Strollerderby : family budget

Small Paycut Can Equal Big Sacrifice in Tough Times

Shannon LC Cate — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Today's online edition of The New York Times features a touching slideshow portrait of a family of six in California who are struggling to get by after a seemingly small--ten percent--paycut. Mom says friends told her it was be easy if she "trimmed the fat" from her budget. But as I'm sure many readers can relate, there isn't much fat in the budget of a family with four young children trying to live on one adult salary. Now the full-time (and then some) job of the stay-at-home parent includes monthly meal planning down to the last detail of how to get the most from the leftovers. The family has also cut piano lessons for their set of twins, vaccinations for their pets, haircuts, and new work clothes for dad.

To watch the short slideshow narrated by mom, visit NYTimes.com.

Game Over: The Recession Hits Kids' Sports

Shannon LC Cate — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:28:00 GMT

As families cut back in difficult times, one thing that seems to be going is kids' sports team participation. When a parent loses a job, or has a pay cut, the fees for summer camps, special leagues or even school teams are becoming burdensome, leaving some otherwise athletic kids at home on the couch.

Some of the organizations that sponsor kids' sports are trying to change the way they operate to make themselves more affordable to families who've fallen on hard times. Some are offering payment schedules, scholarships or (in what I consider not such a great idea) credit card payment options.

Nevertheless, many sports organizations report that participation is down by as much as 30-40% from recent years.

For kids in middle and high-school, who are exceptionally talented and hoping for college scholarships, this can be a serious crisis. but for kids who are playing mostly for fun or at earlier ages, it is hard for me to see this as a huge problem. One suggestion given by child psychologist, Matthew Parvin, is that families start playing informal games together or starting their own neighbor leagues or pickup games. I confess, sports have never been very important to me, but I can sympathize with the heartbreak of a child who really wants to play when mom and dad just can't afford the fees.

Have you had to cut back on any activities beloved by your kids to make your budget balance? If so, have you tried any strategies to compensate for what was cut? How have they worked out?

More Power for Women in the Household: Feminist Progress or Yet a Third Shift?

Shannon LC Cate — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:46:00 GMT

Though it purports to be about remote controls and television habits, this article in the Washington Post on a recent Pew poll of control in families is really about the work women are doing for their families, many of whom are already working all day away from their families.

Now, in addition to a paid job, housework and manager of the children's lives, women are gaining power in the four areas of finances, weekend activities, big-ticket purchases and television. (The television category is misleading, however, given that most people have multiple televisions and are retiring to separate rooms to watch them rather than squabbling over a family set.)

Finances? Read: balancing checkbooks, researching mortgage refinancing, budgeting for school supplies, winter coats and shoes. Weekend activities? You mean soccer games, dance recitals and religious observances? Big-ticket purchases? Oh, washer/driers, refrigerators and dishwashers?

Sounds like the usual round of women's work to me.

It strikes me as odd that the pollers are acting as if women being responsible for these things is some kind of fabulous feminist progress, because it wasn't like this half a century (and more) ago. Says Andrew Cherlin of Johns Hopkins University, "It's not the same as the 50's and '60's, where 'father knew best'."

Can I get a "duh?"

In this world, women doing more work is not really news. That work--or "control"--as the article calls it getting compensated in the same way men's work is compensated would be real news and real progress.