Questions for SAHM's / Single Income Homes

[ezrabean2005]

Hi Everyone,

 

One idea that DH and I have been kicking around is for him to stay at home with our children instead of taking care of them and running the cafe. As you may remember, I work full time and homeschool in the evenings.

 

Already, we are using all of the cafe income to reduce debt, etc. and get us "ahead". Except for paying off debt, we are not using this income for any regular living expenses. So I am glad we are already doing okay in this way.

 

So my question is for those that have made the change - what didn't you expect financially? Did some things end up costing more? Costing less?

 

For example, I would imagine our utilities would be higher if they were home all day. But maybe our gas would be lower (we have one car, and I take the bus to work).

 

Any thoughts would be most helpful. TIA!:D

 

 

ETA: The cafe has been doing fine financially, but DH has two jobs running it and taking care of the kids (although they are a great help!). I think this would make it much easier on him, not having to parent four children "in public".

Edited June 30, 2011 by ezrabean2005

[ezrabean2005]

No single income families here?

[Tree House Academy]

We have a single income home, but in a more traditional way. My dh works, I stay home with the kids and homeschool them. I can't imagine working full time and them homeschooling!

 

If your dh quit his job, why could he not be the homeschool teacher?

[Mama Geek]

We are now single income but don't have any debt and dd is really young.

 

My response is only sort of related to your post. When dd gets older, I would like to have some sort of business that would be kind of a family business so that she can learn about running a business. I have kind of come to the conclusion that typically the people that are financially successful in this country are small to medium business owners. There is so much that kids can learn from an already established business like it sounds like you have. Can your husband get your children involved in the business rather than giving it up?

[ezrabean2005]

We have a single income home, but in a more traditional way. My dh works, I stay home with the kids and homeschool them. I can't imagine working full time and them homeschooling!

 

If your dh quit his job, why could he not be the homeschool teacher?

 

So, regardless of gender differences, what kind of things did you discover occurred financially?

 

We've been doing this (HS and working for 3+ years now). It's pretty routine at this point. Eventually, DH may HS, but that's not the point of why we'd make the change.

Edited June 30, 2011 by ezrabean2005

[Carrie12345]

I'm no real help. When I stopped working, we added another baby and moved, so I can't attribute any specific finance increases to staying home. Everything went up, period.

[ezrabean2005]

We are now single income but don't have any debt and dd is really young.

 

My response is only sort of related to your post. When dd gets older, I would like to have some sort of business that would be kind of a family business so that she can learn about running a business. I have kind of come to the conclusion that typically the people that are financially successful in this country are small to medium business owners. There is so much that kids can learn from an already established business like it sounds like you have. Can your husband get your children involved in the business rather than giving it up?

 

They are involved and are very helpful, but we may or may not hang on to it. If we don't need the money, we don't want to waste time making it. DH and I have always felt this way. We're kind of weird that way.

[ezrabean2005]

We have a single income. I worked when my first was a newborn (over 9 years ago), but I quit after about half a year to stay home. At the time that cut our income by about half. We quickly just learned to live with less money, but stuff kinda did have a way of evening out. While yes utilities were more we also didn't eat out as much and spent less on vehicles, clothing for work, etc. Childcare costs were eating a huge chunk of our income as well.

 

At the time I quit we were living below our means and that helped. Our rent was very affordable. We had one car that we shared. So it wasn't too difficult on us.

 

We bought a house last year. That would have likely happened much faster if we had two incomes. We waited for an opportunity that felt financially comfortable to us. DH increased what he made when we moved to NY for a new job. That helped too.

 

I don't have anything more specific than that.

 

Thank you, that was very helpful!

[Crimson Wife]

I thought we would be getting more of a tax break than we wound up receiving. We did pay less in the way of payroll taxes (SS + Medicare) but we started getting whacked with the AMT about the same time.

[snickelfritz]

We adjusted, just like you do to any income change.

 

Our biggest hidden expense comes from spending while bored or running errands. Grabbing drinks or a snack while heading to the library. Getting cabin fever and running out for a Sonic drink or a Starbucks. When I plan well, we keep thermoses of water and snacks packed in the car for when errands take too long, etc..... When I don't plan well, those little purchases add up in a hurry.

