Being the sole provider
June 9th, 2007 by Programming MomAbout a year ago, we made the jump into self employment as our sole income stream. It was a huge decision, something I pushed much more than my husband, who was tired of his job (loved the work and employees, hated the boss) but was still worried about trying to live on just my business income. The idea was that I’d work and he’d tackle the home side of things, easing himself into the business little by little, until eventually we were partners.
Well, here it is a year later, and that hasn’t quite happened. Though he does help with the finances, he really doesn’t fit into that web business mold nearly as much as we had originally hoped. But it still really works out well - mostly because hubby is an incredible house keeper and is a terrific project manager, so I still have someone to run ideas by.
I’ve learned a lot from the experience too! Here are some of the key things I’ve discovered after making a business our sole income.
1. Insurance is expensive! We used to think we paid a lot when we had a hundred dollars a month taken out for health insurance. Wow, were we wrong! We pay nearly six hundred a month, and still don’t have great insurance. Needless to say, we’re looking at other options constantly.
2. Hubby is better than I am at housekeeping. I used to balance doing 90% of the housework, child care, errands, cooking, etc. with a full time business. Needless to say, we ate a lot of convenience meals and the closets were never organized. Hubby is a much better cook and does a better job keeping the house deep cleaned - because he has a lot more time for that sort of thing.
3. I feel jealous sometimes. As much as I hate to admit it, I do feel a little jealous that hubby’s main priority for the day is getting the laundry done, or he can head out to the park with our little girl while I have to stay back and work. He’s wonderful about talking to me about it, and thankfully that doesn’t happen often, but it does creep up. There’s a flip side too; hubby misses his career sometimes, and it’s hard on him when he talks to friends about their jobs, especially past co-workers.
4. There’s a lot of pressure. If something happens to my business, we could lose our house. That adds a whole set of stress to the mix! Of course, as hubby points out, I have backup plans and we do have some saved up just for this type of thing. Plus there’s no guarantees in any job - you could be fired after 20 years of service in a stable job. Life’s always a risk! Imagine how hubby must feel though - he’s banking our entire well-being off his wife’s work.
5. Family life is great. Hubby and I have always been very close. But being around him 24/7 is really awesome! We talk more than ever, are working as a team in discussing the business growth, and I feel a lot less alone now. Plus I’m there for our kiddo when she needs me, so I can spend the time helping her with math instead of worrying about getting dinner done.
It takes some getting used to when you make a business your sole income. And we’re still going through the ups and downs and learning what we need to do to make it work. But it’s a great experience, and I am really glad we moved in this direction.
