An Update on Life in Seneca

We have been contemplating for the past 2.5 years what I should do about my job. I have "quit" three times but am still employed there. Basically they need me, they pay well, they have great benefits, and they are super flexible for me. So it has been extremely difficult to pull the plug. Oh, and they are pretty persuasive and open to new ideas in terms of said flexibility. Anyway, I thought we were settled on me quitting after my upcoming maternity leave until Brett has started questioning that decision over the past couple of days. So I went back through this blog to see if that offered up any clarity on the situation. It didn't. But here is where we are at right now in life...

Almost two years ago, Brett and I were both working in Kansas City at what I would call pretty decent paying jobs. If we got that salary here, they would be very high paying jobs. Unfortunately, with those paychecks comes a lot of responsibility, hours, work, and sacrifice. We were miserable and felt like we were focused on all the wrong things. Brett was traveling 30-50% of the time and I was working such long hours that we had to put Kyler in full time daycare during the worst weeks of busy season even though I was working "part-time." So we sold our house, Brett got a new job, we moved to Seneca, and I started working remotely.

I cannot tell you how much things have changed since we moved here and got settled. Brett's new job is night and day compared to his old one. Most days he leaves the house around 7:30 and is home by 5:30 or 6:00 in the evenings. Once in a while it is a little later but if he needs to be home earlier he almost always can be. He has had to travel one time since he's been there (which has been over a year now). And it was only for a week. My job is also a lot different since I started working remotely. I can actually work the hours I'm supposed to for the most part and don't get stuck in the office out of guilt or pressure. The house is usually picked up and often times even clean as long as I'm not out of town for doctor appointments or work. The laundry is done and most nights dinner is prepared. Kyler has had a lot more evenings at the park or just enjoying family time whereas before one of us was always working while the other was on baby duty. Things are just nicer, more relaxing, and more family-friendly.

Financially, we are still much the same as we were before even though Brett took a considerable pay decrease (my pay has stayed relatively the same since I was already part-time before moving). Our mortgage payment is at least $500 less than it was before. We are saving at least that amount on child care as well. I don't have to pay for parking and we go out to lunch much less frequently. There aren't a ton of places to eat so we save a lot going out to dinner too. The places we do eat are generally a lot less expensive and having drinks at the bar is much less expensive than in Kansas City. Groceries are probably the only thing that we are spending more on since I was shopping at Aldi in Kansas City. And once the baby is here and I don't have to drive to doctor appointments in Kansas City anymore, our fuel bill will probably go down as well.

There are also other benefits to our move. First and foremost is child care. My mom has been taking care of Kyler since October when she sold her day care center (which he went to before that). That is really nice for when I need to attend a call or training on a day off or have a call outside of regular business hours. Plus, even if we had to have Kyler back in daycare, it would be considerably cheaper than in Kansas City and we know the people who would be taking care of him. Another nice thing is that everything is super close. So to get to a friend's house or meeting at a restaurant takes a few minutes rather than a minimum 20 minutes of driving. We live about a block away from one of the bars so I don't even have to worry about Brett driving home after Thirsty Thursday. I haven't really missed the convenience of shopping either. I'm not a big shopper in the first place but I can get most of what I need here in town. For other things, I have a Target debit card so I get free shipping and 5% off when I use that. And most other places also have shipping discounts if I really need something and can't wait until the next time we are in the city. One of the best things is grocery shopping. Here I never have to carry my stuff out to my car. They always have someone do it so all I have to do is buckle the kids in the car and unload once we get home.

All in all, the move has been a great change of pace and allows us a lot more quality family time and less stress. At this point I would not trade it back to our "old" lives for anything. I would say the worst things are not seeing our "KC friends" and not having as many options for places to go out for dining, bars, and entertainment. Brett would also add beer variety to that list. :)