Currently, our guest bedroom looks like this:
It’s a blank slate, waiting, watching, and quiet. It’s used only by the cats for sunbathing these days. It feels like my future, sort of. Except for the cat part.
After many hours of discussion and reflection with Nick, we’ve decided that I won’t be going back as a teacher next fall. I feel both sad and relieved at this decision – sad that I won’t be seeing my students again next year after working so hard with them this year, but relieved that we won’t have to worry about day care and that I can be 100% focused on the baby when it comes in October.
I’m looking for writing opportunities that I can grab while working at home. I’ve found some small jobs here and there and plan to put in more hours once summer break starts (only five weeks left!). I bought a few books on working as a freelance writer and did the math on how much writing I would have to do in order to bring home enough money for essentials such as food, baby stuff, and of course, decorating this house.
We originally thought we would have to eliminate the house budget completely from our budget (which is used for decor and furniture, not essential stuff like filters or the electric bill), but after thinking about it for a while I just couldn’t stand the idea. After all, our house is our home and I can’t just leave it in this unfinished stage for however many years I’ll not be working as a teacher. And this is my hobby, as much as watching sports is Nick’s hobby (as well as playing Alhambra online, his current obsession). If my hobby, my most favorite way to spend my time, is cut from our budget, the tv and internet budget would have to be cut as well to make things “fair”. Nick understood what I was talking about and so we decided that our house budget will still be a part of our overall budget, but it will be drastically reduced.
This should be very, very interesting. I hope that this will be a positive change for us – it will force us to be much more thoughtful and selective with our decorating decisions and to put more energy in finding the best deals. We do have a lot of projects waiting around the house that require a lot of hands-on time and not too much money. And I will definitely have more time on my hands to finish these projects as well as blogging about them. So I am feeling positive and excited about the changes and look forward to seeing what happens. I hope you’ll join along for the ride!
Filed under: Guest Bedroom, It's just us |
What the Vita 
Definitely a tough decision to make for any mother-to-be, sounds like you and Nick really thought this out- wish you both the best! Do have a writing job in mind for you- so will be in touch!
Btw HAPPY BIRTHDAY, albeit few hours late š¦ Have a card written & ready- but will have to wait til my last exam this Friday to dig up your addy š Hope it was a great one! Hugs!
Enjoy the time with the little one. And it is possible to decorate and have a hobby even when you are dead broke.
Wow, big decision, but I think you won’t regret it one bit.
I totally relate. When I moved into my new place I gained freedom and a fabulous loft to decorate, but my rent doubled. Meaning less money to decorate. But you know what, the search is half the one. And it means you’ll treasure what you get to bring home even more.
Hard decision I can imagine… But I am looking forward to your writings (either blog or book!)
[…] new sofa at all, although we were talking about replacing our too-big-for-the-room queen bed in the guest room with a sofa bed. This would give us more walking space in the room and we could even use the […]
[…] new sofa at all, although we were talking about replacing our too-big-for-the-room queen bed in the guest room with a sofa bed. This would give us more walking space in the room and we could even use the […]