Literary Mama Rewind: Money
Welcome to Literary Mama Rewind! Every few weeks we’ll round up some of our favorite essays, stories, poems, columns, and reviews from the Literary Mama archives relating to a particular theme. The economics of motherhood are not always clear. This week we have work that explores questions of money, economic stability, and the finances of life.
- Love and Money by Jeannie Marshall in Creative Nonfiction
In my dreams I was a well-paid journalist, happy and well-rounded with a busy life and a family. I never for a moment imagined that it was the family that would take over my life.
- Spent by Sarah Cedeño in Creative Nonfiction
“We don’t have money for that or we don’t have any money? Like, seriously, are there zero dollars left in our bank account?” I wonder if it’s possible for this to happen.
- Book Note: The Money $aving Mom’s Budget by Karna Converse on the Blog
At first glance, the tagline for Crystal Paine’s newly-released guidebook seems to promise the stars: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year. But after the first few pages, it’s clear that The Money $aving Mom’s Budget is filled with practical suggestions that make sense.
- Motherhood, Money, and Growing Up by Rebecca Kaminsky from the Column Down Will Come Baby
The money isn’t in a trust. My mom and grandfather have always been clear that it is in our names, but that Grandpa knows best how to take care of it. Now I want to do something different.
- Money Matters by Vicki Forman from the Column Special Needs Mama
The bills from Evan’s hospital stay used to shock me with their astronomical amounts: during that time, the kid cost thousands and thousands of dollars a day, and as those days added up to months, the amounts became absurd.
- Rich Mom, Poor Mom by Marjorie Osterhout from the Column Dear Marjo
So when my daughter was born I did what we had planned and happily quit my job. What we didn’t plan for was my husband losing his job.
- When Income Envy Comes Home by Valerie Weaver-Zercher in Essays
Raising three boys on one salary (his), with a trickle of freelance writing and editing checks (mine), in an economy that depresses even those of us who still think Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae might have been Grandma’s neighbors — well, it’s not easy.
- The Cost of Living by J. Anderson Coats in Fiction
I stab a finger at the menu in the window. “Look at those prices. It’s too expensive. Can’t you wait till we get home?” “C’mon, one lunch isn’t going to break us.”