The Lifestyle You Choose

I’ve heard this many times over from so many young couples: “We would love to have one of us stay home with the kids but we just can’t afford it right now.” The more I heard this, the more it began to bother me. With most people only having 2 or 3 kids nowadays, how is it that BOTH parents have to work full-time to support a small family?

I’m going to venture out and say that 90% of the time, this does not have to be the case.

But you don’t understand; things are so expensive nowadays! How would we get by on less money?

Here’s how: it’s in the lifestyle you choose. Let’s look at a hypothetical example of Mr. and Mrs. Jones.

The Jones’ just bought a $400k house in suburbia to support their “large” family. Mr. and Mrs. also both have nice new dealer-financed cars sitting in the garage. Johnny, age 6, is in a traveling soccer league that costs mom and dad $500+ a year for all the gear and travel. Suzy, age 3, is on a gymnastics team that costs a few thousand dollars per year between all the lessons and outfits required. Baby Jones has every type of “must-have” toy and a wardrobe bigger than adults in most countries have.

Because mom and dad are so busy with work and running their kids everywhere, they don’t have a lot of time to cook so they opt to eat out twice a week. Mrs. also loves to shop and has so many shoes in her closet that she can barely shut the door. Each of the kids get several hundred dollars worth of plastic toys at their birthdays and at Christmas (that ultimately get thrown out and sit in landfills). Besides that, dad likes to stop by the convenience mart everyday after work to buy an overpriced bottle of soda and a bag of chips. At the end of the day, the family spends time in front of the TV to watch a show on cable for which Mr. and Mrs. are paying almost $200 a month.

See where I am going with this?

I understand that there are families out there where one or both providers has to bust their butt to make ends meet. Everyone’s circumstances are different. But most people put themselves in a tight financial position through the choices they make. By not having to have the biggest and the best, families could dramatically change how they approach their work lives.

Chances are, your own family could achieve a better work-life balance. If you want to have a lifestyle where you spend more time raising your kids or doing the things you enjoy, it is attainable. It’s all about the lifestyle choices you make and defining what is important to you. What would you rather have: more things or more time with your family and doing what you love?