question for the SAHMs...

mefsta777 · July 2009

my DH and i are having a fairly heated debate about what income is "required" to have a one income family ( one SAHP). if any of you are willing, are you a SAHM, and whats your income range?? TIA!

missmandy89 · July 2009

I don't think there is a set number. It depends on your lifestyle tbh.

Tara Ell · July 2009

totally depends on where you live. In my area, I could only stay home if the one income was $100,000 and up.

bbowie · July 2009

DH is a SAHD. Income is between $100K - $150K but we live in socal with a high mortgage...that we are now upside down on. Oh Joy!

sunflowergrl · July 2009

I also think it depends on where you live and what the cost of living is there. We're in lower Westchester County in NY, and cost of living is pretty high. we'll be dealing with about a 54,000/yr salary, but that will only get us so far and will be very tight, then i'll continue to stay home, but pick up one or two PT jobs.

GL

courtney_lynne · July 2009

I am a SAHM. My Dh works and makes in the 24,000 dollar a year range. We make it work b/c it is important to us. We also live in a lower cost of living area.

I believe part of my "job" as a SAHM is making it work too. I don't (or try not to) whine about money being tight (b/c it is sometimes) I stretch our budget by using coupons, making food at home (mostly frugal meals too, but yummy!- I made shepherds pie for dinner last night and the whole 9x13 cassarole cost me $3.50- which makes for 2 meals plus leftovers) shopping for furniture second hand and doing w/o things like eating out every week.

If it is important to you, you can make it work, no matter how much money is coming in. We are also saving for a house and paying for school (we have no student loans and owe nothing towards my school bill, we pay it in full every semester)

Courtney

BeanieWeanie · July 2009

Totally depends on you, like PPs said. Make a budget with everything you spend on a monthly basis and see if you can make it work with only one of your incomes, or if there's anything you can cut back on to make it work. FWIW, I stayed at home when DH's income was less than 60K (waiting for my greencard after I emigrated). Now it's higher, but we spend more on housing, so we have a similar disposable income.

whirli · July 2009

Agree with PPs. It completely depends on things such as cost of living in your area, your debt, mortgage, spending habits, etc. When DH and I decided I would be SAHM eventually we got ourselves out of debt and bought a house we could more than afford. We prepared for about 2 years so we'd be out of debt before TTC. Now we stick to a budget to make sure DH's salary covers all the expenses.

The best way to go about it might be to add up all your expenses, cut unnecessary expenses, calculate in tax savings and see if you have enough money on one salary to make it possible. Another consideration is the savings from things like an extra work wardrobe, childcare, being able to do more around the house and cook more economically. It took some sacrifices but I'm glad we did it. Good luck!

IlovemyGeek · July 2009

I'm going to be staying at home but right now we're kinda in a weird situation b/c DH's salary went a "temporary" salary cut so what he makes now isn't what he really makes. Plus I freelance.

BrittKav · July 2009

I'll be a SAHM, and we'll be living off of DH's 20k a year. The cost of living is low here, and if you know how to stretch your money, you can make it work. I could get a job and we would be more comfortable financially, but it's more important to me to stay home with my baby.

mom2binKC · July 2009

Totally depends on cost of living in your area and your standard of living, I would guess.

Dropping to one income was a pretty big adjustment for us--one that we didn't make soon enough, which meant we blew through a lot of savings just living like we always had. Once we reined in our spending, set a budget for regular expenses like groceries, dining out, and entertainment, we have done much better. Still, I picked up one day of work a week just to a) get out of the house and feel like a professional again and b) earn a little extra for "cushion."

Basically, on DH's salary, we pay all of our bills, groceries, and basic necessities, and we put away around $600/month in savings. We really try to leave the savings account alone. Putting the money in savings doesn't leave us much for fun stuff or unexpected things like car repairs, so my one day/week of work frees us up to have a little extra and still be saving. When baby #2 comes, I will quit work entirely--probably for at least a year, so we may be dipping into that savings here and there.

BeccaMac · July 2009

Although baby isn't here yet, I quit my job a couple months ago. We live in a fairly high cost of living area.
Our income is around $70k but we can and will survive. You just have to make a budget and stick with it.

