A strange thing has happened in our family. I quit my job in order to homeschool our son, basically giving up $2400 a month in take home pay. I don’t at all regret doing it, as we are having a blast and my son is learning more than ever. The strange thing, though, is that since I quit my job, my husband and I have been able to save more money than ever. We totally changed our spending habits and are now have enough savings where we are looking into the best cd rates so that we can get a good return on our money. I think we’ve been able to save so much, in part, because we’re both happier. It’s amazing how much money a family can spend when they are rushing to and fro trying to stay afloat. We ate out much too often, and I know that I covered up my dissatisfaction with the status quo by doing recreational shopping. I’m now riding bikes with my son and going on long walks with the dogs, both of which are completely free. By putting our money into CDs instead of the nail salon’s coffers, we know that we’ll have money for our son’s college or a new business later on down the line. It’s a relief to finally not be living paycheck to paycheck.