We’ve known this for some time, but as we get closer to the impending birth of Ohene, it’s becoming even more evident:
I’ve gotten several plastic bins to hold baby clothes that we will soon need… I’ve tried to stack, store, stash… I’ve tried to give away things I feel we don’t need… And even with all that–
There’s something in me that feels guilty for admitting that. For some reason I think if I say we need more space, then I am being ungrateful for what we already have. I wonder if maybe we’ve just collected too many things and that the solution is to further pare down our belongings. However, I think I am playing mind games with myself. It’s clear that we need more space. And to think that two adults and two children can do okay in a 2-bedroom condo/apartment (1100 sq. ft), I am kidding myself.
Okay–can it be done?? Sure…It can be. I know that we did growing up–Kwasi and I both! I remember Mom giving up her bedroom to me, while Bee took the other bedroom, and Mom slept on the pull-out sofa. Did we survive? Yes. But was it ideal? Hardly.
Even Kwasi’s family sacrificed a lot in terms of space–he’s one of four boys. Being a family of six, they had it even harder than I did.
So, the question is, could we make this condo work indefinitely?
Yes.
But we shouldn’t have to.
We’re a family of four…making decent incomes compared to the national average… no credit card debt… Yet, I can’t even fathom where we’d pull the extra income from. Our hands are bound financially. Once Ohene starts daycare, we’ll be shelling out nearly $1,600 for daycare for both of the boys. And when you add in those factors, there’s not much left to increase what we pay for housing.
For the past month or so, Kwasi and I both have been tracking our spending (I have been doing so since 2008, already). With both of us tracking our spending, we’ll be able to better grasp where our money is going, combined, so that we can start planning to upgrade our abode.
Wish us luck!! 🙂
Leave a Reply