Full time busy career women?

[ml2620]

It seems we have so many SAHM making their dollars stretch here, I wanted to see if there were many people who worked full time in a challenging environment?

I work in financial services in the big city, commute 3 hours a day - leaving home at 6:30 a.m. and getting home at 7:00 p.m. I have to dress appropriately, go to the occassional expensive dinner and put up with alot of people I have ZERO respect for!

Sometimes I feel like I just do not have the time to be frugal, but if I don't MAKE the time, I'll never get to be a SAHM!

I think we have some unique challenges with expectations, time management, etc. Are we kith?

[G'MaDebbie]

I work 9-5, but my day starts anywhere between 5 am to 7 am and most nights I am not home until 6 pm. I have 4 children at home, 1 teenager who is graduating this year, and 3 foster children, we also have 6 grandchildren who need our time and attention. My life is hella busy! I still never pay retail for anything...ever! I clip coupons, watch the sales and am constantly pouring over the online ads for the best deal. I make the time to save money, whether I feel like it or not. Saving money is my biggest hobby!

[AmyBoz]

I work full-time and also teach piano lessons on the weekends and after school. I am in grad school and sing in several choirs. I have 3 kids at home, 8, 5, and 3.

I, however, have no desire to be a SAHM. I am very fulfilled and happy with my life, and my family is also thriving.

As busy as I am, however, I do make it a priority to be frugal. I clip my coupons and keep them organized. I make my grocery lists with sale fliers and coupons in hand. I check several refunding and good deal boards to make sure we always get the best deal for whatever we are buying, and on top of that, we rarely, if ever, buy anything. Frugal living is something that we do because it is important to us to get the most for our dollars and not to be wasteful. Our children understand the importance of hard work and are learning to be good little money managers.

We try to make fun free. We live in a home that has a stream cutting through our property, so my kids spend gajillions of hours outdoors as we "fish" in the stream or make forts in the woods, etc. We read together, play board games, work on crafts, etc.

Time management is key. I have to be super-organized so that when I'm home with my family, I'm not spending all of my time doing the chores that a SAHM has the whole day to do. We have a big calendar on the fridge with all of our appointments on it. I pack lunches for the next day after the kids go to bed so that I don't have to do it in the morning. I use my crockpot religiously and do some cooking ahead of time to also help save time. I toss a load of laundry in the washer before I leave for work at 7:00 and then move it to the dryer when we get home. I try to get it out and hung as soon as it buzzes so ironing doesn't become a chore I need to add to my repetoire. When clean when the house needs to be cleaned, but understand that we have 3 active kids who live here. My home doesn't need to be museum quality. Clean enough to be healthy and to not be an embarassment if people stop by, unexpectedly.

We love our lives here. Definitely different challenges than those who stay home, but just as manageable!

[ml2620]

Debbie and Amy -

Thanks so much, what an inspiration you both are!! I agree, my big motivation with frugality is I hate waste, at work (I am the company buyer. Most employees HATE ME because I am so cheap and so "make do" about things. I keep two tin cans and string on my desk for when people complain to me about their cell phones and blackberries.

I'm newly married and no children yet unfortunately, I definitely think time management you both mention is key, something I need to work on - I am sure I can get more out of my day somehow, just need to push harder.

I do shop around for everything and we plan our purchases as much as possible (DH could use some work!) We also live next to woods and a stream and hope to be playing those "free" games soon too!

[rowdy35]

I have a full time job (& commute) and a part time job ! Yes, I am busy !! but I still do the frugal stuff as well.

[rsbs]

Time management is key.

Ain't that the truth!?

I've worked full time since graduating from college. I have a 10 yr old daughter that I want to give EVERY opportunity to. Needless to say, I am frugal in most of my life so I have the resources to do for her. It is my priority. But to be able to be frugal AND have job, I have to use every moment of my spare time wisely. Now, I do relax, but my routines are mandatory. I pack lunches the night before, while DD is in the shower. I crochet on my lunch hour & while waiting for DD at the gym to be able to give nice, inexpensive gifts during the holidays. I clip coupons & check the online weekly circulars in the few mins I have after getting to work, before the work-day starts. I've even enlisted some of my co-workers to help me gather coupons & reward points!
I enjoy what I do at work & I enjoy being a mom. I've managed to do both, but will admit it can be exhausting at times. DH wishes I would slow down, but I can't. I enjoy being productive AND providing for my DD.

[The Muse]

Count me in! I'm in a senior position at a company I'm sure everyone here has heard of. I commute 50 miles a day and travel internationally for work.

I, too put up with lots of people I have zero respect for, but such are corporate politics!

I dream of the day I get to walk away and live a simpler, more fulfilling life.

[Siebrie]

I work full time, my dh is at home with dd. I have a 30 minute commute, so that's not too bad. I work for a company I no longer respect, for a boss I have a up-and-down relationship with. She's labelled 'difficult' and I get paid 'danger money' to work for her as her PA (believe me - the double pay is worth every cent).

As long as dh is at school getting his IT degree, I'm stuck here. The moment he's got his degree and first job, I'm outta here!

