we barely notice.

I can understand why middle class parents spend too much. They are time poor; they spend on takeaways and household help just to manage, or they buy things as a band-aid to their guilt at leaving their child in care while working.

It's created a massive credit card debt problem in Australia, with the average card balance nearly $3,000. I felt strongly enough to write a book for people struggling with debt and overspending, called “How to Kick Bad Spending Habits and Save for What You Really Want”.

I know most working mothers think they don't have much choice; it’s the mortgage, the car payments, education, health care, etc. And working fathers consider their working lives set in stone. But that is a misguided perception; we control the ship of our lives, not others. I think anyone can do it: professionals, assistants, designers, consultants... anyone

We are a work-from-home couple with a "balanced lifestyle". My husband works three days a week from a Brisbane office, one day a week he looks after our daughter and goes to the Gym, and the other he works from home. I barely work: 12-15 hours/week spent writing and marketing. The rest of the time I care for our 2 year old. But I'm going to cut down, it's time for an easier pace... (he he). I have taken up quilting and working out at the Gym to have some time for myself.

Our friendly neighbours also work from home and share care of their 2-year-old daughter. Our daughters are best friends.

But it is not sheer lazy days. Looking after your toddler and managing the house requires patience, empathy and hard work. Toddlers are as stubborn as mules and when teething, they can have you at your wit's end.

Nevertheless, parents are so entrenched in the societal programming of "work hard to get promoted, have baby, put baby in care, back to working hard", they don't realise what they miss out on... those precious hours living as a close-knit family. I have read about Mums and Dads who just get home in time to kiss their little one’s heads goodnight, having missed the best (and worst) parts of their day. A modern tragedy.

It can be tough but I love being able to spend time with my daughter and see the benefit of her being with her Daddy. She also gets to play with two other kids in Family Day Care two mornings a week. Most of my week is about her and playing, and doing chores or errands. I get to see her smile as she puts stickers on her nose, chase her (laughing) across the grass at the park, and stop to pat a fluffy dog: priceless memories that I could not swap for money.

For my husband, running a solo business is no picnic. The financial ups and downs are tricky, but one pro overrides all cons: flexibility. We want to go to Europe for 5-6 weeks; we have to go at Christmas-time, but we can take that time away. We can change our schedule without consultation.

Life wasn't always this way for us. Before having a child we had separate jobs, separate flats, and faced a two hour commute to the city. Although I gave up my job when I was 6 months pregnant, I've done the whole train-walk-work-train-home thing - it took 11 hours a day. Now it seems ridiculous, especially for the lowly dollars.

As we were quite isolated on a beach of the Central Coast (NSW), we made a decision to be closer to a city for my hubby’s business, and closer to amenities too. We decided to move to the Redcliffe Peninsula, Queensland as it offered a family-friendly area, beaches, and affordable (just!) housing. It's hotter than I expected, but there is no stressful frowns on people's faces that I used to see in the morning commute to Sydney. You walk along the foreshore, and people smile and say hello. The Council has built a free swimming lagoon which is just like in a resort. The toddlers love it as they can splash in the shallows. There are many playgrounds for them too. The shopping centre is five minutes drive away, where it’s easy to find a park.

What I found as a single income family is that being budget-conscious is really what takes you through the tough spots. Separating your needs from your wants is imperative if you want to get rid of the Credit Card (and its lagging debt). I keep asking myself: what does my daughter/husband/I really need? New shoes: yes (Kmart/Target). Dora DVD: no. Family holiday: yes. Designer sunnies/handbag: no. Etc... Saving is no longer just a fantasy, it's an automated monthly deduction that we barely notice.

I can understand why middle class parents spend too much. They are time poor; they spend on takeaways and household help just to manage, or they buy things as a band-aid to their guilt at leaving their child in care while working.

It's created a massive credit card debt problem in Australia, with the average card balance nearly $3,000. I felt strongly enough to write a book for people struggling with debt and overspending, called “How to Kick Bad Spending Habits and Save for What You Really Want”.

I know most working mothers think they don't have much choice; it’s the mortgage, the car payments, education, health care, etc. And working fathers consider their working lives set in stone. But that is a misguided perception; we control the ship of our lives, not others. I think anyone can do it: professionals, assistants, designers, consultants... anyone c

"work hard to get promoted, have baby, put baby in care, back to working hard", they don't realise what they miss out on... those precious hours living as a close-knit family. I have read about Mums and Dads who just get home in time to kiss their little one’s heads goodnight, having missed the best (and worst) parts of their day. A modern tragedy.

It can be tough but I love being able to spend time with my daughter and see the benefit of her being with her Daddy. She also gets to play with two other kids in Family Day Care two mornings a week. Most of my week is about her and playing, and doing chores or errands. I get to see her smile as she puts stickers on her nose, chase her (laughing) across the grass at the park, and stop to pat a fluffy dog: priceless memories that I could not swap for money.

For my husband, running a solo business is no picnic. The financial ups and downs are tricky, but one pro overrides all cons: flexibility. We want to go to Europe for 5-6 weeks; we have to go at Christmas-time, but we can take that time away. We can change our schedule without consultation.

Life wasn't always this way for us. Before having a child we had separate jobs, separate flats, and faced a two hour commute to the city. Although I gave up my job when I was 6 months pregnant, I've done the whole train-walk-work-train-home thing - it took 11 hours a day. Now it seems ridiculous, especially for the lowly dollars.

As we were quite isolated on a beach of the Central Coast (NSW), we made a decision to be closer to a city for my hubby’s business, and closer to amenities too. We decided to move to the Redcliffe Peninsula, Queensland as it offered a family-friendly area, beaches, and affordable (just!) housing. It's hotter than I expected, but there is no stressful frowns on people's faces that I used to see in the morning commute to Sydney. You walk along the foreshore, and people smile and say hello. The Council has built a free swimming lagoon which is just like in a resort. The toddlers love it as they can splash in the shallows. There are many playgrounds for them too. The shopping centre is five minutes drive away, where it’s easy to find a park.

