The life of a modern day newlywed

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If you’ve been reading from day one, you know that Robert and I have been struggling financially since we got married. Well actually, we struggled before we got married too. However, I was in college then and I truly hoped that when I graduated things would turn around for us. I put my social life aside, participated in several internships, and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. I worked really hard for my degree, but like so many other graduates and their spouses, we found ourselves in the same place as before graduation: working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

Over the three years since graduation, I’ve done a lot of job hunting and tried several techniques to make us “financially stable.” I find that I’m always under qualified, lacking the 5-7 years experience required for all the careers in my field. Now Robert and I have decided that moving states is an option. So I’ve extended my search to other areas, but experience continues to be a big issue.

Right now we’re both extremely thankful to have jobs. In this economy even something outside of your field is a blessing. It can be rough to live paycheck to paycheck, and we do try to save our extra money. However, whenever we put money aside, something big happens and we have to pour all our savings into fixing it. Most recently, our cars have been the culprits. It feels great to have the money to do it, but at the same time, it leaves us on a tight budget for the rest of the month. It’s one of those experiences that happens to all of us, but can be made so much harder by a low income.

We try to spoil ourselves occasionally, but we don’t go out very often. I think it’s easy to fall into a rut when times are tough. When you work all day and your money is poured into expenses, you lose the encouragement to find affordable dates. I know the stress of our situation has kept us secluded to our apartment more than we’d care to admit. But we had a blast at Aw Shucks this weekend and for only $8! That reminded us that there are affordable ways to enjoy date night and we’re going to try harder to break the rut from now on.

I know that we aren’t the only couple living this way. In fact, I work with several college graduates who can’t find a career in their field. Additionally, I know several people with spouses that can’t find work at all. It’s a tough time for everybody and it will be a while longer before things fully improve.

Admittedly there are days that feel hopeless. I know as hard as I try to stay positive, there are times I’m scared our situation will never change. It terrifies me because, as young as I am now, I don’t want to be eighty and feel like I spent our entire lives worrying. Despite those days, Robert and I push through it. With my Disney mentality, I absolutely believe we will find our dream careers and our lives will be stable. For now we’re making ends meet and keeping each other strong on the bad days. It’s not always easy, but we do have each other, and that’s the best foundation for a happily ever after there is.

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