by Hope
From the beginning I’ve thought that increasing my income was my best bet to speeding up my debt free journey. And with summer approaching and the kids being older, I thought it was the perfect time to explore that theory as a reality. And now it’s here! I start my new job…TODAY! Woohoo!
I’ll be working 12-15 hours a week, doing whatever needs to be done, and it’s outside my home. This is so huge. I haven’t worked outside of the house in almost 11 years. I’m excited about the ‘adult’ time, yes, I’m aware most people don’t go to work to have adult time. I’m excited to try something new where the possibilities of what I’ll get to learn are endless. And I’m excited to see what new responsibilities this may bring out in my kiddos.
My youngest has struggled the most with the idea, but when I reminded him that 1) I would be away less hours then he spends in the gym for him competitive gymnastics and 2) if I go in the mornings, I would be back before the kids get up (yes, we are all night owls.) It will take a few weeks to really see what kind of income this will bring in, especially since I’m going to max out the tax they can take out, but then I’ll have to come up with a plan for using it wisely! I’m thinking a 40/40/10/10 split – 40% towards debt, 40% towards savings, 10% fun money and 10% giving.
I’m just so excited about the possibilities!
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 3 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
Congrats on the new job, Hope!
12 – 15 hours sounds managable. Sounds like it’s the right decision.
Thanks, Kili, I’m really excited.
Congrats on the new job! Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Sounds great! Congrats!
Congrats! The split sounds pretty good too. Hope it works out for you!
How wonderful! You must be so proud. Congratulations and best wishes.
Can you elaborate on why you are maxing out the tax withholding? Is this so you won’t have to make quarterly estimated payments? On the giving front, I know we had quite the discussion about it in another thread. You might consider holding off on giving financially and just on giving through time until you’re further along on your debt repayment. Taking the kids to the soup kitchen or donating good that you were able to get for free with couponing is just as impactful.
Walnut,
Since I am self employed and my income fluctuates with very little forecasting available, I am often caught unawares at tax time. While I know there are things I could do to remedy this, like over-paying, I’m just not inclined to give out free loans. So I hope by maxing this one out 1) I won’t come to expect it and 2) hopefully it will help with my tax bill next year.
I write about giving back this coming Saturday so stay turned to see my thoughts on that, but at this point I rarely give and never regularly any money as a donation.
Yay, Hope!! Sounds like its a good fit!
That’s fantastic! Congratulations! I agree that the hours sound very manageable! I think it really helps with the transition back to outside-the-home working when its part time (as opposed to jumping into a 40 hour/week job). I hope your first day goes well!
Thanks, Ashley, I don’t think I’ll ever get back into the ‘rat race’ as I love what I do from home too much and truly enjoy being home with my kids. But I am definitely excited about some part time work out of the house…
Congratulations Hope!