What I found as a single income family is that being budget-conscious is really what takes you through the tough spots. Separating your needs from your wants is imperative if you want to get rid of the Credit Card (and its lagging debt). I keep asking myself: what does my daughter/husband/I really need? New shoes: yes (Kmart/Target). Dora DVD: no. Family holiday: yes. Designer sunnies/handbag: no. Etc... Saving is no longer just a fantasy, it's an automated monthly deduction that we barely notice.

I can understand why middle class parents spend too much. They are time poor; they spend on takeaways and household help just to manage, or they buy things as a band-aid to their guilt at leaving their child in care while working.

It's created a massive credit card debt problem in Australia, with the average card balance nearly $3,000. I felt strongly enough to write a book for people struggling with debt and overspending, called “How to Kick Bad Spending Habits and Save for What You Really Want”.

I know most working mothers think they don't have much choice; it’s the mortgage, the car payments, education, health care, etc. And working fathers consider their working lives set in stone. But that is a misguided perception; we control the ship of our lives, not others. I think anyone can do it: professionals, assistants, designers, consultants... anyone

downs are tricky, but one pro overrides all cons: flexibility. We want to go to Europe for 5-6 weeks; we have to go at Christmas-time, but we can take that time away. We can change our schedule without consultation.

Life wasn't always this way for us. Before having a child we had separate jobs, separate flats, and faced a two hour commute to the city. Although I gave up my job when I was 6 months pregnant, I've done the whole train-walk-work-train-home thing - it took 11 hours a day. Now it seems ridiculous, especially for the lowly dollars.

As we were quite isolated on a beach of the Central Coast (NSW), we made a decision to be closer to a city for my hubby’s business, and closer to amenities too. We decided to move to the Redcliffe Peninsula, Queensland as it offered a family-friendly area, beaches, and affordable (just!) housing. It's hotter than I expected, but there is no stressful frowns on people's faces that I used to see in the morning commute to Sydney. You walk along the foreshore, and people smile and say hello. The Council has built a free swimming lagoon which is just like in a resort. The toddlers love it as they can splash in the shallows. There are many playgrounds for them too. The shopping centre is five minutes drive away, where it’s easy to find a park.

What I found as a single income family is that being budget-conscious is really what takes you through the tough spots. Separating your needs from your wants is imperative if you want to get rid of the Credit Card (and its lagging debt). I keep asking myself: what does my daughter/husband/I really need? New shoes: yes (Kmart/Target). Dora DVD: no. Family holiday: yes. Designer sunnies/handbag: no. Etc... Saving is no longer just a fantasy, it's an automated monthly deduction that we barely notice.

I can understand why middle class parents spend too much. They are time poor; they spend on takeaways and household help just to manage, or they buy things as a band-aid to their guilt at leaving their child in care while working.

It's created a massive credit card debt problem in Australia, with the average card balance nearly $3,000. I felt strongly enough to write a book for people struggling with debt and overspending, called “How to Kick Bad Spending Habits and Save for What You Really Want”.

I know most working mothers think they don't have much choice; it’s the mortgage, the car payments, education, health care, etc. And working fathers consider their working lives set in stone. But that is a misguided perception; we control the ship of our lives, not others. I think anyone can do it: professionals, assistants, designers, consultants... anyone

no stressful frowns on people's faces that I used to see in the morning commute to Sydney. You walk along the foreshore, and people smile and say hello. The Council has built a free swimming lagoon which is just like in a resort. The toddlers love it as they can splash in the shallows. There are many playgrounds for them too. The shopping centre is five minutes drive away, where it’s easy to find a park.

What I found as a single income family is that being budget-conscious is really what takes you through the tough spots. Separating your needs from your wants is imperative if you want to get rid of the Credit Card (and its lagging debt). I keep asking myself: what does my daughter/husband/I really need? New shoes: yes (Kmart/Target). Dora DVD: no. Family holiday: yes. Designer sunnies/handbag: no. Etc... Saving is no longer just a fantasy, it's an automated monthly deduction that we barely notice.

I can understand why middle class parents spend too much. They are time poor; they spend on takeaways and household help just to manage, or they buy things as a band-aid to their guilt at leaving their child in care while working.

It's created a massive credit card debt problem in Australia, with the average card balance nearly $3,000. I felt strongly enough to write a book for people struggling with debt and overspending, called “How to Kick Bad Spending Habits and Save for What You Really Want”.

I know most working mothers think they don't have much choice; it’s the mortgage, the car payments, education, health care, etc. And working fathers consider their working lives set in stone. But that is a misguided perception; we control the ship of our lives, not others. I think anyone can do it: professionals, assistants, designers, consultants... anyone

we barely notice.

I can understand why middle class parents spend too much. They are time poor; they spend on takeaways and household help just to manage, or they buy things as a band-aid to their guilt at leaving their child in care while working.

It's created a massive credit card debt problem in Australia, with the average card balance nearly $3,000. I felt strongly enough to write a book for people struggling with debt and overspending, called “How to Kick Bad Spending Habits and Save for What You Really Want”.

I know most working mothers think they don't have much choice; it’s the mortgage, the car payments, education, health care, etc. And working fathers consider their working lives set in stone. But that is a misguided perception; we control the ship of our lives, not others. I think anyone can do it: professionals, assistants, designers, consultants... anyone can decide to step off the rat-race escalator and find time for their family and themselves. Set up a different life that includes more fun. It just takes planning, courage and self-belief.