5/365Challenge: One-Income Household, Part 1

5/365Challenge: One-Income Household, Part 1

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Is it at all possible?

I’d say, yes, it is!

My husband and I are work-at-home parents, and we are a one-income household.

Errrrrr… how is that again?

We are both working from home, but we are a one-income household.

Simply put, both of us are earning, but we are living on one spouse’s income.  The other spouse’s salary goes to a bank account.

Why are we doing this?

My husband and I started a family at a time when we were both gainfully employed.  Both of us were enjoying the tenure and all the benefits that go with that tenure.  We were with a company that was part of a conglomerate.  The pay was good, and so were the benefits. So we enjoyed life.  Regular lunch outs.  Weekly out of town trips.  Two househelps.  Living on no budget.  We simply spent on what we want.  Although I was already saving, it was being done without a clear purpose.

But our circumstances changed.   I had to give up my salary and benefits.   But of course, we all know how I thrived on my WAHM career.  And then, it was his turn.  So we had a lot of practice on being a one-income household.  We had a lot of practice on putting all our ducks in a row and making them stay there.  Now that we are both freelancing, we have decided to forget about the rehearsal and make it the main show.

Again, why?

Because freelancing actually offers no safety nets.  We are not getting any younger, and we have three kids.  One started college last year. And our youngest is only ten.  A lot of years ahead that we have to prepare for.  So we need really deep reserves.  Health, education, daily living, emergencies, investments, retirement.  These are the major items in our list.  I don’t want for us to grow old and be burdens to our children.  Or if we go early, we want our kids to have something to start with.

We need to always be prepared for emergencies, like when Glenda happened and we needed to have repairs done around the house.  Like when we were burglarized and we needed to install security cameras.

As online workers, we have to always be on top of our game with gadgets.  We have to always have some amount stashed, ready for equipment repairs or replacement.

We have three kids, all needing dental braces.  We already started our middlechild’s treatment.  In summer, the firstborn has to start hers. Two kids are already wearing prescription glasses.  These are maintenance expenses.  And God forbid, if any one of us gets sick, a single hospitalization can create a big dent to our savings since we no longer have health insurance coverage.  Just the SSS.

And just today, we had to pay our daughter’s mid-term tuition, and I have to renew my business permit, while hubby is out renewing our car’s registration.  Tomorrow, I need to pay our real property tax.  And it’s not even middle of the month yet.  Imagine if we don’t have funds stashed somewhere.

So yes, we are living (or trying to live) on a single income.  And yes, it is possible.

How?

On Part 2 of this post, I’ll share with you how we’re doing it.

one-income household

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Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.

4/365Challenge: Passion vs Workaholism, Which Side Are You On?

4/365Challenge: Passion vs Workaholism, Which Side Are You On?

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I’m a passionate person.  Whatever I set out to do, I put my heart into it.

I’m also very career-driven.  And that drive, combined with my passion, is oft-mistaken to be workaholism.

It is difficult to find the fine line that separates, or differentiates, one from the other.  I know, because I am writing this piece to help me process which side of the spectrum I am actually in.  Am I really just passionate?  Or am I already a workaholic?

So I start out my day thinking about the work on my queue, and end it thinking about the work I will be doing the next day.  I spend time on social media sharing and talking about my work, and maintain three other websites that are all connected to work.  Are these signs of workaholism?

To some, it may sound and look like it.  But I’d still rather say that I am simply committed to what I have set out to do.  That I’m just being fair to the people who hired me to make things happen for them, to my husband who thinks I invented virtual assistance, to my children who all look up to me and expect me to be the best virtual assistant there is.

I’d like to believe that workaholism is just compulsive working, and there is nothing compulsive with what I’m doing.  I don’t work for the sake of getting so beat I’d fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow.  I don’t work for the sake of working.  And I don’t take on just any project.

I always start with something I love, something at least I know how to do if not really very good at doing,  something I can imagine myself to be happy with long-term.  These criteria have to be present simultaneously, or I won’t be doing it at all.

Passion can easily get distorted to compulsivity, if you don’t have a clear purpose, if you are not clear about what your end-goal is.  That’s why I still write my goals down, however taboo goalsetting has become to others.   A written plan keeps me rooted to my purpose.  It keeps me committed.  It keeps me motivated.

So I think I’m just passionate.  And I want to stay that way.

Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.

Why Buy When You Can DIY?

Why Buy When You Can DIY?

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DIY corkboard, anyone?

I’ve always been handy with thread and needles, so when I found my kids’ old corkboard just lying around, gathering dust, and almost rotting on the sides, I was inspired.

It still has its tag price at the back, and seeing how much money was spent for it, I just couldn’t find it in my heart to throw it away.   So I rummaged through my old clothes, thinking that I could use one of my old shirts, or maybe an old housedress to refurbish the coarkboard.  Instead, I found what was left of the scrap cloth from my DIY curtain.  Back in September, a part of it was also used for my DIY yarn bag.  I found two long pieces which I have sewn together, then stapled them at the back.

refurbished corkboard

I still have some scrap cloth left.  Who knows what else I can make from it?  For now, I’m happy with what I was able to accomplish.  My DIY corkboard is now proudly displayed in my office.

DIY corkboard

If you have an old corkboard lyng around in your house and want to give it a new life, you can also try old t-shirts, or printed scrap cloths to add a splash of color in it.

Have fun!

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Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.

2/365Challenge: Pleasure

2/365Challenge: Pleasure

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Pleasure on the job puts perfection in the work. – Aristotle

Enjoy what you do, do what you enjoy.  Find pleasure in your work and you’ll get better results.

I’ve been a virtual assistant for nine years.  And before that, I was in credit management for 12 years.  I would not have lasted more than two years in each job if I did not find pleasure in them.  The pay, while important, would have been secondary.  Oh, maybe I would have done something that pays well but do not enjoy for a while, just to keep afloat, but not for long.  I would either learn to love what I’m doing, or find something else.  Fortunately, I’ve always managed to be in the right place at the right time with the right price.

It pays to know what makes you happy.  For me, it starts with being at home with the kids.  Then the fact that I don’t have to wake up earlier than usual to make allowance for traffic.  Not having to think about what to wear, that’s a lot of worry taken out of my plate.  Loving the challenges that clients present to me every day.  Learning new things.  And yes, being paid well for my efforts.  All those things give me pleasure, and my job is easier because of the positive feeling I have towards it.

Some days, my work does not feel like work at all.

Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.

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