My job / His job - Part Two of What Does A Housewife Do All Day?

I always thought it was overly simplistic to say that David's 'job' was to go and make money for the family, and my 'job' was to stay home and make a comfortable living area for us.  I really feel as though that kind of mentality lessens what each of us does on a daily basis, because, yes, David makes money outside the home and I do not, and I keep house which he doesn't do, but those roles are not as hard and fast as society would like them to be.

In other words, I'm a housewife, but that's just a very small part of what I do and who I am.

There have been periods of time when I've taken paid work, sometimes more than one job at a time, and there have been weeks when my paycheck was more than David's, or my job more challenging than his in some way.  And equally there have been days, weeks even, when Daddy has been home and doing laundry, or cooking meals, or soothing cuts and scrapes and returning library books while I've been somewhere else.

I've never really felt awkward about being the primary parent at home because I feel called to it; I've never taken on this role because society expected me to but because I'm good at it, and I like it, and it seems to work for us.

And yes, I think that each of our 'jobs' qualifies as 'work'.  Just as David's parenting is no less than mine, my work is no less than his.  Different, yes, but then that's true of each individual.

Beyond the standard stuff that I try to accomplish on a daily basis, though, there is one way in which I interact with the family finances in a more in-depth way.  Several years ago I came across a stay-at-home mom who wrote that she viewed her job as helping to squeeze the most out of her husband's paycheck.  Whatever money came into the house, she wanted to get every last useful drop out of.  I liked that idea and it's always stuck with me.

It's become a bit of a challenge for me, which plays well into my naturally competitive side!  Sure, tomatoes are $1.00 a pound at Sobeys, but they're 98 cents a pound at Superstore, so let's go there!  And I take a great deal of pride (good pride, I think!) in seeing how I can turn random ingredients into delicious food; I'm a master at 'pantry cooking' after years of practice.

This past week I needed more cloth wipes for the baby, and made 18 new ones from an old, unworn shirt.  I bought limes from the discount produce rack and juiced them, freezing the juice in ice cubes trays for days when limes would be too pricey to buy.  I made our first loaf of bread in the bread machine, visited Costco to buy sausages and cat litter in bulk, and used up the leftovers in the fridge.

These little things are important to me while I'm at home; they keep me in a headspace that constantly reminds me that the money I spend and the lifestyle we live comes from David's 40 hour weeks on his feet, doing hard work.  And, yes, they keep me accountable; I think David appreciates that if he ever were to ask me how I managed our money this week, I could give him a list just like the one I just typed.  And lest the sexism bug rear it's ugly head, David is just as accountable to me for his actions regarding work; he would no more slack off at his job than I would at mine.

Tomorrow I'll be writing my Works For Me Wednesday post, and I'll share some specific things I've done recently, since coming back to the home for my maternity leave with our second child.  And I'd love your suggestions, as well!