Comments on: A Small Step

By: Julie Ali

Julie Ali — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 15:54:35 +0000

Hi Matt,
I know what you mean about lack of time when you have a business. We had that lifestyle for five years. What has made the difference, is that my husband quit the software development consulting business and now works 35 hours for a University. We now have time.

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 10:37:59 +0000

Sure, stuff you do around the house is work. But the trouble with the analogy is, those of us who can’t stay out of the paid working world for six months at a stretch still have to do the same work, in addition to the stuff we get paid for. SaHMs get to count household stuff as “work” and we don’t.

I have nothing against SaHMs. And I suspect both of our lives will be a lot easier when my fiancee and I get married and live in the same house, so that I won’t have to spend virtually every moment of the time left over after 5 hours of sleep, 14 hours of income-generating work, and 2 hours of driving I have to put in every day, on that household work you get credit for and I don’t. (And yeah, it’s true…I only work at my “day” job 5 days a week. But every other weekend I have to go out of town soliciting clients for my business, and what time I have on the weekends I’m here that isn’t spent on laundry, in Church, in pre-marriage counseling, doing wedding planning, and other such necessities, is generally spent visiting her. I suppose I _could_ break up with her instead, and free not only the visit time but all the pre-wedding stuff to things that might save me money…but that seems a really poor investment. Sort of like the time-expenditure equivalent of cashing in your 401k and spending it on a big vacation. Except that a big vacation would at least be fun.)

I mean seriously…if it works for you, great. But please don’t assume that people who aren’t doing what you do are just blowing their money for no reason.

By: Joss Raymond

Joss Raymond — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 03:14:40 +0000

Hi, I am Julie’s husband. I thought that those muffins were bought at the store at half price (they tasted a bit off)!
Yep, I used to believe that she loafed around at home but now I reallize that she passes her time writing for blogs. That’s even worse! However, I have to admit that her financial skills are superior to her cooking skills. What can I say, I never see any money!
The muffin man.

By: Julie Ali

Julie Ali — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 00:05:18 +0000

Well, Matt may be correct. I am considered an abnormal person by family and friend. I do “work”, i.e. outside the house for about six months of year doing casual work and I work inside the house for the remaining time (although my husband thinks I loaf). I still consider myself, a mostly stay at home mum.

As for the baking times,Matt, you can make muffins fast and fairly easily. And since I am no great shakes as a cook/baker, if I can make them, ANYONE can make them.

By: nickel

nickel — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:11:26 +0000

Matt, I’d hardly consider a stay-at-home mom to be an ‘abnormal’ person.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 07:37:26 +0000

Oh. Right. Just re-read the into and saw “stay at home mum”. Which explains nicely why this is practical for her, but not for normal people.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 07:36:26 +0000

One has to wonder where the time to both work and do things like making muffins comes from.

I mean OK…throwing together a couple of ham sandwiches doesn’t take practically any time at all, and although I greatly prefer turkey to most ham, it’s essentially the same thing I do.

But cook? Bake? Sure, I did those things when I was unemployed. It was cheaper, and fun too. But I never have time and energy for such things now.

Maybe having someone else to share the household work with helps enough to make this possible.