And 2011 starts with a bang!!!

So the last year and a half has been a time of change for our family.  We've learned a lot about surviving, and thriving, on less.  We've learned to make more frugal choices, and to really shop for the best price on something we want.  We've learned a lot about our goals and our dreams.  I've completed a novel, began to submit my photography for publication.  Hubby has begun to work on his painting and his art.  We've begun homeschooling the kids, gotten involved in the homeschooling community here, and learned what our goals are in that direction.  We've made a lot of changes, and we look forward to what the coming years will bring in seeing those changes come to fruition. 

At the same time, we recognized that our dreams were still lacking one very important, and as of late, elusive thing... money.  We have gotten behind on some of our bills, need to rebuild a savings account, would like to purchase an RV, among other things.  We've both spent many months trying alternate ways to earn money, but also looking for full-time employment.  We've had a few promising interviews, some where we thought job offers were just down the pipe, but those offers never materialized.  I've interviewed for jobs paying nearly half of what I normally earn, my husband has interviewed for ones where he would have earned what he was earning ten years ago.  All of that worrying and frustration came to an end within the last week.

I got a job earning just a little bit less than I did in 2009, with excellent benefits, working with what appears to be a great group of people, with a 4-day work week (Friday-Monday).  My hubby also got a job, earning more than he was earning in 2009, again with excellent benefits.  My job started today, and hubby's starts on Monday.  His is also a 4-day work week (Monday-Thursday).  This means that we could potentially continue to homeschool the kiddos, and only have to worry about daycare on Mondays.  We may still elect to put the Kindergarteners in school for a few years, but we'll make that decision in the next few days.  Our 14-year-old will continue to homeschool at least for this school year, at which point he should be at a ninth grade level.  We'll re-evaluate at that point whether to put him back in school, or allow him to continue to homeschool.

The income we'll be earning (each of us much better than we have recently come to expect), combined with our more frugal nature of late, I hope will allow us to pay off those bills, and start saving at a much faster rate than we expected, putting us back to being debt-free (or as much as one can be, with a failed business on the books) and able to put money away in savings. 

The four day work weeks mean that we'll be able to make doctor's appointments and be actively involved with the kiddos, no matter which option we choose.  Of course, it also means that we will not have any days off together (except holidays), so there's that one drawback.  But neither of us are working overnight shifts (and we've gone that route before), so we'll still be home together in the evenings, eating dinner, watching TV, movies and such.  So we'll be good, I think.

So here's to 2011!!!  :)  How's your 2011 been so far?