I am living the dream :)

OK- so maybe you know maybe you don't.

I have 3 children- my eldest just having turned 3 a month ago.

I am 22 years old (so is my hubby) and we live on a salary lower than most Australian families living in 5 member households.

We can't afford childcare (even if we could there is an extreeme shortage of placements), we have to rent our home because a) we can't even entertain the idea of a mortgage at this point in time and b) we can't loan money from the bank because we've never been in debt and therefore don't have a credit rating.

I work if I can (but only a little because centrelink will punish me if I earn a couple of bucks to much) so I contrubute little financial support to my household.

Our bills are higher than most because the children and I are at home everyday sucking up lots of gas, electricity (which is going to get worse over the winter) and water.

Over half of our grocery bills each week goes on baby essentials (mappies and formula).
Leaving us to stick to a very tight menu plan and budget.

OK- I could go on and on and on and on!

There is a point to what I'm saying.


I choose to stay at home and be a full time mother/ housekeeper/ chef etc etc. We are a single income family and we have no children in care at all. We do not live in debt even though it is hard not to in these times.

To me- this is mine and my husbands choice- we are not forced to live this way. We do struggle but we live what USED to be the australian dream (minus owning our home).

Mothers used to be happy toiling at home and familes lived a much more basic existence.

I go through constant questioning from a variety of poeple asking why I don't work or why I don't have the kids in childcare. We cringe at people we know who whinge about money but seem to blow it any chance they get.

In all our attempts as a society to achieve "the dream" we have put unnecessary restrictions on ourselves and a pressure to perform/ live a certain way and to want certain things for ourselves.

People assume that you must be living the dream if you can work (but not too hard) own a home (but be in 30 years debt for it) own a car or two (those of which the repayments cut into your grocery money) be a mum (but not be at home to care for your kids) be fit (but pay $100 a week at a gym for the privieldge) etc etc.

Our freedom does seem so "un-free" doesn't it?

It seems after some looking into it, that I am even obligated to search for a job after all 3 of my kids are in school for a couple of years, even if I don't want to!

You may have thought (from the first part of my blog) that I was whinging about how hard my life is logistically and financially.
But I want to add an ending to my opening statements.
And that is that although life is hard and we do struggle along in our own ways- we live a safe, secure, happy, honest and hardworking existence. We as our little group of 5, live as well as we can with what we have. We do not live outside our means. We want for nothing- our children are happy and well looked after. It is hard- yes- I live against what society is saying is acceptable. But at the end of the day I have a freedom that not many other people have. I am not tied down by debts- I am not obligated to have my children in care because I have to work or anything of the sort.

I am living the dream!