I'm curious how much your DH makes if you SAH. It seems like there are so many SAHMs who join Gymboree or other activites with their babies. There is no way we can afford ANYthing extra with me staying at home. We can't even afford groceries every week. It sucks, but it a sacrifice I knew we'd be making to be home with my daughter.

So, how much does your DH make? Are you sacrificing to stay home or are you comfortable on what DH makes?

I voted 30-40. Closer to 30 though. We were living quite comfortably while we were both working. Then DH quite his job due to very stressful and unhealthy situations there. His next job told him he got health insurance for the whole family (otherwise he would not have accepted the job). However to add me and the baby (I was still PG at the time) it would have cost us more than COBRA and his last job had way better insurance. So we ended up with a $700/month extra bill we weren't expecting. That meant that other things got brushed aside or thrown on CC. Our CCs went through the roof, because we did not have an extra $700/month just floating around. Then DH finally got a good job in the union, but misses 1 day of work every other week for school (he is an apprentice). We are finally catching up, but what really will help is when we finalize our home equity loan. We cannot afford to keep up with our CCs. And before anyone flames us for running them up, 75-80% of what is on there was necessities. I'd bet more than 1/2 of it was our food bill. Plus the things we needed for Gabrielle (diapers, safety stuff, etc.).

I feel like we are JUST about above water now. I've debated for a while whether or not to go back to work in September (I am a teacher), but I know I would not be comfortable putting Gab in daycare and that is our only option right now. I guess I am so embittered from working in daycare for so many years while in college that I cannot imagine having to put my own child there. Plus, unless I got a job in a public school (I taught in a private school), the cost of daycare wouldn't be worth it for me to work.

I don't know why I am rambling at 7:40 in the morning :blush1: I think the money stress, albeit getting better by the day, is just getting to me right now. How do you guys do it with DH's who don't make a whole lot?? Anyone work part time? Doing what?

Well, DH is in the $80-$100 range, but it will be bumped up to the next option in September, TG. And while some may think its a lot of money, we still live paycheck to paycheck. We don't have money to do Gymboree. Heck...we can barely afford the 2 days/wk I send Aidan to daycare, but we have to for both Aidan & I to stay sane :blush: We have quite a bit of debt, but are working on getting rid of it. We arent necessarily disciplined when it comes to spending (if we were, we'd be living more comfortably :lol: )

$60-$70. We do have our tight months (like this month, because we just laid out a batch of money for Caroline's big girl bed, new bedding, guardrails, etc., etc.) - however we also make Gymboree a priority because we feel it helps Caroline with socialization, sharing, being around kids her own age, etc. (I live out in the boonies so there aren't a ton of free options out here; it's Gymboree or nothing!) Of course, this also impacts on our plans for another baby - besides some personal issues, James is concerned about the idea of having another baby due to the sheer cost. My insurance has changed, since I'm no longer working - it cost us precisely $20 when Caroline was born (for the phone in my room!), but to have another baby would cost us SEVERAL thousand dollars out of pocket, and more if anything were to be wrong and require additional hospitalization, God forbid. So I think it's a balancing act for everyone, they're just balancing on different things. :)

I guess it is all relative. My cousin thinks we have a lot of money. I suppose the more you make the more bills you accumulate. :dunno:

I had to vote less than 20K (it's really less than half that in USD). I just count my blessings we live in Canada or we'd be up the creek without a paddle!!

DH makes less than 20k. We dont have alot of bills and we dont have alot of things other people have but we're ok with that. We could afford for DD to be im Gymboree but I personally wouldnt put her. I couldnt see spending that money plus I really dont need a bunch of rich ladies trying to make me feel bad. I could work and have more or stay home with DD. I rather stay home with DD.

I guess dh makes around 62k total, that's with his full time job and his side consulting business (which he only has two clients for right now). It is actually a struggle right now some months, mostly because of the credit debt dh already had when we got married and dh's student loans, if we paid those off we'd have like $400-$500 a month just "for fun" money.

My husband makes enough money to almost cover our expenses each month. And I bring a little bit in sporadically from babysitting or birth clients or tub rentals occasionally. So we stay afloat.

We don't have extras, and our clothes are all cheap or free from thrift stores or friends, but our cars are paid off and we only have about $2000 in debt, which we always make payments on.

