Evolving Personal Finance » parenthood

Finding an New Balance Between Working and Caregiving

Finding an New Balance Between Working and Caregiving

Six weeks ago, an acquaintance approached Kyle and me about a possible childcare swap. The other couple wanted to trade full days looking after one another’s children so that the primary caregiver could work per diem occasionally. They couldn’t afford to pay for childcare (childcare in Seattle is expensive, people!) so a swap was a good fit for them.     I debated (with myself and with Kyle) whether to accept this offer for quite some time. The … Read entire article »

Filed under: family, marriage, parenthood, self-employment

Five High-Value Baby Products for Your Shower Registry

Five High-Value Baby Products for Your Shower Registry

I have to admit I really struggled in creating the registry for DPR’s baby shower. I’m not much one for shopping, and as a first-time mother with very little exposure to babies, I didn’t have many recommendations in my mental file yet. I definitely should have sought out more recommendations from other mothers as it was very difficult to sift through all the “must have” lists for newborns.   Now that DPR’s been with us for five … Read entire article »

Filed under: parenthood, spending

Trading Money for Time: Our First Babysitting Hire

Trading Money for Time: Our First Babysitting Hire

Those of us working jobs and earning an income are “trading time for money.” This is explicitly obvious if you are an hourly worker, but it’s still largely true for salaried workers. The alternative to trading time for money is to have money come in based on your investments – monetary, property, or perhaps time. It’s a less direct exchange of time for money, and sometimes frees you to spend little to no time on … Read entire article »

Filed under: choices, parenthood, self-employment

We Didn’t Plan for the NICU

We Didn’t Plan for the NICU

After arriving home from the airport at 10:00 PM, Kyle and I unwound from our baby shower weekend with a snack and a TV show, finally retiring to bed at nearly 1:00 AM. At 2:15 AM, I awoke feeling a bit… wet.   I hadn’t experienced urinary incontinence to that point my pregnancy, but I knew it was a common symptom. I went to the toilet and emptied my bladder, but somehow liquid just kept leaking out … Read entire article »

Filed under: emergency fund, parenthood

Our Biggest Life Transition Yet Is Due this Summer!

Our Biggest Life Transition Yet Is Due this Summer!

As I anticipated when I founded this blog, our major life transitions are now coming fast and furious!   2014: We defended our PhDs and finished grad school. Kyle became a postdoc and I became funemployed.   2015: I moved to DC for 3 months for a fellowship. Kyle got a real job. I started a business. We moved from Durham to Seattle.   2016: We are expecting our first child!     We have been extremely fortunate that both getting pregnant and (so far) being pregnant were easy, smooth experiences. … Read entire article »

Filed under: parenthood, transitions