Seven Years of Plenty

So, technically for our family, it was six years of plenty. Six years of amazing, previously un-dreamt of financial security. (I know, we've been holding out on you, pretending that we're poor as much as possible...)

I think my husband gets tired of how I tout that we had our fourth child while living in an upstairs apartment before any 'real' job -- I suppose most people wouldn't think of that as a point of pride, I'm just odd that way -- but at this stage in our lives, none of our children really remember anything but this house, these working hours, these friends and neighbors. That fabled apartment, and the string of others that came before it, are the stuff of legend to them.

So, though we won't be moving, S.'s long-awaited new job will definitely be the hunkering-down we've planned and saved for. Instead of diligently adding to our emergency fund, we'll be constantly raiding it over the next few years as we figure out how to rearrange these puzzle pieces in new ways.

We're cutting our income in half here. Yes, almost ex-act-ly 50%. That affects a lot, and I don't have room to ponder it all in a single post; but be prepared for some new perspectives and opportunities for change as I keep the 'food and food for thought' coming.