We have swimming lessons for the kids because Community Services can't pay me as a volunteer, but they donated a course of swimming lessons for each kid as a thank-you to me for the hours I put in as a breastfeeding counsellor and birthcompanion. So my kids aren't really missing out. All last year both the boys were in this awesome parent-participation preschool that they paid for too.

Kerri

I think we're in the 30-40 category, but we should be moving up this fall. DH is a teacher, and that is just his *regular* income. He makes a little extra doing some landscaping on the occasional weekend during the school year, and a few days a week during the summer. Right now, we can't afford Gymboree for Katie, but there are other options that are a lot more convenient, anyway (the nearest Gymboree is a 35-40 min. drive away). The local high school is just down the street, and they have swim lessons we'll put Katie in this summer. Also, she spends time with other kids in the church daycare while I'm at Bible study, and in Moppets while I'm at MOPS. And I'm looking into preschool for her for the fall.

It's one of the factors, though, in our decision to stick with only one child. It's not the only factor (by far), but one of them. :)

I suppose the more you make the more bills you accumulate. :dunno::nod: Yep! I totally agree!

DH makes in the 60-70 range. Things are usually pretty tight, especially since Ava has been born. But we're working on paying off our debt quickly, so we can buy a house, so it won't always be like this.

Andrea... did you mean for that last option to read +$150k, rather than +$100k?

Andrea... did you mean for that last option to read +$150k, rather than +$100k?
:blush: of course!!

DH makes around 40K a year. But we are very lucky in the fact that the ranch partnership pays for our house, and utilities. We also have gas tanks on the ranch here so we use those for our gas instead of getting it elsewhere. So those things make a big difference.
We do have some debt, my student loans about about $1,800 on credit cards right now.
For me going back to work would not pay. The nearest school is 20 miles away and there is no daycare options there (it is on the indian rez-where I taught before Maggie) The closest school with daycare is over 35 miles away. So in wear & tear on the car, gas, and daycare, it would not pay for me to go back to work.

ok, i voted, but i won't detail my story since you know me.

DH is in the 30-40K range..the higher end of it...

Its tight some months, and others, it isn't...It just depends on what comes up or if we have things we've commited to (weddings, baby showers, etc.) Like last month Robb was in a wedding, so we had to pay for a tux, hotel, gas for travel, spending money for food, etc....so that made things a little tighter than what they usually are.

We don't have a LOT of debt, other than our house payment and our car payment, so we stay afloat...we have 1 CC left, and its almost gone, so after that it will be a little more comfortable each month.

Plus, my brother is living with us for the summer, and helping pay for groceries, so that has really helped us out. I told him he can't move out in August :lol:

We're in the 40-50 range, but closer to 45K with his mandatory overtime. He works 2100 hours a year, whereas the typical 40 hr/week job is only 2080 hours. I HATE the shift he works, but the insurance is so incredible (Molly cost us $5, Emily was $20) and the pay does allow me to stay home. We have very few extras, definitely can't afford Gymboree, but I find plenty of free things like story time at the library that I can take Emily to. I'd love to join MOPS at our church, but can't afford the $75/semester child care cost...plus I'd rather have a playgroup I can go to with my kids! So I found a free one online that meets every Tuesday, and I love it.

DH has interviewed (TWICE!!) for a management job in a manufacturing facility that is near my parents (bonus!), cost of living is waaay cheaper, and would be a substantial pay raise...we'd move up a whole category! :woo: Just waiting to hear......

DH is in the 80-100 range.... we have no debt and we are living comfortably, just not able to save money like I would like to right now.

DH is in the higher end of the $70k-$80k range...however he is getting a raise on June 15, which should bump him into the next category. Things are definitely tight since I don't work anymore. I was making a little more than half of what he makes, so we miss my income. I am starting to think that things will always be tight no matter how much we make!

I'm not going to post how much DH makes, but it has more than doubled in the three years (to the day!!) that we've been married. I've never felt like we've not had enough- I've always had fun trying to get bargains and save money. We have no debt (except our mortgage) but I think if we had car payments, CCs, etc we would be struggling a little.