[T'smom]

We're also single-income, but we have been since we had kids. Even though I worked before, we made all financial decisions (like what house to buy) as if we only had his income- because we planned on my staying home. Plus, since then, lots of circumstances have changed. I don't know how our electricity usage is different than if I wasn't home for example. I know I spend more on going out and about than I would if I worked. We're bored. We like to go places. But I realize that all of the admission costs and gas do add up. It's something that we could cut if we needed to, but also feel it's important for my sanity. Something to think about is that (for some people) it is HARD to be at home. Would your dh be one of those people?

[Anne in CA]

Just one small thought, if your dh and kids are eating in the cafe your grocery bill may go way up when they are home. Grocery prices have really gone up lately.

[Mama Geek]

They are involved and are very helpful, but we may or may not hang on to it. If we don't need the money, we don't want to waste time making it. DH and I have always felt this way. We're kind of weird that way.

 

I guess I don't so much look at it as a way to make money you don't need but as a way to give kids an education about running a business for their future. Only you know if your kids could get much more out of hanging onto it and letting them learn from it.

 

Good luck with getting out from under it.:001_smile:

[ezrabean2005]

All good points. Dh would enjoy being home with the kids, that is something we've talked about extensively (we wouldn't be at this point if he wasn't sure). I wondered about how much money people spend because of boredom. I think that will be a factor. Increased utilities, probably groceries too (since we wouldn't be eating cafe food). This is all very good to think about...

[elegantlion]

Oh, there's lots of us out there. :lol:

 

I worked full time until ds was born. We've been a one income family since. In most areas our expenses dropped.

 

clothing

food (no more lunches out with co-workers, snacks at break)

gas (we even had one car for a period of time, no good, but way cheaper)

 

 

Utilities went up a little, but was not too noticeable

Our decorating budget went up a little as I wanted to make home a little more homey. That may not be an issue with you.

Health Care - again this may not be an issue for your family, but might be the biggest consideration.

 

The biggest plus we've had is family time together. Dh works long hours (this last year excluded). Because I'm home we've been able to give our best to each other instead of a job. We briefly contemplated me working part time and having ds in private school (before we started homeschooling). I realized we'd all be worn out at the end of the day and the only reason I'd be working was to pay for private school. We're a high maintenance family. We're moody and stubborn and we like private time. So we all take time to unwind after a long work day. Trying to all do that at the same time would have been chaos for our family. Now ds and I can decompress before dh gets home. We really are much closer because I stay home.

 

I know not everyone has that option and not everyone is high maintenance either.

 

I was absolutely the last person in the world that thought I would enjoy being a SAHM, much less homeschooling. I do, I can't imagine our lives any other way.

[ezrabean2005]

Good luck with getting out from under it.:001_smile:

 

Thanks?

[Annie G]

I quit working in 1989 and was surprised to learn that we made it just fine without my income. Over the years, we've weathered some pay cuts (dh took a year long pay cut, and raises have been few and low for several years) and have always been able to adjust our spending.

 

If you find you need or want some extra income, your kids are old enough so dh could get a part time gig in the afternoons, when school is done or almost done. Your oldest kids could watch the younger ones.

 

I'm guessing your food costs will go up, as the family will be home for lunch. I'm guessing they usually eat at the cafe- is that something you pay out of pocket for? Our utilities are higher with us being home all day, but it's not a huge cost.

[ezrabean2005]

Oh, there's lots of us out there. :lol:

 

I worked full time until ds was born. We've been a one income family since. In most areas our expenses dropped.

 

clothing

food (no more lunches out with co-workers, snacks at break)

gas (we even had one car for a period of time, no good, but way cheaper)

 

 

Utilities went up a little, but was not too noticeable

Our decorating budget went up a little as I wanted to make home a little more homey. That may not be an issue with you.

Health Care - again this may not be an issue for your family, but might be the biggest consideration.

 

The biggest plus we've had is family time together. Dh works long hours (this last year excluded). Because I'm home we've been able to give our best to each other instead of a job. We briefly contemplated me working part time and having ds in private school (before we started homeschooling). I realized we'd all be worn out at the end of the day and the only reason I'd be working was to pay for private school. We're a high maintenance family. We're moody and stubborn and we like private time. So we all take time to unwind after a long work day. Trying to all do that at the same time would have been chaos for our family. Now ds and I can decompress before dh gets home. We really are much closer because I stay home.

