When I was younger, I assumed that I’d have no trouble having children and managing to have a totally wonderful career. On TV, balancing work and motherhood didn’t look too difficult.
Of course, once I became a mother, I realized it’s a heck of a lot harder than it looks. Thus, I found myself looking for ways to figure out how to balance all of my new-found responsibilities.
The basic premise of Ditch the Joneses, Discover Your Family: How to Thrive on Less Than Two Incomes is that it’s OK to want to go against the current cultural norm. If you want to be a SAHM or work part-time, Cathi Brese Doebler is here to help you figure out how to make that happen. She’s not implying that it’s without sacrifice, but her tips are very realistic for anyone who is hoping to make it on one income in a world that is increasingly built for the two-income family.
There are tips for how to cut expenses, how to find flexible work, how to keep your skills up to date while staying home with your kids, and how to resume working once you feel you’re ready. Some of the advice falls in the “common sense” category for the experienced thrifty mama, but I think most readers will find at least a few tips they hadn’t thought of before.
As a fair warning, however, Ditch the Joneses is written from a very traditional Christian perspective. There is a lot of space devoted to scripture and the idea of praying for guidance. It’s also assumed that the mother is the one planning on scaling back her work hours or staying home entirely.
My family is a one-income household, but we’re actually supported by my freelance writing business. So, there were parts of this book I found hard to relate to just because my home doesn’t follow the “normal” gender roles. If you’re a single parent, this book is also unlikely to be helpful because it assumes you have two adults in your home.
Have you read Ditch the Joneses? If so, did you find the book to be helpful?
photo credit: Amazon
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