Then DH finally got a good job in the union, but misses 1 day of work every other week for school (he is an apprentice). Andrea, what job does DH do? How many years is the apprenticeship and how long has he been an apprentice for? The classes they have for them are during the daytime?

Sorry for so many questions! :lol: I'm only asking because James is a Union Ironworker and we went through the whole apprenticeship thing...school 2 nights a week after work 3 mos. on and 3 mos. off. Sucky pay especially in the beginning, but they got 10% raises every 6 mos. until they got to their top pay when they became a journeyman at 3 yrs.

Anyway, I guess what I'm telling you is that we've been there...and it's not easy going through the apprenticeship program, but I can tell you this...whatever it is he's working on becoming a journeyman at, it will be worth it in the end because I'm sure the pay will be excellent when all is said and done. :bighug: It went so slow for us in the beginning...but then the 3 years went by like that!!! :)

Dh's total yearly package comes out to the $100,000 - 150,000 range.

Are we sacrificing? Well, lately it seems like we have been somewhat due to the fact that we're selling this place, are wanting a bigger house in a nice area (and it's nearly impossible to get something under $400,000 in NJ up where I live in a nice area) and also we've put alot of money towards something that James has been working on getting a patent on (it will be under 'patent pending' status soon), and with patent attorney fees and fees to the US patent office, etc. it's been crazy. There's still alot of work to be done (= $$) and researching on our end (finding a manufacturer, buying the material, a draftsman, an artist to draw the logo, marketing the product)...but he's really determined to get there...and we are, little by little. He does have my full support, although sometimes I get impatient and wish we were out there already marketing the product. But there's also alot we have to learn too, by going to seminars about this stuff, etc.

Anyway...sorry to get off topic before, but James makes very good money for what he does...not only because he's in the Union but because it's a very dangerous job. We do, however, be sure that we have the money for things like The Little Gym and good education for Alexia as we recently enrolled her in a Montessori school. Not cheap, but for us we think ahead and apply the money to where it would be best 'invested' in when it comes to Alexia. :)

We have some cc debt unfortunately, and we will wind up taking about $10,000 from the profit we make off here to pay off most of it. Yep, that's so crazy. We haven't used our cc in ages but need to get it down so that we can get a mortage without having that high debt ruin anything for us.

Also, DH also has a side business too. It's a welding business and when times get rough where we need some extra money, he's lucky enough to call some contacts and estimates some welding jobs and most likely he gets them. :) So that has helped us out too when needed.....and if his job were to ever slow down he has that too to fall back on for a while, along with unemployment.

I don't work or do anything part time for extra money. Like you Andrea, I can't see myself working and having her in daycare. I just can't do it. If I have to sacrifice, it's all worth it to me because I'm home with my kids. :) But I've been thinking about practicing calligraphy again for a while now. I use to be good at it years and years ago. And if I can get up the motivation to try it up again, I would love to make some extra money by doing wedding invitations and things like that. :)

Dawn he is in the pipefitters union, but he is a B book tech. My brother and dad are both A books. John is in the heating/AC/refrigeration division. He just completed his first year and his pay has gone up over $3 since he started. *I* know it will be worth it in the end as I grew up the daughter of a union man. I think it took him a little more convincing. My dad got him into the union (and it didn't hurt that he scored 2nd highest on the tests). He was leary for a while, especially when he was laid off for 3-4 months. His program is 5 years. Luckily he is done school until August. They have classes one day every other week and they do NOT get paid for class time. He also has a 2 hour drive up to North Jersey for school, which sucks. But like you said, it will all be worth it in the end. And when my kids are old enough to go to school FT, then I will try to get back into teaching FT. That way I am still home around the same times they are!!

As for doing something on the side, I am thinking about making and selling handmade cards. I made some thank you cards for someone on another site and some baptism cards for someone else. Anyone interested in buying handmade cards?!? :lol:

Oh, he's in the pipefitters union! That's so cool! James works with lots of them when they're putting up a building, as I'm sure your DH (and Dad and brother) have worked with IW's as well. :)

Just curious...do they give vacation pay to the pipefitters (you know, a nice check every 3 mos.?) Some unions have that and others do not. Also, it varies by state too. In NJ they give vacation pay to the IW's (meaning they get $6.50 for every hour they work and then they get that one lump sum check which is called the vacation pay check every 3 mos). I'm asking because for us, this comes in handy...we'll either pay off 3 mos. mortgage with it and not have to worry about it for a while, or to purchase high ticket items that we need/want, or in this case...towards Alexia's school. :) I love when those checks come in!

