hope you dont mind me asking...

DH wants me to permantly be a stay at home mom till we are done having kids and they are all in school...mind you we just had our first. My question is if you are a stay at home mom how much does your DH make an hr or year? I want to see if its possible.

Re: hope you dont mind me asking...

I think you should change the poll to just have two salary choices..over and under and nix the hourly wage amount since people will obviously fall into two of those categories but can only choose one (if that makes sense!!)

Re: hope you dont mind me asking...

Im a SAHM...when we decided to have DS we went over our budget and our needs as a family...saw where we could save $$ etc.

I would suggest doing a budget and then track your spending for one month by writing everything down..and I mean everything even a pack of gum...then see how feasible it is for you to stay home. You will also want to take into account your long term goals..do you want to buy a house..a bigger house..do you want your kids to go to private school..preschool..etc..

Your budget and needs will really determine whether or not you can afford to be a SAHM.

It was important to DH that I stay home with DS until Kindergarten. We basically cant do it unless DH takes on some part time work here and there for the extra things we need..such as vacations, decorating, and home renovations.

Good Luck.

Re: hope you dont mind me asking...

I think it's tough to just go by salary. Our student loans are killing us. We can't do it on just his salary, especially on Long Island.

Re: hope you dont mind me asking...

I SAH but have my own business. Actually 2 businesses. But we could make it on just DH's salary, or just my income.

Re: hope you dont mind me asking...

DH makes about 60K a year. I don't work, and we have two kids and a house and we do fine. Not that we have tons of extra money, but we get what we need and a little more.

Re: hope you dont mind me asking...

As other posters have already said - this is really very subjective. Salary doesn't tell the whole story.

My friend 'Amy' is a SAHM and her husband makes about 45M per year. My friend 'Cathy' is a SAHM whose husband makes a LOT of money - well into the 6 figure range. Their lifestyles are COMPLETELY different - but each make it work.

You need to budget, plan and be realistic about what you are willing and able to cut out if being a SAHM is a priority.

Good luck!

Re: hope you dont mind me asking...

I'm a SAHM and I work some very PT hours, but that doesn't contribute to the salary. We can make due on DH's salary because we don't have some expenses like cars and insurance.

Re: hope you dont mind me asking...

I may or may not become a SAHM ... I'm on maternity leave right now and though I have my teaching certification we are realizing right now that we cannot afford day care and with no other options for the baby and me not having a steady job yet we are going to look over our finances next week after we move and figure out if I will be going to back to work.. if anything part time. DH makes less then 60K and we are living in a tiny apartment so we need to consider all of this as well.