Life is expensive

Especially when one accounts for a mortgage, property taxes, yeshiva tuition and extra tutoring in Hebrew (but it's all worth it). I've taken on additional jobs--in addition to jewelry making, which I've been doing for a couple years, I might start selling books on Ebay again, and just took on a new freelance editing job for an engineer overseas. I'd rather work like a dog now and have the money in the summer to travel. Although this summer I may just take some continuing ed courses.

And I'm not the only one. Just off the top of my head I can think of a couple dozen women in my community, some who work full time and some part-time, who supplement their income--jewelry, Mary Kay, aromatherapy, kosher gourmet products, Discovery Toys, hats-making, hat-selling, scrapbooking, fancy disposable tableware--you name it. Everyone seems to be on an endless economic treadmill. And all the people I know who do this, including myself, are middle to upper middle class. It's just life, and Jewish life in particular, can get very expensive.

Speaking of expensive, my mother-in-law and I went out to lunch last week. I hopped the train two hours to NYC, where she has an office on Times Square. We went to La Marais, a very expensive kosher French restaurant a) because I keep kosher and because she can't walk that far. It was my plan to "take her out" but after the bill kept climbing (I ordered the cheapest entree, which was $17; hers was $24), a $12 appetizer, two $8 hard drinks (hers), two $4 soft drinks (mine), two $10 desserts, my brain kept going "ka-ching!" She must have read my mind because as I started to take out my wallet, she said, "Oh honey, let me pay for that." I figured since she is close family I could allow this. Though I felt a bit guilty because she's retiring soon and selling her business and isn't sure what to do next. She'll probably move down south because three of her four children live there, but she wants to keep working at something. She's worked hard, and very independently, most of her life. My husband is like her in that respect.