Sorry, this seems a rather lobsided answer to the OP, but it's such wonderful weather today and I'm stuck in this dark office, without a view and without carreer perspective..... Normally I like my job ;-)

[MyMelody]

I work full time in mental health, 8:30 - 5:30 (minimum) per day. I am also subject to being called in a crisis 24 hrs/day, but it's a rare occurrence. I would love to indulge in the savings and rebates that others find at Walgreens, CVS, etc, but that is time that I just don't have. I use coupons for the non-food name brand things we use regularly (kitty litter, cat food, etc) and buy generic of everything else because no one here doubles coupons. I try to cook all our meals and make sure of leftovers for lunches, but I also find that we rely on more convenience foods than perhaps someone with more time would use. I'm okay with that because I know that while it does cost more, it's still less than constantly eating out. We eat at a sit-down restaurant maybe 1-2x/mo, and have fast food 1x/2 weeks (more often if I'm sick -- have RA and fibromyalgia). And neither DH nor I are major shoppers, so while we both require professional attire for our jobs, we're not clothes horses!

To me, the challenge of working full time and maintaining a budget is making sure that your bottom line still reflects efforts towards frugality. Yes, we earn more money because I work, too, but if I permitted that income to be sucked up by ever-present opportunities to spend, it wouldn't mean jack.

[tervsforme]

I work full time as well. I'm an accountant, but currently I work developing tax software for tax professionals. I also have a couple of clients that I do books for on the side. There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done! Housework, yardwork, dogs, myself, sewing, there's always a never ending list of things to do. I do try to take the time to use coupons. Now that tax season is over I'm going to get back into meal planning and weekend cooking. I like to cook some sort of hearty soup on Sunday so I can take that for lunches during the week. Like The Muse, I also dream of a day when I can live a simpler more fulfilling life...

[ml2620]

So how to you manage your time, focus and stay on track with planning, spending and getting things done?

I usually make a to do list, but rarely does even half of it get done.

[ShellyB]

Busy busy busy working mother here. I am a operations manager for an investment firm. I get to work about 7:30 am and leave at 4:30 pm. My commute is only about 20 minutes. I only have one child left at home, 1 in college, 2 married sons and 3 grandchildren.

I don't know what it is lately, but I was more organized when I had all my kids at home. I just feel like I am a pin ball machine lately and that's why I joined your forum. You gals have it all together and I need that inspiration.

All of my fulfillment in life comes from my family and home. I buy nothing that isn't on sale and now have started shopping at the Salvation Army for clothes (I don't think I can go back to a regular store now - I love it.)

My mom passed away recently and for 3 1/2 years me and my siblings took care of her (we had an aide during the day and we took over nights and weekends). I am a Sister of St. Joseph Associate and do a lot of volunteering with the underprivileged people of our city (I think I learn more from them than I help actually). I am very close with my siblings and we all help out at the family business that our family has been doing for 100 years come 2012 (watch & jewelry repair), I help out an evening a week and part of Saturday. Even my children are at the store helping sometimes.

I know what my main problem is - TV. Lately, at home in the evenings after dinner I find myself sitting down and start watching TV and do nothing else. I am just having a hard time lately being motivated. Maybe it's just been a long winter.

[homemaker66]

I work full time 7:00-4:30 monday through friday on call twice a month for the full two weeks and I go to night school 15 hours of class and 5 hours of homework a week. I find that we must keep the house simple. No extra clutter around the house. Everything has a spot and when you are done with that object it must go back into that spot so you can find it quicker for next time. Everyone has one household job to do daily then on Sunday mornings we all pull together and do the deep cleaning it only takes 1.5-2 hours to complete. Taking care of the house is not only my "job" it is everyone's. Going shopping for the house in not only my "job" it is everyone's. When I share the duties it teaches the kids on how to handle the household and they will know how to handle their own homes one day. I work just as hard as my DH and he needs to pitch in because it is not fair for me to be the super hero and try to do everything by myself because it is not going to happen. And yes I love my busy life.

[NcsstyBrdsIngnty]

Can I join? I see no one has responded since April, there has to be more of us out there, right?

I work full time, school at night, and do contract work occasionally on the weekends. Future DH is almost the same - full time job, school at night, sometimes has to work from home on weekends. We work in two very egotistical industries - I am in engineering (drafter/design) and he is in finance. Oh, and did I mention the 8 year old? She has swimming and cheerleading classes twice a week.

It is crazy in our house. My home is similar to the above poster, HomeMaker66. Everyone does everything, we keep the house simple so there isn't much to clutter, we even go as a family to get groceries, one person is in charge of the coupons, one person is in charge of the list, and one person pushes the cart. Organization and habit is the key to everything in our house.

I also make lists. I have a stack of sticky notes next to my desk at work and I make a list of what needs to get done tonight (bills to pay, yardwork, paperwork, making lunches, etc). We divy up the responsibilities after dinner.

I know some people are horrified at how we live, but I think the frugal things we do bring us closer together - even in the craziness of it all.

[lisaflex]

i have a PT time job (15 min commute) M-TH 9 - 1:30 and F 9 - 12 and i run another business from home. have a dtr and a stepson. it is tough. i agree.

i try to be organized, but it doesnt always work out that way!

hang in there. things fall in place in time