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Monday, August 5, 2013

My Annoying Habit

I have this really irritating habit. 

It's called, "Spending Money I Didn't Earn." I do it a lot.  In fact, I do it almost every single day. 

You see, in my family, my husband is the one who brings in the money and I'm the one who manages the home.  He gets up at 6:00 in the morning, gets dressed, and is gone for about 10 1/2 hours, five days a week.  I get up whenever my kids need me to, spend most days in relaxing clothes, and do fun things like bake cookies and read stories with them. 

At the end of the day, he has earned some money that eventually gets put into our bank account.  He knows it's there, but he rarely actually gets to spend any of it.  That's the job of the manager of the home: aka, me. 

Recently, I read an article that discussed the irritating habit of the husband who leaves his socks lying around the house and the appropriate response for the wife.  It got me thinking about the roles Jamie and I have agreed on in our marriage. 

Just when my husband finally gets his paycheck, I go and spend it on things like food, homemaking necessities...and books. In addition to that, I actually eat the food that I bought with that money!  To top it all off, I make myself comfortable in the house that has his name on the rental agreement and is paid for with the money that he leaves his home for 10 1/2 hours every weekday to earn. 

To show my husband how much I love him and appreciate all he does for us, I do menial chores like picking up his socks. Sometimes I feel sort of bad--like maybe I'm getting a bargain or something out of this deal.

11 comments:

  1. I am so aware of this, too. After our children were all grown I asked my husband if he would like me to look for a job. He asked me if I wanted to go out to work everyday and I honestly answered that I did not. I feel so responsible for doing my job better than ever now and not complaining because I am a stay at home wife. We do not need more money than we have but we do need one of us to be at home to keep the house and do the chores and cook the food. How I would get that done if I was out at a job everyday I do not know. I am grateful for being in my empty nest home everyday.

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  2. I have spent most of my life working ourside the home. Now that I have decided to stay home and take care of things, I also feel like I have a good deal! I love being here and picking up after my hard working husband gives me pleasure! I hope other stay at home wives read this and appreciate all that their husbands do for them. It is nice to know my husband appreciates me also...Life is good and God is great!

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  3. I like the way you looked at this from a different perspective than most people would and emphasized our need to be grateful for our husbands as providers and not complain about the little things.

    I think your post also subtly shows that a family's income is actually "earned" by both partners. The stay-at-home mom cooks, cleans, decorates, bargain shops, sews, and cares for her children--all things that would cost a great deal of her husband's income if she were not doing them. She "earns" by saving costs.



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  4. Hi Sarah! I am coming over from Winsome Wednesdays.

    Sounds like you have a pretty good arrangement there! You really have negotiated your chores, and done it with love. What a witness you are to the power of peace in the home!

    So nice to meet you today!
    Ceil

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  5. Thank you for linking to my post, my friend!

    I love where you said sometimes you feel bad, like you're getting a bargain or something, lol!

    I know we wives work hard, but I also know that our husbands work hard too. I know that I have a lot more "free" time than my husband does.

    I still would rather do what I do than what HE does, lol! Thanks for linking up today!

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  6. Interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing at Thriving Thursday :)

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  7. I do the spending what I don't have thing too - guilty. My husband definitely does the socks thing too - what is it with men and socks all over the place?!

    Thanks for linking up!

    Sarah @ A Cat-Like Curiosity

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  8. I disagree. It seems to me that for either of you to think of it it as "his" money denies the obligation he has to as his family to care for you. It is not a mercy that he allows you to eat "his" food or live in "his" home. It is an obligation that he made before God when he married you. It is not a mercy that you take care of the children. You are both fulfilling your roles as unto the Lord. (Sorry to pipe in with a critique-- I just think that line of thinking could turn allow for an unhealthy marriage balance. I think as helpers, we must encourage and hold our husbands to account to be walking with the Lord, not puffing them up in an unbiblical way.) It is indeed good to be thankful and appreciative of his work and to express that.

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  9. Thanks for your response, Jordan. This post was written as a tongue-in-cheek response to women who complain about all the stuff their husbands "won't do" around the house. It was meant to point out that we each do have our roles---as well as highlight the responsibility we hold to give one another grace for our short comings.

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  10. I love it. Too few wives look at life from that perspective. Thanks for sharing on the HomeAcre Hop. Please come back and see us this week: http://everythinghomewithcarol.com/the-self-sufficient-homemaker-hop-3/

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Mrs. Sarah Coller

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