Money on the Mind

You might be wondering why I am always writing about work and the economy.  I realize it seems like a strange thing for a "housewife" to focus on.  Most articles written for women focus on other topics, like health and fitness, children, self-image, and relationships.  And though I think those things are important, I think money often trumps them all.

I was reading through a list of forum topics on a local moms' network website, and noticed something interesting.  Most of the issues posted to the forum were typical--questions about how to handle tempermental two-year-olds, which doctors were most recommended in the area, and who was throwing the latest mommy get-together.  But the one question that drew more comments than any other was this:

does anyone know how I can make some extra money from home?

The popularity of the question confirmed what I already suspect: money matters.  Work matters.  Maybe it matters because bills are due and the budget is a little too tight for comfort.  Or maybe it matters because we don't just want to be "moms," but we also want to be connected to the market too.  Or maybe we are bored.  Or maybe our husbands are pressing us to bring in income.  Or maybe a little bit of all of the above.

Regardless of the reason, I think the economy is always on our minds, even if our lips are speaking on different topics.  And I would guess that most of us feel like we lack confidence in the subject.  We wish that we were better at making money, or at setting boundaries, or at sharing our ideas, or at moving ahead.  We wish it wasn't such a big deal in our lives, and we worry about it almost more than we worry about anything else.  Will there be enough money at the end of the month?  Will I ever be able to quit and stay home with my kids?  Will we ever get out of debt?  Will I ever get promoted?  etc. etc.

It is for these reasons that I talk so much about it.  Because we are already thinking about it all the time anyway.  I also happen to believe that some of those worries and insecurities can be overcome with some creativity and perseverance.  I think that if we band together, we can take more initiative of our economic lives and futures, just the way we take initiative with our children, our marriages, and our health.  

So even though I may sound like a broken record sometimes--always talking about the green stuff--I have good intentions.  I just think that if we tackle what we're intimidated by (and I think we are a bit intimidated by the economy), we might just overcome our anxieties.  And then we can free up more time to talk about the other stuff, like kids and relationships and the latest-greatest new workout.