NEW LIFE IN MINE

Surprise! You're Poor Now!
Had to take some time off from blogging when I went back to work--lots to do for a public school teacher at the end of the school year.  But now I'm back with lots more "new mommy" wisdom.  Going back to work had its own unique set of challenges, the hardest of which was adjusting to my new paycheck.  To my shock and disappointment, my paycheck for the remainder of the school year was HALF as much as it had been before I went on unpaid maternity leave.  Apparently, there were logical calculations involved and it's all perfectly legal, but the bottom line is: it totally stinks!

Never being one to wallow in self pity, I quickly regrouped and decided to tackle the now very tricky problem of adequately feeding, clothing, and providing my family with basic necessities. Of course, we did still have my husband's full pay check and I did get a part time job which was helpful but things were--and continue to be--pretty tight financially.  I learned some things about shopping and saving money that I want to pass on to new  moms everywhere.