CarrieMpls said:

JustErin said:

I don't think most non-american orgers would be willing to move to the US.

I'd move to Canada!

And I'll take the UK or the Netherlands too.

ooh - and I'd totally move to Italy. We can grow grapes and make wine and have big family-style dinners on the commune.

Ok... Italy it is.

Much better idea than Canada!

MrsMdiver said:

JustErin said:

I don't think most non-american orgers would be willing to move to the US.

Ok..... Canada it is then.

I do not think everyone moving to the UK would be a good idea. This country is PACKED. No more room. Oh and the taxes are high.

Looks like we should go to Canada!

But isnt canada FREEZING in the winter... Girls, we arent gonna have electricity or heaters!! Just fireplaces!

MrsMdiver said:

CarrieMpls said:

I'd move to Canada!

And I'll take the UK or the Netherlands too.

ooh - and I'd totally move to Italy. We can grow grapes and make wine and have big family-style dinners on the commune.

Ok... Italy it is.

Much better idea than Canada!

YES!

tinaz said:

MrsMdiver said:

Ok... Italy it is.

Much better idea than Canada!

YES!

Oh cool! Only an hour and 45 min flight! Oh and my suitcase will be light, just a bathing suit and a sarong.

tinaz said:

MrsMdiver said:

Ok..... Canada it is then.

I do not think everyone moving to the UK would be a good idea. This country is PACKED. No more room. Oh and the taxes are high.

Looks like we should go to Canada!

But isnt canada FREEZING in the winter... Girls, we arent gonna have electricity or heaters!! Just fireplaces!

No electricity?

Alright, I'm out. I'm not that much of a hippy.

everyone come to Ireland with us!

on second thought, no..... I don't mean that.

CarrieMpls said:

tinaz said:

But isnt canada FREEZING in the winter... Girls, we arent gonna have electricity or heaters!! Just fireplaces!

No electricity?

Alright, I'm out. I'm not that much of a hippy.

LMAO!

MrsMdiver said:

tinaz said:

YES!

Oh cool! Only an hour and 45 min flight! Oh and my suitcase will be light, just a bathing suit and a sarong.

but I've already lived inItaly

and I'd love to live in Canada - all that wildlife! mountains! lumberjacks!

JerseyKRS said:

everyone come to Ireland with us!

on second thought, no..... I don't mean that.

I better pack a brolly then!

MrsMdiver said:

tinaz said:

YES!

Oh cool! Only an hour and 45 min flight! Oh and my suitcase will be light, just a bathing suit and a sarong.

JerseyKRS said:

everyone come to Ireland with us!

on second thought, no..... I don't mean that.

you guys going on vacation?

vivid said:

MrsMdiver said:

Oh cool! Only an hour and 45 min flight! Oh and my suitcase will be light, just a bathing suit and a sarong.

but I've already lived inItaly

and I'd love to live in Canada - all that wildlife! mountains! lumberjacks!

Was there no hot Italian men in Italy for you?

tinaz said:

JerseyKRS said:

everyone come to Ireland with us!

on second thought, no..... I don't mean that.

you guys going on vacation?

I want to MOVE there.

vivid said:

MrsMdiver said:

Oh cool! Only an hour and 45 min flight! Oh and my suitcase will be light, just a bathing suit and a sarong.

but I've already lived inItaly

and I'd love to live in Canada - all that wildlife! mountains! lumberjacks!

JerseyKRS said:

tinaz said:

you guys going on vacation?

I want to MOVE there.

Ahhhhhhhh.... I hate the states.......totally boring here....

tinaz said:

We should all live in an Org hippie commune... Grow our own food, make crafts to sell at flea markets and festivals, explore the wilderness, and in the evening we could all sit around a campfire singing prince songs...

But seriously, I have always said I just want to have enough money to pay our bills and build a savings acct, and some left over to spend however we want... We have VERY little debt which makes up proud...We have no credit card debt, we are making 1 car loan payment (hubby has a company car for the 2nd car) I live in a fabulous apartment because I refuse to own another home in this shitty market, So we have achieved our goals!

