BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids Economic meltdown

As much as the current stock market makes me upset on a daily basis because of how much money I have lost--my source of comfort is at least my partner and I only have ourselves to worry about. Can you imagine being a mother of multiple children during a time like this??? I am so thankful that at least we have options. We can move, get new jobs, and really scale back our spending much more easily than parents who are more likely to be rooted in their particular communities. I would be a complete basket case if I had looming college costs, orthodontist expenses, piano lessons, etc. to worry about in addition to everything else!

That's a good POV. Yeah it's upsetting to see what happened to our retirement accounts. But at least it's just us two, and we have time for the economy to make an upswing b4 we decide to retire.

oh, and we canceled our cable yesterday. That saves us about 100 a month. We can watch everything on the computer now anyway.

Good for you. We have scaled back on our food expenses. For now, it's Subway instead of sushi if we eat out! Every little bit helps.

I just don't know how parents do it? At my last job I remember a single mom who used to work with me. She would take on two jobs in order for her children to have the material items that they wanted. The poor woman at times did not even have a day off and would arrive at work as if she had not slept in days.

I can not even imagine how she is managing now with these tough economic times.

Giselle

We all have choices in life and she made hers. Just glad it's not my lifestyle.

The sad part is that she had two children, one was around 7 and the other around 18 or 19. The mother killed herself to buy everything they wanted and since the oldest (daughter) wanted to be a singer the mother would work nights to be able to purchase her dresses for her singing gigs. She would sleep in a couch so that the daughter could have her own room. She did so much for the daughter and the daughter treated her so badly. I mean it was borderline abusive. Goes to show that you can buy someone material stuff but it does not guarantee that they will either appreciate it or love you.

I have been on my knees thanking everything that is Holy that I did adopt a child back in 2005. I would be living out here in expensive California, a struggling single mother and wondering how I was going to survive with a child.

I kept going back and forth on whether I would adopt and a voice kept yelling at me, DON'T DO IT!!!!! Thank God I listened. Many friends (mostly mothers) told me, "just go ahead and adopt, you'll love it."

I did manage to purchase a condo (something I would not have been able to do with a child) and wisely insisted on a 30-year-fixed mortgage, and if employment remains steady, will be able to hold on to it. My 401K has taken a real beating, but all in all, I'm not in to bad of shape.

As a friend (who is a mother by the way) told me, "You dodged a bullet."

Instead of having sleepless nights and worry, which would have been my fate if I had a child, I don't have many worries. If the job goes away, like you've said, it's just me. I'll make due, I'll survive.