Dipping from the money pot, stealing from the time account

Since getting our referral for little Mary and realizing that the little munchkin whom I have yearned for so desperately will be coming into my arms during the busiest time in my professional life, I have been giving a lot of thought to time and money.

I was already cutting my work hours this fall down to 24 hours/week to accommodate my 16-18 hours/week of unpaid internship. But now Mary’s coming, people. And she’s a really big deal. Call me crazy but I’d always kind of pictured myself bonding with my adopted child in some capacity. The life I am currently living is not conducive to bonding with anyone. So, clearly, changes must be made. I could put off my internship for a bit. But then what? I’m still that far away from the meaningful, fairly lucrative, and kid-friendly career that I have envisioned. And Mary will still be a little person. She’ll still need time. And I’ll need time with her.

What’s looking to be the best option is that I take 12 weeks of unpaid family leave, continue to do my internship during that time (during which time she can be with her daddy), and then we just put our heads down and bust out what remains of the school year when that 12 weeks is up. But 12 weeks with no income is kind of a long time. And I need to adjust.

Kevin and I aren’t big spenders by any means, but neither are we obsessive, meticulous savers. Especially me. I mean, even in the midst of this current shift of perspective, have I purchased size 2t skinny jeans? Indeed I have. Indeed I have. Still, the fact remains that we are no longer DINKs (Double-Income, No Kids) and every time I buy stuff we don’t need, I feel the difference. Spending money implies that at some point I will trade in my time for more money. Saving money, spending less money, means needing less future time to get more money.

So now I remind myself, we’re saving for freedom. For maximized time with Mary. I like maximized time with Mary. I like it even better than seeing Mary in skinny jeans (though, for the record, they were only $11). I certainly like it better than seeing myself in new shoes. I like it better than going out to eat when there are perfectly edible items in my own refrigerator. I like it better than just about everything in the world.

So I say it again. Changes must be made. Wish me luck. Wish me discipline.