Job: Two friends and I started a company 6 years ago and things are going very well. Job security is great since I’m one of the three that calls all the shots. We do well enough to pay ourselves quite handsomely, too, so we have that going for us. Wife is stay-at-home mom, so I assume she likes her job, even though she probably works a lot harder than I do.
Friends: All the friends that I see on a regular basis are doing very well. The common sentiment/joke is that we can’t wait to see how good it’s going to be when this “terrible” economy gets better. That’s not to make light of folks who indeed have it bad right now and we acknowledge that those people exist. It’s just hard to see it anywhere around us. We live in a part of the country that was supposedly hit hard by the economy, but damned if it isn’t hard to get a parking place at most restaurants, Best Buy, the mall, or any other place where one would need disposable income. Gotta say the friends are doing well.
Family members: Father in law retired and set. My parents nearing retirement, but could make it off social security today if need be since the farm is mostly paid for and their expenses are low. Siblings all working and happy, doing what they want to do.
**Health Insurance: ** Yep, full medical, dental, long/short term disabiliy via work.
Quality of Life: Overall, it’s hard to imagine having it much better. I certainly wouldn’t expect it to be better. Great marriage and three great kids. 3000 sq. ft. 4BR brick house located ten minutes from the office. No debt except the house and a couple more years on one vehicle. I don’t do stress (a personality trait I inherited from my dad I think. I just can’t find it inside me to worry about anything) and I’ve got plenty of time flexibility and vacation perks to enable quality time with the family. The only short term blip to all this is the fact that we had a close call with a tornado recently and it’s been a bit of a hassle getting the damage fixed and some personal property replaced, but even there, insurance coverage has made that more of a nuisance than a really stressful event.
I won’t say we are lucky, because I think we did a lot of planning and hard work to ensure our lives are in pretty good shape. At the same time, I don’t take it for granted and I am very thankful that everything worked out the way it has.
Step-Brother in year 5 of a 10 year jail stint (vehicular manslaugther while driving under the influence)
Step-Mother recovering from a stroke
Friend of the family committed suicide last year (Dad took it particularly hard)
Got a job?
Yep, one that I really like (IT), that pays well. Just got a promotion (with a 20% raise!).
A job you think you’ll have in a year?
Yep, unless they don’t renew the option year(s).
Do your friends?
Most
Do you have health insurance?
Yes, very nice package
How’s the quality of your life?
Very good. 2 wonderful kids (and one more on the way!). A wonderful wife, who is a fantastic mother. A nice townhouse (which has more than doubled in a value over the last 4 years), in a great neighborhood. Good schools. Family close by. No bad debt (i.e. CC debt). School loans bad off. SIP plan growing. College fund growing. Saving account grows every month.
I need to quit smoking and drop 30 pounds, however.
Enough down time?
No. By the time I get home from work, eat, play with the kids, pick up the toys, finish the kids’ bedtime routine, and clean the dishes…it’s 9:30 PM!
Stress levels?
Not too bad.
Pros:
Family time; Fun times with the kids
Racquetball weekly.
Golf monthly
Football games (Skins & Terps)
Weekly “date night” with the wife (usually at home)
Get togethers with friends
Cons:
Weekly marriage counseling (tough to go through, but I know it is helping)
Sexless marriage (almost)…Too long to explain…We are working on it [see above]
Job: Yes, I’ve worked in the same place, albeit for several different employers, for eight years. This is the longest I’ve worked anywhere. I expect my job to go away or reduce to part time after 2005, but that’s because we’ve done our jobs, and it’s now finished. I do however, have my own small business taking off to take up that slack.
Friends: My friends are fine. My best friend just bought a new house in the last year, and is commuting to work, but will become a SAHM when she feels it is time with no significant financial hardships. Other best friend found a good job as a mechanic after almost a year of unemployment.
My SO has a thriving and growing business, and employs more people than he did last year. No end in sight for that business either.
Happiness: My kids are happy and doing well in school. My parents are retired and building another house. Everyone I know is happy and employed. I’ve found the love of my life and have spent the best two years ever. I don’t forsee that changing.
Health Insurance: Yup, I have full coverage, medical dental and vision. My kids also do through their father. My SO just added his employees to a coverage plan this year.
Down time: I’ve been hoarding vacation time to spend developing my business, but I still get away now and then on the weekends. I just got back from the mountains yesterday, matter of fact.
Stress: Surprisingly little, for someone that’s about to jump out on their own without a safety net.
I’m happy, everyone I know is reasonably happy. Life is good, and it’s become better every year for the last five. I’m looking forward to the next five.
I don’t really work myself (I have a teeny job, which is expanding a bit), but DangerDad’s job is, after nearly 4 years of constant stress and one episode of bankruptcy where he worked somewhere else for awhile, finally paying off in a reasonable way. He’s become one of the more un-fire-able people there, and the company finally has a viable product which is going to sell well (and incidentally help a lot of people). And the work he’s done has given him an impressive resume, too, but we’d probably have to move if he changed jobs.
My parents had a rough time for the past few years, but after being jerked around in her former position with the school district for too long, my mom’s been securely employed full-time for over a year and in fact has more work than she would really like. My dad was forced into early retirement a few years back, and after some time with less-than-stellar jobs, now has good work that he enjoys–with the school district.
My in-laws are currently employed in a stable manner, which is really good news and all that can be hoped for. Various siblings are settling down into employment well.
Everyone has health insurance, no one is likely to lose the house anytime soon, and our family is finally looking at actually having some down time together. Not only that, but the kids are currently happy and developing well, I have no immediate worries about them, I enjoy being home with them, and all the tiny cousins are doing well too.
I would say that I’m very happy with our current life (though I wouldn’t complain if someone knocked on the door and offered us a year abroad) and am feeling pretty blessed.