 

I know not everyone has that option and not everyone is high maintenance either.

 

I was absolutely the last person in the world that thought I would enjoy being a SAHM, much less homeschooling. I do, I can't imagine our lives any other way.

 

Thank you, that is so helpful. I would hope for the same benefits of being together. They are together now, but the stress of needing to be "on" all day wouldn't be missed. It would be nice to let DH and the kids sleep in instead of everyone having to be up at 5am. It would be nice to have more leeway in what we do in the evenings, etc.

 

Your post was very beautiful :001_smile: You have a lucky family.

[elegantlion]

Also adding a note about dh. If I had more earning power than him and he felt like he could homeschool, we'd switch roles. I know *I* would have a hard time working full-time and then homeschooling, especially if dh was home during the day, but that's my own sense of martyrdom as well.

 

ETA: Thank you, they are pretty cool.

[ezrabean2005]

I quit working in 1989 and was surprised to learn that we made it just fine without my income. Over the years, we've weathered some pay cuts (dh took a year long pay cut, and raises have been few and low for several years) and have always been able to adjust our spending.

 

If you find you need or want some extra income, your kids are old enough so dh could get a part time gig in the afternoons, when school is done or almost done. Your oldest kids could watch the younger ones.

 

I'm guessing your food costs will go up, as the family will be home for lunch. I'm guessing they usually eat at the cafe- is that something you pay out of pocket for? Our utilities are higher with us being home all day, but it's not a huge cost.

 

Great points! The food we eat at the cafe does come from our own pocket. We'd just be buying food for home instead of "cafe food".

[ezrabean2005]

Also adding a note about dh. If I had more earning power than him and he felt like he could homeschool, we'd switch roles. I know *I* would have a hard time working full-time and then homeschooling, especially if dh was home during the day, but that's my own sense of martyrdom as well.

 

ETA: Thank you, they are pretty cool.

 

Eventually, I could imagine DH HSing - what we use / do is not difficult to do. He may want to also because it would give their at home day more routine. But that's another decision for a different day.

 

DH was the primary breadwinner for awhile early on, but he just isn't built that way. His job was miserable and he's better at other things. So then I made more slowly and he and I matched, then I surpassed what he made.

 

In our culture, it's not common to have a family admit this, but it's true of our family: I am better at earning money and he's better at laundry / cooking / etc. I honestly think I would be the bored one at home and have a much harder time of it.

[Mama Geek]

Thanks?

 

That was meant to mean that I hope you are able to get out from under the cafe especially with the economy being so bad.:001_smile:

[meggie]

Hi Everyone,

 

One idea that DH and I have been kicking around is for him to stay at home with our children instead of taking care of them and running the cafe. As you may remember, I work full time and homeschool in the evenings.

 

Already, we are using all of the cafe income to reduce debt, etc. and get us "ahead". Except for paying off debt, we are not using this income for any regular living expenses. So I am glad we are already doing okay in this way.

 

So my question is for those that have made the change - what didn't you expect financially? Did some things end up costing more? Costing less?

 

For example, I would imagine our utilities would be higher if they were home all day. But maybe our gas would be lower (we have one car, and I take the bus to work).

 

Any thoughts would be most helpful. TIA!:D

 

 

ETA: The cafe has been doing fine financially, but DH has two jobs running it and taking care of the kids (although they are a great help!). I think this would make it much easier on him, not having to parent four children "in public".

 

I'm a SAHM, but I don't know how much help I'll be. We were both students at the time only working part time during school and full time in the summer and I stayed home when we had Pigby. The costs were negligible then. Instead of me working, we got student loans to pay for rent. Dumb, I know, but that's how it worked out.

 

My biggest adjustment was keeping the house clean and preparing the food. It's still a work in progress. I wasn't really raised or taught how to do anything, so I had to teach myself. We ate out way too often because I hadn't done the menu planning or the dishes. If your husband is good in this area, he should be fine.

 

Since my husband hasn't ever really had a high paying job, our expenses never got very high anyway so I am no help on cutting back. There are a lot of things I do on the weekend to prepare for the week ahead and to save on time and money.

