makes me wonder if the extra money will be hard to give up. I'd like to say it won't, but only time will tell.

The other struggle I have with the work/money situation is that I just got promoted. I applied for a job recently and was offered it along with a decent raise. I come to work everyday on time, ready to work hard. I learn fast, don't waste time and have obviously excelled at my job. I have been promoted twice in the last year. I don't want to mislead my employer by letting them think I plan to work for this company indefinitely. I will quit when my husband is promoted and we move or when I get pregnant. That is a struggle for me. I feel like maybe I am taking a good job away from someone else who does plan on having a long career with this company. At the same time, I work hard and am glad I was able to move up in the company. But again, it makes me realize I can't rely too much on my income as we won't have it forever. I am a lucky person because I really enjoy my job and the company I work for is great. I suppose for now, I will just keep doing what I am doing and be happy with my life as it is.