Things have gotten so tough financially for families that many white-collar workers are now double-dipping to keep afloat.

Moonlighting used to be something that was a part-time, 10 or 20 hours a week type gig. Usually the moonlighting job took a back seat to the “real” money maker.

But not so much theses days.

In Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, reporter Sue Shellenbarger writes that many white-collar workers are putting almost as much time in at a second job as their first job. Only these new white-collar moonlighters aren’t necessarily working at a convenience store or fast food chain.

These moonlighters are creating new, entrepreneurial careers for themselves.

One woman even got clearance from her university employer to moonlight on her graphic design business. According to the article, A New White-Collar Jungle, the woman, Jen Klabis, manages to freelance during her 40 to 50 hour work week.

Her hard work looks to have paid off, she was hired by her university as a designer. Now there were legal hoops to jump through for Ms. Klabis to become an independent-contractor for the university, but she has a new career too! One, according to the article, she will continue.

This is something we bloggers appreciate. Working something on the side, hours or minutes or weeks, to do something we find fruitful and fulfilling, and hopefully turn into a real career.

Yet, I notice in the article how many hours these people interviewed work and it leaves me wondering where is the time for family, fun, relaxing? I realize maybe, especially with the disastrous housing market, many people have no choice but to work two full or semi full time jobs to make ends meet.

The article goes on to describe the inability of these moonlighters to relax. According to the article:

The nonstop mental work of two white-collar jobs can leave them unable to relax even when things slow down.

Believe me, we have struggled during this recession too and I’ve watched my husband do much the same thing. Which has me wondering, at what price do we end up working so hard to create something for ourselves and family that our family or health is compromised? Where do we find balance? How do we juggle this life so that we have a life?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Love the Life you Live,

-BjW