 

We only have one car, so there is no boredom shopping here. Generally, everything I buy is thoroughly researched and thought out and is bought with the intent to save us money (ie our wheat grinder and bread machine.)

 

It would be a good idea to have a fund in place for them to have fun. Every paycheck put $XX in an envelope and they can use that for whatever they want: going to get an ice cream, going to see a movie, etc. Once the money's gone, it's gone until next payday.

 

I'm sorry I can't be of more help, I haven't ever been in that particular situation, but I do know it can be done.

[ezrabean2005]

It would be a good idea to have a fund in place for them to have fun. Every paycheck put $XX in an envelope and they can use that for whatever they want: going to get an ice cream, going to see a movie, etc. QUOTE]

 

The fun money idea is very good -- we don't spend money on outside entertainment now (but that is just due to lack of time for it). They may want to just go out on different days.

[KrissiK]

We are single income. I don't think there were any surprises really. I know I spend less on clothes and gas. I'm not sure if our utilities are that much different. Maybe a little. I stopped working when we got the boys, and we had just moved into a new house, so I really have no basis for comparison regarding our expenses before and after I was working. However, there are non-monetary costs and benefits for one parent staying home with the children that IMHO need to be taken in to consideration. The most important for me is the time factor. Money comes and goes, but time cannot be replaced. THat's why I stay home with my kids. I will never get this time back with my kids again and I don't want to miss it.

[Tess in the Burbs]

Our biggest hidden expense comes from spending while bored or running errands. Grabbing drinks or a snack while heading to the library. Getting cabin fever and running out for a Sonic drink or a Starbucks. When I don't plan well, those little purchases add up in a hurry.

 

This. If I don't plan dinner and we end up eating out a lot one pay period it's bad. It affects the next pay period as well. It's my job to have meat thawed and some idea of what to do with it that evening. This week is a lot of leftovers and no one is happy but it's life :tongue_smilie:

 

And I really try to not ever buy stuff when out and about. They know now to grab a water and/or snack when running errands.

 

And shopping. Oh my gosh, I could probably go spend $500 on stuff today at various places. Sure, it might need to be replaced but we could go longer until we do! We could always spend more than we have and I seem to be the enforcer and it's hard b/c sometimes I just wanna buy something ! :lol:

 

for us to be a one income family we have a budget and I know how much extra we have a month. We are going to Disney this winter and my budget starts saving for tickets/gas/food/fun in Sept. I won't charge any of it...but it affects my fall budget. Luckily I bought all winter shirts on clearance in May. They will need jeans but they will be on sale in Aug/Sept before school starts. Shoes are just a normal replacing item. Meals may be simpler the month they need shoes. But my budget runs our household. Otherwise the stress would be too much for me. We are determined to stay debt free. And it means staying home a lot or finding free stuff to do.

 

I guess my best advice is not to use credit. It's real easy to let it add up here and there with the small purchases.

[katilac]

Is having the kids at the cafe all the time the main problem, or is there a strong preference for dh to be home full-time?

 

If dh likes running the cafe, but not having the kids there all the time, I would look for ways to lessen that before making a permanent decision. How far away from home is the cafe? Is it possible to leave the kids home for several hours, and then have dh or someone else bring them to the cafe? I would wake up the oldest so they're not all sleeping, but as he's already used to getting up, being able to stay in his jammies and read, etc, might be a big improvement for him. Or the reverse, cafe in the morning, someone bring them home later.

 

I'd also consider hiring help, either at the cafe or at home (cleaner, sitter); this eases the burden overall and has the kids there less, but you're still coming out ahead while deciding what to do long-term.

 

I agree with the poster who said that a family business can be a great learning experience, so I'd hate to get rid of it if some adjustments could make it a more positive experience.

 

As far as unexpected expenses, I didn't really notice any. The utility bill is mostly offset by less gas, fewer clothing purchases, etc. You'll want to have a budget, and stick to it pretty strictly at first, because anything you do with 4 kids is going to be expensive.

 

 

gotta run, but let us know what you decide!

[ezrabean2005]

The problem is not the kids being there - they enjoy it (some days more than others). DH and I have been considering this as a way to simplify our life a bit. This is all very preliminary and nothing has been decided, but it has been something we've talked about on and off for awhile.

 

If we changed anything it wouldn't be for another year, most likely. We have never had one parent not working and at home so we wanted to gain others' experiences.