RaeAnt · July 2009

I think it depends on the individual family and what you feel you need to live comfortably. My MIL was a SAHM until the other year, with FIL often out of work depending on the weather (he's a mason). They have 3 girls at home, now in their teens. I'm guessing their income was around $30,000. While FIL made a great hourly rate, it was a matter of how often he worked. They got by, but often were late on bills. Now give that pay to a family in a nother part of the country with only 1 or 2 kids, maybe in elementary school and it might have been perfectly fine.

You need to do an evaluation for a couple of months of your spending. Bills, entertainment, groceries,etc and see how much you really need vs how much you want to have income wise. Also if you have savings as well incase anything bad happens.

For us, it wasn't a difficult decision. We are pretty much just living on Dh's income and have been for years. I worked, prior to our move, but I was only working p/t and my money was more for groceries or fun. I was also going to school f/t. So when we moved and i got pg within 3 months, it wasn't a big deal that i wasn't working. Plus, we figured for what I'd be brining home, it wouldn't pay for day care nor are we willing to send our infant to daycare. That's just a personal choice.

ahappygilmore · July 2009

We have looked at this quite a bit and came up with 70-75k. It would have to be with no debt and a 6 month emergency fund in savings. We are hoping DH can stay home in about a year and half.

brandyward · July 2009

It absolutely depends on your lifestyle. My husband stays at home most of the time (gets a job when absolutely necessary), and I work two or more jobs (one full time) and go to law school full time. (Don't judge, I like it that way, and I'll love it when he stays home with LO.)

We always make just barely more than qualifies for public assistance, so we do it w/o food stamps or anything. Last year we grossed just over $25,000, but we also had income from my law school student loans (maybe $5,000).

I DO NOT like the lifestyle we currenlty have in rent houses and living paycheck to paycheck, but as a law student I have hope. Soooo, there's my answer for you. Take what you will from it. I know we live on much less than many.

diana.filipi · July 2009

I will be a SAHM. I was a substitute teacher so that I could be home with our nephews whenever needed. They were both in elementary school and have now both moved back in with their parents. I'll work as a sub for about 3 months then the baby will come and that will be that. We live on a budget and do our finances together so that there are no surprises. DH make about 90K. Our mortgage is $1,300 and we have a lot of debt that we are working on. I buy a lot of things off of Craigslist and we don't eat out much.

SpartanGirl · July 2009

It really depends on your lifestyle, cost of living, your debts and if you are willing to try to make it work. Try living on just your DH's salary until the baby comes to see if it works out for you. As a bonus, you will build a nice emergency savings account by putting your salary in the bank.

FWIW, I stay home and DH makes well under $100,000. I have known people who make much more and can't do it and people who make way less and make it work. There are a lot of other factors besides income to consider. Good luck with your decision.

xnbride · July 2009

yeah I don't think a set wage is all that helpful because you have to factor in cost of living, mortgage/rent, car payments etc. It is pretty individual. You guys will just have to sit down and look at your budget and see if it is in the realm of possibilities. I believe that if you really want to do it, then you can find a way. We cut back on alot of stuff, but it is sooooo worth it. GL!!!

jdlocke · July 2009

We live in an area where the cost of living is very reasonable. DH brings home about $30,000/year (maybe a little more). I don't work at a "place", but I do sell things on ebay for some extra cash. That usually covers groceries for the month. Because he is letting me be a SAHM, I feel it is my responsibility to make his dollar stretch. So, we don't ever buy anything at full price, we always wait for a sale or search online for better prices, we also use lots of coupons. For example, today online there is a $10 off coupon for a $10 purchase at a local grocery store, so we went there and got $16 worth of groceries for $6. I just guess it depends on where you live.

Prinycesa07 · July 2009

My husband makes about 30k a year. I am a substitute teacher but will no longer be working after the baby arrives. We have a low cost of living here and don't struggle on just his income at all, we even have a decent savings. I also have always been thrifty, i pay full price for very few things. Coupons, clearances, etc. are all up my alley. We could live much more comfortable if i were to take a full time position but it's always been extremely important for me to be a SAHM especially during the first couple of years so we will get by on what we have.

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