When people know that a woman’s husband is a seafarer, they think that their family is earning more than enough. And if the woman is also a working mom or perhaps, running a business of her own, people are already having an impression that they have huge savings in their bank accounts, capable of lending money to friends and relatives.
Sadly, this isn’t always the case. Anne is one of those many working moms and a seafarer’s wife who also struggle to save money.
With Anne’s day job, she has to wake up early to prepare her son to school and then commute 3 rides to get to the office before 8:00 AM. After her shift, she takes the same 3 routes and arrives home around 8:00 PM, just enough to bond an hour with kids and help with her son’s homework. No matter how tiring her day is, resigning from her job is definitely not an option because it will cut down their family’s income.
When her husband’s onboard the ship, that’s the time they are able to save money for emergencies, etc. But with the recent competition in the marine industry, getting the next boarding schedule now takes longer, which now lasts more or less 6 months.
Just like Beth’s story, by the time Anne’s husband is on vacation longer than expected, they have no choice but to use most of their savings. This will then be used to pay for their house mortgage, her daughter’s tuition, utility bills, food and transportation expenses. She uses credit cards once savings is no longer enough and she also borrows from relatives.
So is saving money easy for Anne’s family? The answer is NO. And she’s expecting this cycle almost every year now. Her story is very common for those families where both the wife and husband are earning.
If you’re like Anne, who’s trying so hard to save but situations arise where savings are used earlier than expected, wherein income is no longer enough, don’t lose hope. Anne is currently working on a solution to her problem which she chose not to share for now because it will still take years but she’s positive it is something that can help big her family.
