Ask investors...we're trending toward the first bull market in a long time. Will be nice.

We're working our asses off, but we're doing okay.

I got board certified, which added 5k a year to my salary. I also took a promotion which added 20 contract days, extended hours, more duties and another 5k a year or so.

That was fortunate and gave us some padding because in the meantime my wife's employing company changed owners, leaving her at an impasse. She ended up striking out on her own, opening a business, and continuing to do freelance work. While we're actually pretty tight right now due to some initial issues with the business, it's looking like it's going to be profitable. I tend toward financial pessimism on a personal level, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic right now about our potential earning in coming years. We just have to get the business in the clear over the next few months, and things should be okay.

The main problem, currently, is that I work probably 10 hours a day and serve as Mr. Mom while my wife is working around 12-14 hour days, 6 days a week, starting her own business and billing 20 hours of freelance design work a week. It puts a lot of immediate pressure on the family, but we hope we'll be better for it in the long run.

More power too you, I have found the disconnect between career and life to be a gray area to some. I have been working 55-65 hours a week for the past 6 or so years. I still currently am in school full time as well, I have found that these types of time constrictions are detrimental to what is truly most important in my life. I have cut my school hours back from 17 to 12 and it has helped a lot. Money, careers and school are always there to go back to, time with family, spouse and kids if you have them is not.

It's definitely a tough juggling act. We hope that hard work for the next two years will pay off with increased time with family in the long run. I get extended time off in the summer. If my wife gets her store and design work at the proper level, she can be mobile in the summer. This will allow us to experience extended travel with the kids in the summer months.

I agree. You have to draw a line between being a steward of your community, and feeding your family. It's not criticism. You opened the can, and I'm throwing my two cents in. This is nowhere near some holier than thou rant. You're a greater guy than I am.

Yea it's good to help friends. It always comes back to ya. Something that would have cost me a few grand ended up costing me little to nothing because my friend remembered the work i did for him.

You can't do that for everybody though.

We (My family, of myself, wife and two son's) are lucky.

I have had a very stable job the past 12 years at the same business with great Union pay and benefits. (Haven't been out of work since the 80's.) My wife has been with the same company for 14 years. She can't complain as far as pay and she is on all my benefits.

We haven't gotten ourselves in trouble in the housing market.
And we aren't in a mound of debt. We cut up all our Credit Cards in March of 2003 and just use cash.

Same here. This applies to me too, word for word.

Worst part for me is my house is worth the same today as what it sold for as a new house in 1998.

That's where I sometimes get screwed the hardest. I don't do that unless I already have that type of relationship established. It's all about give and take but most people are perfectly happy to take.

I've done work cheap for Doomy from here. He also refers me to his colleagues and clients. I landed a nice project last fall from his referral and ended up getting him a $300k listing.

I wouldn't take it that way.
That's very kind but not true.

Yes, when one owns a business some people believe that they should always get a sweet deal. I've learned that many people believe all business owners are millionaires. That's part of the business that I don't enjoy. Very few real friends.