[Pretty in Pink]

Snickel makes a good point. It is helpful to have some fun money set aside each pay period for the stay-at-home-parent, because there will be days when they just need to get out for an hour or two and taking the kids for an ice cream or slice of pizza is just the ticket. Those trips can add up, of course. Last year I was in school four days per week, and the little stops for drinks and burritos and such really added up each week. It is so helpful to have meals planned and, as a general rule, have a little cooler packed with water bottles and snacks for while you are out.

 

Your fuel expenses may go up or down, depending on the commute your dh is used to making and how frequently he takes the children out for activities during the week that they previously did not participate in. During the summer I trek to the YMCA 3 or 4 times per week (10 miles round-trip), drive the boys to TKD twice per week (15 miles round-trip), and go the library once per week (10 miles round trip); during the school year we have more driving, and this doesn't include our regular run to the market or trips to the playground or friends' homes, etc.

 

We spend more on art supplies when I am home full-time, but I don't see any increase in our utility use.

[katilac]

The problem is not the kids being there - they enjoy it (some days more than others). DH and I have been considering this as a way to simplify our life a bit. This is all very preliminary and nothing has been decided, but it has been something we've talked about on and off for awhile.

 

If we changed anything it wouldn't be for another year, most likely. We have never had one parent not working and at home so we wanted to gain others' experiences.

 

Okay, with that in mind, I'd have to say that I personally would prefer an option that lets me spend lots of time with the kids, while still working at least part-time. I quit work when my first was born, but after about 3 years I started some light free-lancing, and since then I've pretty much always had something going. It's for my sanity rather than for the money, lol, but it's nice to have a bit of income as well.

 

It can be tough to be home all the time, without the interaction and feedback one gets from colleagues or customers. I'm a homebody by nature, and very content with my own company most of the time, but I'd really struggle if I never had the satisfaction of completing outside projects (stupid laundry is never DONE, lol), or of hearing someone not related to me say "good job." Everyone is different, but it's something to consider. Running a cafe seems like it would involve tons of activity and interaction, so staying home full-time would be a very big change.

 

So, I'd probably focus on making incremental changes over time, rather than one huge change.

[Guest texaslady22]

My husband is the stay-at-home homeschooling parent in our family. It's only been about 10 months, but it's worked out great (we have one in K and a 16 month old).

 

I can't really speak to the financial aspect too much, but I can say that my husband doesn't have as much "stuff" to buy as I did as a stay-at-home parent. When I was home, I had to get little gifts for my mom friends birthdays and do lunches out and such. Men don't seem to have those same needs.

[Joanne]

No single income families here?

 

:confused:

 

It's a Thursday before a holiday weekend. Towards the end of the week are normally slower times for homeschool boards during standard weeks. This week will be an exaggerated case of that.

 

I guess the first question is to ask:

 

Which will be more stressful to the family:

 

Continued debt?

 

Continuing to run the cafe?

[Tarreymere]

My DH was at home for a couple years while I worked full time, then I worked part time and he was back to work full time, then I was at home full time while he worked full time. For us, we do better financially when I am at home although when I work I can make a lot more money than he does (he works in human services). This is because I have an interest in cooking and baking and looking for ways to save money on household non-fixed expenses. I have found I can make a number of things at home very inexpensively and I enjoy doing it. When DH was home he didn't even think along those lines. He had a seven day menu that never varied, and he would never had even attempted to try baking his own bread or anything else. We did seem to eat out a lot more when we both were working.

 

We haven't seen an increase in utilities, but we did buy a used woodstove and since I am home all day I can keep the stove going so we save on propane. We have one window a/c but we don't live in an area where it is really practical to run a/c all summer, so that isn't a big expense.

 

I am also more likely to try to figure out and fix things myself, like the washer and the oven. DH's response is to buy a new one or hire someone to come in and fix it. He thought I was nuts to try to figure out how to fix things without any specialized knowledge. I thought he was nuts to think I couldn't learn or figure out how to do it. I guess we have very different approaches to problem solving! :001_smile: I can learn things and apply them without needing or bothering with a class or someone to teach me, but DH just can't seem to do that or at least has a hard time with it. Hmm....maybe I am beginning to understand why some people are so enthusiastic about college and I am not........

