Outnumbered Two to One

Living off a single income blows. I know we’ve got it good compared to some - a roof over our heads, sufficient food in my children’s bellies, we all have shoes. Still, making money stretch is a challenge, deciding what we really need vs. what would make our lives easier vs. stuff we want for craps and giggles. It puts a strain on us.

Today we bought our five year old a twin mattress, because he’s been sleeping in a toddler bed on a nine year old crib mattress for a couple of years. A mattress with boxspring and frame was roughly $350, from there it was on to BJs to spend another $200 on snackfoods and cleaning products, from their it was on to Super Target to pick up groceries, a baby shower gift and a birthday gift, $180. The whole time my husband’s mood was sinking from happy camper, to brooding shopper, to dejected spender, to depressed grunt. It seems like it gets harder and harder to keep our heads up, there is always some large purchase or bill we’ve got to tackle and the idea of saving becomes more and more unlikely.

I read articles on how to save, online posts with tips and ideas, but the reality is so much harder. We were hoping to expand on our 1200 sq. ft. home but after our appraisal came in low, that home equity loan is looking like a long shot.

That mattress we bought today, barely fits in the boys’ room, with the baby’s crib and all their stuff. We’ve just got to live with it really. Growing up I shared a room, actually a full sized bed, with my sister the entire time I lived at home. I turned out OK (mostly), so I tell myself it’s not a big deal. Get rid of some of the unneccessary clutter and move on.

Yeah, I’ll get right on that. Put that on my list of crap to do. I’ll get to it once I figure out how to eliminate sleep from my agenda.

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