I’ll try to keep this short and to-the-point. I’m a writer, and I currently make $50k/year working for a regional magazine. I love the work, but hate the hours. I’m often expected to stay 9+ hours, M-F. My husband is a union iron worker who makes about $60k a year. He has amazing benefits through his job so I didn’t even opt into them at my job. We have three daughters, 10, 6, and 1. Most of the year we pay for the 1 year old’s daycare, but in the summer we have to pay for all three.
I’ve been offered a contract position for 30/hrs a week from home on my own schedule at $21/hr. It will be a pay cut, but we will eliminate daycare costs and commuting costs, and I will have the opportunity to pick up other freelance writing, potentially through my current job but I don’t know how much it will add up to be. Here is our current budget:
BILLS House payment $1185 Student loans. $506 Barclay credit card $136 Phone bill $205 US Bank credit card $69 Water/Garbage $80 Internet $40 Netflix $11 Dance classes $75 Jewelry store credit card $101 Hulu $8 Car payment me $265 C-section bills $177 Electric $159 Car insurance $165 Truck payment husband $151 Daycare every week $140/$250 in summer Gas every week: $80 Groceries every week: $175
Clearly we have some debt issues going on. We racked up credit card debt when I took an unpaid maternity leave (job doesn’t offer paid maternity leave). The jewelry store credit card and c-section medical bills will be paid off around April 2019, hopefully we can pay off the US bank credit card with our tax return around the same time.
My hope is to build my freelance business and eventually make more and possibly surpass my current income. I also want to give my kids opportunities they don’t currently have in sports, student council, etc because my husband and I aren’t available to leave work and drive them to these commitments.
Thoughts and advice? (Long time lurker, new here. Please be gentle 😬)
Submitted October 05, 2018 at 10:30AM by callurdad https://ift.tt/2y1jSL6