I'm so happy that your DH got into the pipefitters union...and you have family that's in it as well! Awesome! :up:

I know the 2 hr. drive for school sucks, but thankfully at least he doesn't have to go to school that often (once every other week, right?). I'm assuming that's the reason why their apprenticeship is longer. It will all be worth it, as you well know! I'll be cheering you on that the end of his apprenticeship will fly by!!!!!!!! :)

yeah the first year flew by (in my opinion anyway). I'm not sure abotu the vacation checks :dunno: I know my dad got them, but some things are different with John since he is a B book, but I THINK that he will get them. We haven't gotten one yet though, so maybe not until he is a journeyman. Or maybe now that he is OFFICIALLY in (they had the ceremony right after they finished the first year). I should ask him about that, huh?

I voted. DH is a psychotherapist in private practice. It has it's benefits but is quite scary since he is in business for himself. I just thank God that I have a degree and can back to work if the need ever arises. I wouldn't want too but if it meant the difference between food and no food...Hi Ho Hi Ho off to work I go! :lol:

yeah the first year flew by (in my opinion anyway). I'm not sure abotu the vacation checks :dunno: I know my dad got them, but some things are different with John since he is a B book, but I THINK that he will get them. We haven't gotten one yet though, so maybe not until he is a journeyman. Or maybe now that he is OFFICIALLY in (they had the ceremony right after they finished the first year). I should ask him about that, huh?It would be great if he does get them. They come in so handy! :) I look so forward to them checks! :devildance:

I just got done talking to James and I totally forgot to ask him... as he would know too if the pipefitters pay out vacation pay to their men.

That's so cool that your DH is a blue collar Union guy! There doesn't seem to be alot of us around here. James will be thrilled too, to know that my online Jersey friend's DH is a pipefitter! :up: :lol:

I meant to tell you, that sounds like a good idea if you can make cards, etc. Can you start out by maybe taking orders through family and friends...then maybe even starting up a website? :dunno: Make up a brochure of your work and have your family and friends maybe pass it around to their jobs...especially if they work in an office....you will usually find a definate sale or two there! You can even get free business cards online through a couple sites I've seen. :)

DH said he will get vacation checks, but he doesn't have enough hours yet. He said he plans on using that for Christmas.

As for the cards, I have no clue how to run a website. I thought about eBay, but while I love to BUY from eBay, selling intimidates me. :errr: I'd have no idea what to sell for. It would vary so much depending on how elaborate they were. SOMEDAY :lol:

DH said he will get vacation checks, but he doesn't have enough hours yet. He said he plans on using that for Christmas.
Yea, baby! :banana:

If selling intimidates you on ebay (i was the same way, trust me), why don't you first try selling something stupid...like a pair of jeans. I know it sounds silly, but we had alot of stuff I wanted to get rid of.....so I kept putting it off, etc. Finally got the nerve to try and sell something. I only put one pair of jeans on there to start out with. Sold for $10.00! :banana: From that point on, I've sold lots of pants/jeans, and shoes!!!!

So try taking baby steps with ebay....to get the hang of selling, etc. start first by selling something...anything! You will see...it does get just as addicting to sell as it does to buy from there! :lol:

But I hear ya....the only question is how you would price the cards. Hmmm....., maybe browse around and check out other sites and see how much they sell their cards for...just to get an idea. :dunno: You know it's going to be an arm and a leg and maybe you can sell them for a little less, and then price them from there according to how long it will take you.

Yeah I have tons of things to get rid of. I wish I didn't need money, I'd donate it all. :lol:

Off to browse eBay :bolt:

I voted 20-30, but we are on the high end of that. I left a job making $30K myself so we essentially cut our income in half. It is very difficult and something I am not used to. I hate living paycheck to paycheck, but thank God my parents are there if we ever need them!!!

I hate living paycheck to paycheck, but thank God my parents are there if we ever need them!!!
I hear that!! :nod: We also cut our income almost in half when I left my job teaching.