So yes, money is very important, especially when we have small children, but we all have to learn how to live without "keeping up with the Jones's" I think thats where alot of people get in trouble....

Sounds like you need to come spend a week with us

MrsMdiver said:

vivid said:

but I've already lived inItaly

and I'd love to live in Canada - all that wildlife! mountains! lumberjacks!

Was there no hot Italian men in Italy for you?

They are beautiful there, I cannot lie. Eveything is beautiful in Italy - maybe a little bit too beautiful...

I did have a wonderful year or so however, and I think everyone should live a year in Italy - It's an incredible place. But I don't think I'd settle there.

JerseyKRS said:

tinaz said:

you guys going on vacation?

I want to MOVE there.

We were supposed to take my mom there this Spring/Summer.

I really wanted to see Ireland.

I have heard they are very friendly, welcoming ppl. We could all just go there, find a farmer and ask if we could build a commune on their land.

Oh wait........ I got the hint. Jersey does not want to live with the rest of us.

MrsMdiver said:

JerseyKRS said:

I want to MOVE there.

We were supposed to take my mom there this Spring/Summer.

I really wanted to see Ireland.

I have heard they are very friendly, welcoming ppl. We could all just go there, find a farmer and ask if we could build a commune on their land.

Oh wait........ I got the hint. Jersey does not want to live with the rest of us.

Rude..

Mach said:

tinaz said:

We should all live in an Org hippie commune... Grow our own food, make crafts to sell at flea markets and festivals, explore the wilderness, and in the evening we could all sit around a campfire singing prince songs...

But seriously, I have always said I just want to have enough money to pay our bills and build a savings acct, and some left over to spend however we want... We have VERY little debt which makes up proud...We have no credit card debt, we are making 1 car loan payment (hubby has a company car for the 2nd car) I live in a fabulous apartment because I refuse to own another home in this shitty market, So we have achieved our goals!

So yes, money is very important, especially when we have small children, but we all have to learn how to live without "keeping up with the Jones's" I think thats where alot of people get in trouble....

Sounds like you need to come spend a week with us

That would be so cool!

vivid said:

MrsMdiver said:

Was there no hot Italian men in Italy for you?

They are beautiful there, I cannot lie. Eveything is beautiful in Italy - maybe a little bit too beautiful...

I did have a wonderful year or so however, and I think everyone should live a year in Italy - It's an incredible place. But I don't think I'd settle there.

I enjoyed Sardinia last year. The fruits/veg/meats were all so fresh and yummy!

I enjoyed finding secluded beaches with no one else around.

MrsMdiver said:

vivid said:

They are beautiful there, I cannot lie. Eveything is beautiful in Italy - maybe a little bit too beautiful...

I did have a wonderful year or so however, and I think everyone should live a year in Italy - It's an incredible place. But I don't think I'd settle there.

I enjoyed Sardinia last year. The fruits/veg/meats were all so fresh and yummy!

I enjoyed finding secluded beaches with no one else around.

So is the food completely amazing you guys??

tinaz said:

MrsMdiver said:

I enjoyed Sardinia last year. The fruits/veg/meats were all so fresh and yummy!

I enjoyed finding secluded beaches with no one else around.

So is the food completely amazing you guys??

Yes, we did most of our own cooking. The produce was lush! Red bell peppers were so sweet and juicy.

It was lovely!

I would love to see more of Italy.

EmeraldSkies said:

PunkMistress said:

No. I really don't.

I think my husband wishes I would give more of a fuck about it, actually.

Buying expensive things doesn't appeal to me on any level.

And I walk that talk - I left an extremely well-paying job because I was unhappy. I now make less than ten dollars an hour, but I'm doing work that I love and is meaningful to me. One of the reasons Chris probably wishes I gave more of a fuck about money. I regularly got four-figure bonuses at that company, for doing very little.

what did you do? What do you do now,if you don't mind me asking?

