Time Won't Let Me

AS many of you figured out, it came down to time. Working every day left me with very little time. The time I had left had to be divided up into time for kids and family, time for frugal living activities and time for chores like laundry.

The worst part was the unexpected time commitment that my job entailed. If an instructor couldn't cover a class, I got a call (and often had to cover a class). If desk staff had a question, I got a call. If my boss needed the latest membership numbers and I happened to have that day off, I got a call. I almost had to cancel our trip to Ithaca because of one of these last minute calls. If the ceiling started leaking, I got a call. You get the idea.

As you might imagine, when I'm spread that thin I don't really exceed or succeed in any of the areas mentioned. Projects that I love, like knitting my nephew's blanket barely got done. My house was a perpetual mess (although it may still be a perpetual mess, I'm a messy packrat at heart. At least it will be a clean mess.) Most importantly, I didn't have the time or energy to adequately deal with the daily challenges of raising four kids.

On the positive side, we were able to pay off my car loan and eliminate all of our credit card debt thanks to the extra income. Interestingly enough, without those bills hanging over us, it makes it even easier to walk away from the job. I can go back to practicing active frugality with no excuses.

The event that crystalized the importance of me taking this step is unimportant, mainly because it is different for everyone. The important thing is, I recognized it was time for a change. The woman I job share with returns 6/5 (she's the summer manager, I was the rest of the year manager). Once she gets here my hours will drop down to morning only for a total of about 8 - 10 hours a week and gradually decreasing, until I leave on 6/20.

I'm glad I took the position but I have no regrets leaving it.