 

I also don't get as frustrated with the kids as he can get. I know I have higher standards for the housekeeping. He literally put a 'butt print' into our couch when he was home. :glare: I tend to sew up ripped couch cushions or mend ripped clothes, which saves money. I don't bother to do that kind of thing when I am working. DH wouldn't consider sewing anything.

 

I guess in trying to decide whether or not to make a change in your situation it would be helpful to look at the personality of the people involved. First of all, who would tolerate being home full time the best? It isn't easy to be home full time. Do you think you or your DH would go crazy without that outside interaction? Would you feel the need to go and get involved in a ton of homeschool activities to make up for it and if so then that can get pretty expensive.

 

Who is more likely to do those little things that add up to saving signifigant money at home? You know, like baking from scratch or planning new inexpensive meals, mending or making over old clothes, that kind of thing.

 

Who is more likely to want to spend more and on what? We save a ton of money by not having a car this summer and by usually only having one car. Some people would go crazy with no vehicle. Even with only one car some people would have more places they 'needed' to go than others and thereby spend more on gas and wear and tear. Another poster said that when she is at home she tends to spend more on lunches and small gifts and that her husband is less likely to do that. I know I am more likely to spend less on curriculum than my husband, who prefers the all-in-one boxed curriculum. My husband spends less on clothes for work and that kind of thing than I did. When I worked I spent more on coffee drinks than DH spends on lunches now.

 

Good luck on whatever you plan to do. Sometimes you have to switch things around a few times to get a feel for what works best for your family.

[ktgrok]

Higher utilities, and honestly, because I am not working i have more time to eat, so more food, although it is less expensive food because we don't go out at all really. Also, I tend to shop more often, because I have the time. (groceries and walmart stuff for the baby/kids, not high end retail, lol.)

[prairiewindmomma]

---

Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma

[brehon]

Hi Everyone,

 

One idea that DH and I have been kicking around is for him to stay at home with our children instead of taking care of them and running the cafe. As you may remember, I work full time and homeschool in the evenings.

 

Already, we are using all of the cafe income to reduce debt, etc. and get us "ahead". Except for paying off debt, we are not using this income for any regular living expenses. So I am glad we are already doing okay in this way.

 

So my question is for those that have made the change - what didn't you expect financially? Did some things end up costing more? Costing less?

 

For example, I would imagine our utilities would be higher if they were home all day. But maybe our gas would be lower (we have one car, and I take the bus to work).

 

Any thoughts would be most helpful. TIA!:D

 

 

ETA: The cafe has been doing fine financially, but DH has two jobs running it and taking care of the kids (although they are a great help!). I think this would make it much easier on him, not having to parent four children "in public".

 

I haven't read the other replies; but, my dh stays home with the kids and does most of the homeschooling and I work. So, changes: (1) our grocery bill went up because there were 3 meals + a snack to prepare/eat per day instead of 2; (2) dh thought he'd have more time to work on various projects around the house/land. We've found that he doesn't have as much free time for this than what he originally thought. (3) Our gas bill stayed about the same; but, your bill may indeed decrease. We live where we have to drive to get anywhere. (4) Our utilities didn't change - we still buy propane approximately every 6 months and our electric bill still averages about the same as when both of us were working.

 

Oh, we do have debt we're working very hard to pay off. I'm picking up what shifts I can; but, my work just recently began enforcing a maximum 96-hr/week rule to include shifts, meetings, education, etc.

[melissel]

Not too much changed for us when I left my job, because I was already working from home and the kids were always home with us. The one thing that we weren't quite prepared for was how many expenses slipped past us that we didn't really "see" when we had plenty of money to pay for everything. I thought I had a good handle on everything, had budget categories etc. But now that we're really in a place where every penny truly counts, we're suddenly truly seeing all that extra stuff.

 

Medical things--DD8 was sick with a really weird stomach bug for three weeks. I finally took her to the doc, who ordered three separate samples be collected and tested. Of course, insurance only wanted to cover one of those. There's now $169 that needs to be paid. Before, we would have just paid it and not thought about it--but now that $169 was not in our budget for the year! My car needed an unanticipated $300 fix last week. Last year we wouldn't have even thought about it--now it's more of a hardship. We seem to be bombarded with the "money gremlins" now, when in reality, all of those kinds of things existed before, but we had the money so we just didn't really think about them!

