One thing I do want to point out, and I’m sure it’s one you’ve considered, is the value of following up on some opportunities as they are offered (provided, of course, you are also interested.)

It’s a funny thing about a professional career, regardless of the type. You have to act on opportunities as they arise, because they are rarely duplicated and there is such a thing as a “peak” time in a career.

Although I respect your choices, I think you need to perhaps think a bit harder about NOT turning down certain opps that come your way now. You have a strong following and you are getting offers now for a reason.

You may not have that opportunity in the future and this is something most people fail to take into account. It’s the reason people who often succeed very well in a field and “retire” early can do so. They took advantage of key opps as they appeared. And yes, there are sacrifices, but there always are.

People will always be more important than a job/career, however, to have more time in the future, as well as needed resources, it is sometimes needed to commit more time upfront (as in NOW) to one’s work/career. There will be more work in your thirties than in later decades. For most people.

If you can live with the fact that you may not always have such opps, then turning them down certainly works for you. But I hope you realize that life isn’t always on the upswing (hey, isn’t that the reason so many people get into debt in the first place? They keep thinking they’ll have a better job or get a raise…but it doesn’t happen.)

PS: I would not worry too much about a decline in the number of postings when the baby arrives. Those who follow your blog will continue to do so. It’s quality, not quantity. Frankly, I’d prefer once a day if it’s something you really have that is new and you think is meaningful for your audience.

In some ways nested comments make the comments easier to read, but then on the other hand, they tend to make the comments section slightly more messy-looking.

i love yogi berra!!

also, we could maybe say it’s deja vu all over again.

noone’s asked me, but one thing i’d love to see here at your site, trent, is a way for the comments section to have threads- i don’t know how difficult it would be to set it up, but there are some people who leave comments here that i would just love to be able to have conversations w/.

and it could be in keeping w/ what you mentioned in your next post, for example – having a money buddy. you could facillitate a lot of bonding w/ your readers.

plus, it might satisy some of your loyal readers who seem to be getting bored and are itching for a change.

i love your site and will keep coming back no matter what, of course.

xoxo

It has to be difficult having one person writing two posts a day every day. Eventually one must run out of stuff to say. I think that’s partly why a year ago posts seem to have had a lot more comments, but they’ve dwindled this year unless someone is complaining about a hot topic like race. (Though negative posts always make me stop checking TSD for a week or two.)

I like the reader questions. I especially like the reader questions where one question is answered in detail. The mailbags are a little too overwhelming. I wouldn’t mind seeing this site have more of that kind of content if it’s going to keep up with the 2 posts per day. Not necessarily all reader questions, but more.

I also like posts that focus on children… that’s the big thing that TSD offers that other good financial bloggers don’t delve into as much. (There are plenty of blogs by SAHM that focus on their kids and tightwad-like tips/recipes, but they’re generally not as general.) My favorite recent post was the one about kids and outside stuff– that really struck a chord and was fresh and new.

Now, I’ve been able to pare down to a normal full-time load split between two schools. I teach (in the classroom) M-F 8-12, then grade papers, meet with students, and prep lessons 12-3. I can get my daughter from school, come home and make dinner, and spend the evening with my family. I don’t work on weekends except during finals week. Frugality made this paring down possible. I often joke that I wash my ziploc bags in order to take Saturdays off. (of course, it’s not just the bags, but the lifestyle of making those kinds of choices all the time).

To say, though, that I don’t love my students or that teaching is not my life’s vocation would be unfair, though. My customers–my students–get a better quality education when I have the sanity and time to devote genuine attention to them. That kind of attention isn’t possible when every single moment is spent producing. There needs to be time for reflection, too.

Many times I read your comments and it is like “finger nails on a chalk board”. This is another of those times. Could you please just let one post go by where you don’t put your two cents in?

Trent,

I agree time is far more valuable than money. It shows that you back up what you say by the recent opportunities you have turned down.

Ten years ago, I was sinlge and in restaurant management. I was perfectly content to work nites, weekends,and sometimes more than 80 hours per week.

Now I’m married with a son, and I couldn’t imagine working that job.

That’s another key, to adjust this balance and tweak it when we can as our lives go down different paths.

There is a real battle in our lives between money and time. We have to reflect about the results from our choice to live better, according to our moment in life.