Core Changes

I promise you, I am not pretentious. I have never been one to try to impress people or care about what others think of me and how I am living. I definitely do not try to keep up with the Joneses. I am cynical enough to wager that Mr and Mrs Jones probably hate each other’s guts. So the things I do are about nothing other than making ME and mine happy and comfortable.

Which is why I have hired two relatively new forms of service for my household. The first was a housekeeper. I have arranged to have someone come to clean my home every other week. The second item is a cooking service. I found a company who will prepare fresh, healthy dinners and deliver them to my door. These are not frozen meals. They are restaurant quality, they cater to my vegetarian diet, but most of all, I no longer have to cook during the week! The meals are large enough to feed the three of us, easily.

Just these two things (the housekeeper and the cook) have gone so far in increasing my quality of life, I cannot even describe it. For what the housekeeping costs, I have in turn bought back -literally- hours of time to spend doing more frequent activities with my sons. Which means that the cleaning is definitely a good deal. And the cooking service? For just a little more than what I would spend on groceries or takeout anyway, we have fresh, healthy meals delivered to our doorstep. I can feel good about what I am offering my growing sons to eat. Just heat in the oven and serve. No cooking, no mess, no dirty stove… and again, less stressful environment equates to a better life for me and my boys. Now all I need is someone to keep my car clean.

When I decided to go back to work, I also made the choice to live below my means. That meant: affordable house payments, an economical car, forgoing expensive jewelry and credit card debt; the lists goes on and on. Because I have adjusted my standard of living in these ways, I can afford the things that really give me quality of life. Things like not having to clean, not having to cook, not being so stressed, taking the boys to do fun activities. Basically: living. I have been in the boat before where it took my entire paycheck to afford new house mortgage, Audi car payment, diamond charge account, cable and utilities, 401k; and not one single dime left at the end of the month. Adjusting what I deem important enough to spend my money on has made all the difference in the world.

But then again, that is just another way in which children can really, truly change who you are — even to your core.