Money and Matters

Ever since I traded my 8 to 5 desk job for a freelancing life, I must confess it hasn't been without its highs and lows. And although I've blogged numerous times about the highs outweighing the lows, there are days when the lows are just, well, kinda annoying.

The H and I are both freelancers - him with his design work and photography and me with my scribing - and every month is a roller coaster of 'Ok how much do we have this time?'. I won't lie: There are months where the jobs keep coming in and there are months where we both have to survive on one project. That said, we've managed to keep afloat for more than a year - and we had a wedding to boot!

Yes, I love the freedom and the flexibility of being on my own but I will confess that my hands tend to sweat at the thought of the other F word: Finances. Especially with a new home on our hands (which reeks of adult responsibility, yikes) and our baby plans in the not-so-distant future. So imagine my surprise when a lucrative job opportunity presented itself. It was a high-profile post with the government (let's just say my boss would be a politician). However, it would require me to sign a two-year contract and relocate to (oh yes you would've guessed it) KL. Plus I get to travel. But what honestly made my ears perk up was the impressive basic salary. And that was just 'BASIC' salary, mind you.

I started doing the math in my head - well, tried to do the math anyhoo. The H and I sat down and discussed our options. Could we really just pack up and go? After all our networking here? Fixing up the house? Taking on those projects? Tell our clients, "Uh, buh-bye, sorry" ?

Honestly, of course we could.

And then we started to envision our lives in KL. Both of us working long hours, commuting and me travelling. The high cost of living. And of course, it would mean to put our baby plans on the hold for a couple of years. Would that money be worth it? He asked me, "If you weren't married, would you take the job?"

And I told him, "In a heartbeat." But I continued by telling him that I AM married and while a time ago I would've up and left without a second thought, I know exactly what my priorities are today and I don't have a single regret. And while the allure of the money is indeed tempting, the urge to stay where I am and making the most of what I love is far more appealing. That big, fat paycheck isn't going to let me wake up slow, do what I love for a living while surrounded by things that matter most: My family, my friends, my home and of course, the love of my life: My cat, Blanket. Hahaha, i couldn't resist, sorry. So I decided to turn the opportunity down and I sleep well with that decision every night.

Although I'm not exactly having strawberries and champagne for lunch (eww, why would I want to anyway?) or living it up in a big city, I think my life is pretty damn awesome right not. My bank account may not be bursting at the seams - but I've never felt richer.