Why do you go to work?

[KatyMac]

Money is normally the answer

But if you don't make any money would you still work?

If your working costs were covered (lunch/travel/clothes/childcare) but you earnt nothing more would it be worth it

oh and work = maternity leave and pay when I have another baby

reasons why I work

Money

Having studued all my life to get where I am and not wanting to waste it

Self-fulfillment

would get v bored otherwise, mental stimulation

Adult company of the non mummy variety

Good example to set to dd

Support myself independently if I have to

It is intrinsic in me to work, just how I was brought up

Would prefer to work 3 days instead of 4 though

though would prefer to work

I wouldnt if i was only breaking even. Not worth the stress, faff and hassle of getting 2 children ready in the morning and dragging them around.

I work mostly for the money, but also to keep the streets safe for women and children .

I don't really make any financial gain from working.

I pay most of what I earn to the nursery then the left overs I spend in the canteen at work and on a cleaner so I don't have to spend my non-working days cleaning.

I work 2.5 days per week:

I do it to:

Get peace and quiet
A change of scenery
Keep my professional qualification relevant
To be a good role model to my children
To be a good role model to my husband as not just a lady who lunches (many of our friends)

Having said all that my DH would prefer I didn't work as house always a mess and no dinner on my work days.

money

cause I'm saving the world

[closes MN and applies nose to grindstone]

because I like it

no, make that LOVE it

if explosion of messages since 'lunch hour' began is anything to go by, also

"to MN in peace and quiet"!

I work for many of the reasons cited by peacelily.

If I didn't get paid (or wasn't making any money) I would still work, but probably not in this job. I work a lot of unsocial hours as a nurse. I would possibly consider some type of voluntary/lower paid work in a similar field.

Money. I'm lucky that I quite enjoy my work but I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to.

If I won the lottery, I'd give up work, buy a beautiful house, spend a few years getting the house and garden together, and then perhaps retrain and do something different, or find some voluntary work. Atm I feel like a hamster on a wheel.

I work 2.5 days. Good money. Love my job. What a perfect balance - 2.5 days with ds, 2.5 days without him.

If I won the lottery I would probably still go to work but would work part time (either shorter days or fewer of them). I couldn't NOT work, I think I would get depressed and feel as though I lacked structure and purpose.

It is my moral duty as a true Xenia follower.

ACtually, yes, I would probably work even if I only made enough money to cover the costs. I need to exercise my brain -- which of course begs the question of why I work where I do (since there is no brain required).

I have just gone back to work after being a sahm, i would go to work for -

My sanity.

Adult conversation.

Balance in ny life.

To set a good example to my children.

I however would only do it part-time.

Stimulation (intelligent people, interesting projects, an adrenaline shot)
Money (both for now and the future in terms of pension etc)
Balance

By balance I mean that I think people who don't work can become a bit unbalanced and neurotic - I am sure that I would in any event - but the sheer pressure of having far too much to do at any one time will keeps me grounded ...

Yes I would still work for no money but almost certainly at a slower and lower pace

At this particular moment - I don't know.

Yes, I am at work - bad day!

However, generally for all the reasons already put! (work 3 days/week)

Think all the main reasons have been covered really. It's about a good life balance really isnt it. I could probably enjoy a few weeks/months of not working, but then I reckon i'd get bored/under stimulated/boring. Work provides a structure for all sorts of intellectual/social aspects of life.

Although i don't work at the moment, (was doing homecare work) i do like to keep myself busy.
When i was on maternity leave with DD1 i kept myself busy with "projects", do a new one each year.
First year was building an outside aviary, making a chicken run.
2nd year, building and painting the kids playhouse, then doing voluntuary gardening work for 3 elderly people on behalf of Age Concern.
3rd year, redecorated the dinning room and kids bedrooms.
4th year, now re-landscaping the garden, moving some big plants and re-doing the veg patch to incorporate a flower and fruit area with a little path and putting in new railway sleepers to make 2 enormous raised beds so that DDs can help me in the veg plot without getting very muddy!
I just could not sit around doing anything all day.

ripeberry - that sounds wonderful. Just the kind of thing I'd enjoy. I think that's the what I'd want to do if I had the time. I feel that 'home' is totally neglected. It's always a mess, in need of redecoration and no projects ever get completed. Hence not a nice place to be . I'd really enjoy having some time to get that sorted and then maybe go back to work at something I actually wanted to do.

Where do I start? I went back 3 days a week after 7 months of being a sahm and I LOVE my new balance. I agree with Pendulam that there is a taboo on admitting that spending every waking hour of your day with your child isn't what makes you happy. I missed commerce and being a part of a successful business. I also missed being in London (I commute) and being part of the "buzz". I felt so isolated when I was at home, even attending Mother & Baby groups and the rest of it.

Having said all that I wouldn't want to work full time - I just don't have the ambition I used to and I want to spend time my DS. He's my pride and joy after all. Plus I just don't have that ruthless organisational ability that full timers seem to have. My house would fall to pieces.

What with train fares and childcare costs I don't have that much left over but its worth it for all these reasons. The thought of asking my dh for money and feeling that I had to ask for permission before buying something for myself was just too much. I knew when I had my baby that some sacrifices would have to be made, and I was ready for those but I count myself lucky that I didn't have to completely sacrifice my independence and any sort of life outside child rearing. I also count myself lucky that I genuinely had a choice.

This may be a little controversial but I worried that I was getting boring. ALL I had to talk about was my ds. I needed more.

I would so something but not necessarily my current job.

Reasons:

Cash, mainly, we can't afford for me not to

Financial independence although tbh if we were v rich I could live with a large joint income/trust fund as long as I knew 100% half was still mine if we split up

because the alternative has been to sah and I don't want to (did 3/4 years of it), no way

I like people and conversation and I get plenty of that at work

money, money , money and not enough at that i would defo not go if i did not have to

now i don;t suppode if anyone knows how i could make £50 a week without working or if i could do it from home? that would be grand