Julep: On the Home Front

So Mr. J and I are going to spend Saturday and Sunday at Kentucky Lake with the in-laws. And BOTH dogs. That's right, she caved. Now everyone please say a little prayer that The Twins behave beautifully all weekend!

Can I switch gears and fuss about my own family? My younger sister Sissy, to be specific. I'm about to head to J-Mama's for our weekly dinner which means I am about to hash through the topic below for about the 800th time. And I need to vent.

Although they both earned bachelor's degrees years ago, for the last six years, either Sissy or her husband (The Saint) have been in school ... Sissy was getting an education certification and master's, and The Saint went back for training in graphic design. But just around the time that Sissy went back to school, the house of her dreams went up for sale -- her best friend once lived there, it's a cute little place right across the street from our high school (and two blocks from my house not that that was a consideration).

J-Mama had been contemplating an investment in rental property, so she bought the Dream House and rented it to Sissy and The Saint -- at a rate far below market due to the ongoing education. But J-Mama thought and I wholly concur that a cute little property in the Highlands is a great place to stash some cash regardless of whether it is currently generating income. (Heck, even in the recent housing market slowdown the properties there have held their own nicely.) And you can't imagine a better tenant than Sissy -- the OCD sure does come in handy for keeping a place tidy.

OK, fast forward to 2009. Poor little J-Mama is getting very anxious about retirement and her 401(k) and the damage done by the economic collapse and what if there's another mass layoff at her place of employment and she can't find another job at her age. I keep telling her not to worry, but you know, she's got a point. Meanwhile, Sissy is fully employed in the public school system. The Saint has graduated from his program, but is still holding down his old job while looking for a graphic design gig. And Sissy is preggers. Yay for them and all that, but she has started making noises about how maybe she won't go back to work after she has the baby.

Now I love a cute little house in the Highlands as much as the next girl. And y'all know that I fully support a woman who chooses to stay home with her child ... IF she can afford to do so. The sad fact is, sometimes people don't have a choice about working. Bills gotta get paid. And I do not think Sissy should be making plans based on the idea that our mother will continue to subsidize her housing arrangements. J-Mama has not raised the rent over there in SIX YEARS. That little house could be generating some positive cash flow for her instead of soaking her every month for a large portion of the mortgage payment.

If The Saint lands a well-paying job, and they can afford to pay market rate rent on the house using his salary alone, then I applaud Sissy if she chooses to stay home. But otherwise, maybe someone who has hit age 30 and is about to birth a child should start thinking of what other people need for a change ... and that includes her parent as well as her pending child.