As I said earlier, this is about starting from the beginning. Okay, maybe I’m not at the beginning. I’m 37 years old. I’m just a really slow starter. But when I put my mind to something I master it. I’m obsessive.
Over the past ten years there were times I didn’t know how I was going to feed my kids and now I have two of them in private school. And that’s what brings me to priorities. This is a different kind of money blog. This is a turtle wins the race type of blog.
Let me tell you my story. Seven years ago, I transferred for work (much closer to my parents), on one income, with three children. As a result, my mom offered to let us come stay with her until I found something.
Money priority #1: Get out of mom’s house.
Now I’m at the very beginning of the millennials.Because of this, I hate the stigma attached to them. I refuse to be that millennial everyone villifies. Right or wrong, priority one was getting out of mom’s house. Just to be clear, my mom is the kindest person you could ever meet. However, I still didn’t want to live there.
There is something about living on your own and then having to go back home. First of all, it’s demeaning. Second, no matter what, you’re always going to be a kid to mom. I had to get us our own place.
As time went on, I realized that my children were growing so quickly. I was working a management job making good money. However, the hours sucked and the company was straight out of hell to work for. I lost $450 dollars out of my yearly bonus because I was nine minutes late due to my car breaking down. I worked 17 hour days and hated it. Most importantly, my children were suffering too.
Money priority #1 get OUT of mom’s house, provide for children, and find a new job.
I started the job search and was offered a position at the local hospital my mother is a nurse at working banker’s hours. I took it, and with it, I sliced my salary in half to about 25k per year.
A few months later I found a two bedroom condo and we moved. I excelled at the hospital; broke records for calls taken, I learned new programs and implemented them in my department, and I trained in others. After a year and a half I interviewed for a new position there. I didn’t get it. I began to look around. I didn’t see very many growth opportunities and I knew I wanted to have more financially.
Money priority # 1 Find another new job
I put my resume out again. This time, I added healthcare to it. I interviewed at a home health company. The HR manager offered me a position making fifty cents more per hour and told me there were no growth opportunities there. I took the job. Six months later I was in her office working as the business manager. I did payroll, HR, education, tech, you name it, I did it. And, once again, I found myself working non stop.
My grandmother died that year and on my way in to the wake, the owner of my company called me screaming about open enrollment. I put out my resume that evening.
Money priority #1 love where I work
I interviewed in three places. All three offered me a position. I slowed myself down and really thought about what I wanted. I had gotten myself to a place where I had what I needed, but what did I want?
One offered me seventy thousand dollars per year. More than what I was making in my current job. The second offered me an office with a view downtown and a pretty nice salary, and the third offered me an interview where I personally met top level executives. Not only that, I liked them. I thanked the others for their opportunity and accepted my current position. This was the best career choice I ever made.
I have been there for about a year and a half. In that time I bought a home. Backtrack for a minute to my two bedroom condo. The condo was in a town that is ranked one of the best to live in, but it doesn’t have its own high school. The high school that the kids go to stinks. So, Tuszmo and Scaley started at a Catholic high school.
Money priority # 1 pay my mortgage and keep my kids in the school district they started in
Over the years I have never lost my focus on financial responsibility and at the same time, I have to be real…life gets in the way sometimes. As a result, I’ve gone down a path that has put my children in private school. I don’t regret a second of it.
I’ve left jobs for less money and more sanity, because I was being used rather than groomed, and because the philosophy did not match my heart. And today, I am a homeowner with two children in private school. And I STILL budget and save money. Yes, I could save a lot more if they were in public school, but…we all have our priorities. In the next few posts you’ll hear about the kids’ priorities. My hope is to teach them to prevent some of the problems I have had. You will also get to hear how I actually save money! I hope you enjoy walking this path with me. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been filled with joy.