We are in the $80,000 - $100,000 range - however between the both of us we have $2,000 in student loan payments a month for about five more years. So, we have to be very careful and are trying to move into a less expensive home/neighborhood until the student loans are paid off.

In Canada, DH makes about 115K before taxes. He gets about 80K after taxes.
We have alot of debt due to his high tax bill, cc, mortgage and line of credit.

We'd fall in the 60k-70k a year. But DH will most likely be promoted to captain this fall (he's a Firefighter) and that'd bump us up to the next bracket.

When we livedin Little Rock and DH worked for Lucent, we were bringing home about 100K combined... which for single people, no kids, etc.... that was pretty awesome :aok: Then he got laid off.... and then unemployed... we moved.... we had kids.... so now we're at probably 30K~ with his salary, and with me not working now, we've cut what we were making by at least half. I was making really good money, but it still didn't justify going back to work if half my paycheck was going to pay daycare and th e other half was going to put gas in my car....

DH makes between 50,000 & 65,000 per year... Sometimes it's less, rarely it's more... He manages a bar and alot of his income is in tips from his bartending shifts... We took a huge cut when I stopped working (I made around 33k with paid benefits) but we're living comfortably on just his income...

I voted 30-40K. We're at the lower end of the scale even though my husband is working two jobs. But, we're doing okay for now. We rent and almost everything is included for $660 per month (we only pay electric). I saved a bundle of money by adding my husband to my car insurance policy at Geico (they really do save you money). I know it may not have been a very bright idea, but we did take out a small loan with minimal interest, so that we would have some savings for those rainy days. We've been doing okay for the past 4 months. Even though our income doesn't leave much room for extras when it came time to make the decision on whether I would go back to work or not we both agreed that whatever sacrifices had to be made would be worth it.

I was bringing home about $1,400 a month from my job. Around here full time daycare would run us almost half of that. To us it felt like I would be working to pay someone else to watch Izabella. Also, after almost 5 years at my job, I hadn't received a raise in 2 (due to new inexperienced management) and my benifits were terrible. We ended up with over $4000 in medical bills from my pregnancy/labor. I didn't even receive short/long term disability for my maternity leave. The only pay I received was my two week vacation. I had a lot of issues with that place, so when the time came to make the decision it wasn't really all that worth it to me to leave my child to go back to that place. (Can you tell I'm a little scorn?)

Anyway, I am doing some computer work from home now. It's pretty much data entry and they pay by the number of documents you code. I'm a pretty fast typer so I thought this would be ideal, it's just been a little difficult trying to take care of the babe and work at the same time. But, you find me complaining because I love being a stay home mommy. I always wanted to be and didn't really think it would be possible.

Oh, and I just began selling a bunch of stuff on ebay. I find myself going through the apartment saying "hmmm, do we really need that, I could sell that on ebay." It is very addicting. Plus, sometimes once family members know you are doing it, they may ask you to sell things for them too. My mother and cousin did (because they didn't know how to and also didn't have the time). I get 50% of everything I sell for them. Not to shabby ey.

I'd have to say we are in the 60K range. DH is a LT on the Fire Department and he has his own landscape business. DH makes enough to cover all our expenses and we are able to save a little bit too. I would have to say that we are comfortable. We don't worry about food and necessities. We did cut way back on our life style though. I was making about 42K when I worked. We don't go away on vacations, we don't go out to eat, no cable, no call waiting or caller ID. No fancy cars. No shopping sprees. I mostly buy food that is on sale. If steak isn't on sale we don't eat steak that week. We bought an old house about a year ago and renovated it. DH did all the work. We recently refinanced and paid off all our CC debts. We don't have any debt except the mortgage.

Well, we're basically in the $70 area, maybe a little more. My husband works 2 jobs for this, and commutes quite a distance. We agreed when we got married that I would stay home with our children, and here I am :) I was an international flight attendant, and it just wouldn't work with kids or a family of any sort.

I have Katie in a lot of activities, and it keeps us all busy! She's in a Co-Op preschool 3 days a week, in which I'm on the board. This is CRAZY busy! Then, 2 days a week, she's at the YMCA for swimming and Itty Bitty Sports (hockey this session). On top of all that, I have her in ballet. Then, my 2 year old, Elle, just started her preschool class one day a week. This is how I cope staying home...busy busy busy!

