She Works Hard For The Money
Heard this song on the radio the
other day and now it's stuck in my head and not just because of the catchy tune
or lyrics. It resonates with me and I'm sure with plenty of other people
who are working hard just to get by. Maybe it's just me, but it seems
like more and more people are working harder and harder to keep afloat.
I'm beginning to feel like I am a hamster running on that wheel and
getting nowhere.
I have
always been a hard worker. Or so I'd like to think. There are times
when I have worked hard and been rewarded financially for it. But mostly
(and more recently), the money that I work so hard for, is just not where I'd
like it and need it to be. I'm supporting a family of three. (My husband
doesn't work; this is not by choice so if anyone in the Northern NJ or NYC area
is looking for a computer repair type or a non-programmer computer guy, let me
know.) I am making the around the same amount of money I was making in
the early 2000s. (Back when there were only two of us.) It's a
struggle to get by; a struggle that I try not to let on to most people.
(I'd like to think that most people, upon a casual glance at us, would
think that we are a relatively average middle class family. In reality,
we are much lower on that spectrum and if you take a really close look at our
home and family activity you would be able to figure that out.)
There were
times when I made a good salary. I knew it and I appreciated it.
When I made more than enough to cover the bills, I did save. I also
indulged a bit. Not overly indulged because even in those days, I knew
they would not last. As the old saying goes, I made hay while the sun
shined.
Financial
advisers will tell you to have enough savings to last you for six months.
I did my best to have that savings ready. But I was not ready for
the long period of time that I would go as unemployed. (Perhaps I should have
knowing my husband's employment situation.) I never thought of my family
as overindulgent, but we did cut back as much as we possibly could. (I'm
sure some would say we could have cut back even more...maybe we could have.
What I consider "necessities" and someone else might consider;
I know they will differ from person to person.)
When a new
job finally came about, I jumped at it. Unfortunately, it did not turn
out to be the long term position that I had hoped for. Working hard for
the money became harder and harder as I accepted a smaller salary and a part
time position in order to keep the family afloat. (I will admit that with
the exception of the salary I liked the part time work. It gave me more
family time and that is something that I value more than money. I freely
admit that as much as I would like to make the largest salary possible, I want
and need to be able to spend time with my family. So a while a six figure
income would be very attractive to me, if it required constant travel that kept
me away from home, I'd have to pass.)
I like where
I am currently employed. However, financially I am still struggling, and
hence, so is my family. Some days (and today just happens to be one of them),
the struggle really gets to me. (The straw that broke the camel's back today
was seeing how quickly the money in my son's "lunch fund" was going.
While I want him to enjoy the independence of purchasing lunch at school,
letting him make his own food choices, and be a part of the gang, when I see
that he has run through $20 in 3 days I get a sick feeling in the pit of my
stomach. Clearly this can't go on.)
I am always
looking at creative ways to try and increase my income, but thus far haven't
come up with a definitive answer. (So I am open to suggestions.
Clearly blogging is not the way to fame and fortune for me.)
I suspect
that I am not alone in this conundrum. It's in the news daily; workers
struggling on the minimum wage. (Let's face facts; an individual can
barely survive on a full time minimum wage position. A family cannot
survive that way. Employees/workers, no matter what they do, deserve to
earn enough money to survive and dare I say it even thrive. ) Although
things are far from perfect (and far from where they once were), I know that I
should be considered one of the "lucky" ones. But as I work
hard for the money, I do not want to be lucky. I want to work hard and I
want to earn enough to provide for my family in the part of the country where I
currently live. I want to earn enough and still have time for my family.
I'd even like to have a little extra to save and maybe
"indulge" in some luxuries such as a family vacation or household
repairs that have been held off for longer than they should have.
(Actually right now I just want a vacation. Working hard for the
money has put a big emotional strain on me and I'm going to be honest here and
I say I really need some time for ME. As the sole financial provider for
the family, my needs and wants are always put on the back burner. Right
now my inner child is screaming out: "What about me? When is it MY
turn? When will someone else pay the bills, play the chauffeur, etc.?
When do I get to do what I want?")
I work hard
for the money. We (the collective we) work hard for the money.
Isn't it time we got treated right?
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