I had weird titles that changed all the time, but I ran the IT division of a small company that bought and sold power generators. Every time they made a big sale, the employees would get a percentage of that multi-million dollar sale.

But my boss was insane and demanded that I be on call at all times. Fuck that. I heard recently that they went out of business and he's bankrupt.

Now I work with people who have severe developmental disabilities.

MrsMdiver said:

tinaz said:

So is the food completely amazing you guys??

Yes, we did most of our own cooking. The produce was lush! Red bell peppers were so sweet and juicy.

It was lovely!

I would love to see more of Italy.

That would be so awesome....

Women are obsessed with it. I do know that.

2freaky4church1 said:

Women are obsessed with it. I do know that.

Ummmmm....let's not clump us all together!

tinaz said:

MrsMdiver said:

I enjoyed Sardinia last year. The fruits/veg/meats were all so fresh and yummy!

I enjoyed finding secluded beaches with no one else around.

So is the food completely amazing you guys??

The mafia will have me for this but... it is lovely - but it's all the bloody same. I love Italian food but I can't eat anything every day (except peanut butter - and no, not with 'jelly').

I lived right down in the south (Lecce) and it was stunning - the people were wonderful and it really was an almost total joy.

I went to Firenze/Florence last year and had a wonderful time, but after a week I was crying out for some different food again.

Oh, and most of the gay men were married.

JustErin said:

Sure, I give a fuck about money. I'm not depressed that I am not loaded or anything but I definitely want more.

Exactly. Who the hell wants to struggle to pay bills? There's no such thing as having too much money, but that's just me.

MrsMdiver said:

paintedlady said:

When I was 19, I was pregnant and working in a nursing home. I was fortunate enough to meet real wise women who lived long and prosperous lives.

Many of these older women were worldly, well traveled, and would share their fabulous memories with me, yet they ended up being very lonely facing their last years.

They told me they all wished they had more time.... with their loved ones.

In the end, their money didn't grant them happiness, so I took their advice.

So I use money as a vehicle, to help me to spend more time with my children.

I am broke and I left school, (I was working on my degree and I have 2 young children, now 9 and 7). I couldn't afford school, AND the expenses of raising 3 children alone with no support from family to watch them while I went to school at night.

So I took my lemons and made lemonaid, so to speak.

I gave up pursuing my dreams temporarily in order to spend my days raising my kids. I recieve heavy criticism over my choices everyday from my unsupportive family.

I refuse to have latch key kids, no one is there for them but me. So I work seasonally doing what I love, designing gardens. I make very little money from that, but my expenses are very low. I gave up many things and now live a very simple life with my 3 kids.

I have all the time with my children I want. I work when I want. I love the work I do. I love working in my community and I volunteer my time and talents in my neighborhood. I laugh and play with my children daily. I spend my days frolicking on the beach and the parks with them. Soon, my kids will be old enough to be left alone, so I can join the rat race again, back to the grind and competition. I have no regrets, zero stress and life is wonderful.

[Edited 6/2/10 20:20pm]

I wish more mom's were like you. I guess some do not feel they have the option. I personally do not see a point of having a child if someone else is going to care for it.

If I lived near you, we could have a small gardening business.

I have always tried to live within my means and never spend money on "unneccessary" things. That way when times get tough, I am not going to miss those comforts.

To me, taking care of my family and making sure we have the basic necessities is more important than an expensive handbag.

Material possesions have never made me happy.

Being in debt is too stressful.

TY I agree.

Its a blessing to spend the day with your children. It warms my heart to see that you are able to do the same with your beautiful son.

For the single parents that do work and run from school to work and juggle and keep keeping on I always wish the best success for them and their children. Its hard to do, I did it for a while and I was so stressed.

Huge props to the moms and dads that do all of that everyday.