We're able to do all this, but still live paycheck to paycheck. It's insanely expensive to live in the Northwest, but we refinanced, and are coping better now.

My husband is a radio dj, and co-owner of a Seattle business, and the future is bright, so I don't stress too much, knowing that he has huge pay increases yearly, and then full ownership soon :)

DH makes $40K but he pays out $10K in child support. We are really struggling. It was ok til they unfairly raised his CS a year and a half ago. I'm in nursing school now and will graduate in May 2007. That is one of the only things keeping me going - a light at the end of the tunnel. We barely scrape by each month, but God always provides our needs somehow. He rocks :) DH works 12 hour days, 5-6 days a week. That is tough - the kids miss him a lot and of course so do I!


One huge regret for me is that we cannot afford to put the kids in any activities. That kills me. Their personalities make it difficult for them to get involved with things on their own, and most of their friends are in things like gymnastics, soccer, football, karate, etc. Jory is in preschool at church while I'm at school (4 days a week, 3 hours a day) and thankfully, my church is providing a scholarship for us. :bow: It's only $130 a month but we can't afford it and they are so gracious. It was hard to ask though :mope: Pride, I guess.


I am a major bargain shopper - I never buy anything that isn't on sale. I get incredible deals at the grocery store and only buy bargain clothes. I just got Jory shirts on clearance for $2 each :aok: and we're not opposed to handmedowns at all :) Actually, my kids hand me down clothes are the nicest clothes they have LOL because a couple friends from church handed down brand name clothing for all of them :aok: Makes me laugh bc I never buy brand name!


We don't have health insurance which is a huge stressor for us. The kids have state insurance thank God, but I have asthma pretty bad (ER visit 1-3 times a year) so that can get expensive. Our cars are 12 years old - just praying they last til I graduate :crossfing. Our families are unable to help. But like I said, God always provides for us, and there are many other people out there with less :nod: I am thankful everyday. It has been hard but totally worth it to be home with my kids. I couldn't work anyway because daycare is so blessed expensive and up til last May we only had one hoopty car, now we have two :lol:.


I'm really looking forward to graduating, though, and have already made out our budget based on two incomes :rotflmao:

Well, DH makes a bunch of money...but you'd all probably die if I told you how much our mortgage was...and we bought our house 4 years ago! Two houses in our neighborhood just went for 675,000 and 650,000. And TRUST ME, we have a nice house and all, but is sure isn't the ritz!

Well my dh is in the +150k range and I do feel fortunate. However we are (hopefully)on the brink of a job change. He is a pilot and will have enough captain hours this summer to start applying to the major airlines. While that is great in the longrun, it is hard starting out. At any major airline you can make anywhere from 25k - 40k the first year. YIKES! They call it your probationary year. Then it doubles the next and the next, etc until you are back where you were. So we try and save (and brace) for that. We do live comfortably. Lauren is in two different gymboree classes that she absolutely LOVES. It is nice for me to as I have a chance to solicalize with other Moms. I do always feel like we aren't saving enough for this job change thats on the horizon and it is stresful at times. We do have a 200 acre farm that we receive income on so that is always a sure thing and I am grateful we can rely on that if need be. No plans for me to work as long as we have kids in school but you never know what may come your way.

It depends on whether DH was in a combat zone. If he is, his income isn't federally taxed. I guess around $35,000 - $40,000 a year. We're also living in an area that's relatively cheap. We could never live where we grew up! We don't accumulate any debt since we've both had problems when we were younger. Except for the one truck and our house we don't owe anyone anything! We pay cash.
We do without, like lots of others, to be able to stay at home and raise our kids!
Andrea, I grew up without classes and all and I'm okay! I played with my mom's friends kids, the neighborhood kids, etc. I think swimming classes were when I was 7. Wiggie doesn't have lots of toys, either. I think he's just great!

Our household income has been drastically cut within the last 3 months or so because I quit my job to be a SAHM. But DH makes a little over $60,000. He is an agent with the Department of Homeland Security.

The only thing that we don't do as much of now is go out to eat. We weren't big spenders in the first place so we haven't had to change our lifestyles that much. My downfall is the amount of money I spend on DS. :blush1: I go without just so he won't.