[melissel]

I'm picking up what shifts I can; but, my work just recently began enforcing a maximum 96-hr/week rule to include shifts, meetings, education, etc.

 

Am I reading that right? That's nearly 14 hours a day, seven days a week!

[brehon]

Am I reading that right? That's nearly 14 hours a day, seven days a week!

 

 

Lol! Well, I work a 24 hr on/48 hr off shift schedule. So, it's not quite as bad as it originally seems. We used to have a floating 96-hr rule and it didn't include non-shift work. This new rule apparently mandated by federal rules is really beginning to hurt some of my colleagues in one of 2 ways: either being forced to take vacation (and use up that time) because working a shift (even if it's your normal shift) would put you over 96 hours or being denied vacation time because no one is able to pick up the days you want off. It'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

[melissel]

Lol! Well, I work a 24 hr on/48 hr off shift schedule. So, it's not quite as bad as it originally seems. We used to have a floating 96-hr rule and it didn't include non-shift work. This new rule apparently mandated by federal rules is really beginning to hurt some of my colleagues in one of 2 ways: either being forced to take vacation (and use up that time) because working a shift (even if it's your normal shift) would put you over 96 hours or being denied vacation time because no one is able to pick up the days you want off. It'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

 

But...how is it healthy/sustainable for anyone to work 96 hours a week? I'm sorry, this is such a thread hijack, but the idea of that actually scares me!

[missmoe]

I know wear and tear on our household is much more with lots of people here all day. Things need painted more often. Furniture shows more wear. Ect.

[Peela]

I am at home- no longer homeschooling- but the ways money leaks have been 2 main ones- one, when we go out of the house. Petrol, and just stopping by to pick up something to eat, or anything like that. If I am home all day, there is nowhere to spend money. If we are out, it seems so easy to spend a remarkable lot.

 

The other way is to spend money online. But thats my vice.....it used to be homeschooling curricula. Nowadays its other stuff, but it still a leak.

 

I would consider the overall emotional health of your family as much as your financial situation. Its true that financial stress (such as when in debt) can cause emotional problems. Its also true that busting a gut to pay off debt while trying to keep so many balls in the air at once- homeschooling, working, trying to have a happy healthy marriage and family life....might lead to more stress and therefore emotional issues which might lead to more financial debt in health costs etc.

[justamouse]

Well, I think it can be a wash, but it depends on how much less you consume and if you find value in what you're not purchasing (which would make you miserable with your choice). I make a lot of stuff myself to make up the difference in a tight budget and to make myself happy.

 

The only utilities I can see going up is heat in the winter because you can't turn a thermostat down while everyone isn't at the house.

[brehon]

But...how is it healthy/sustainable for anyone to work 96 hours a week? I'm sorry, this is such a thread hijack, but the idea of that actually scares me!

 

 

Sorry. Just saw this. Well, to be honest, it probably isn't all that healthy, especially when you factor in the possible lack of sleep at work. Or lack of quality sleep -- I actually feel worse in the mornings if I've been awakened for a call at 3:00a.m. than if I stayed up most of the night running calls.

 

Also, under the new rules (or the newly enforced rules, if you will ;)) these 96 hours include meetings, extra training, continuing education, basically anything for which you are paid. Those are usually 2 to 4 hours each.

 

What is really scary to me is that there have been several studies completed which showed that a paramedic working a 24 hour shift has all the characteristics of someone who is legally drunk -- usually by hour 12 or 13. This held true whether or not the medics were up all night or not. My system is in the beginning stages of trying to revamp how we schedule medics. Unfortunately, such a move costs money and one thing the county commissioners are known for is their tight hold on the purse strings.

 

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I agree with you. I just hope that this new rule doesn't prevent people from taking vacation time when they want/need it. That would be just as bad, trust me.

[melissel]

What is really scary to me is that there have been several studies completed which showed that a paramedic working a 24 hour shift has all the characteristics of someone who is legally drunk -- usually by hour 12 or 13.

 

This is the kind of thing I was thinking of. I was imagining you were a nurse, and their schedules are bad enough! But I can see where paramedics would be even more under the gun, schedule-wise--the emergency response systems are even more underfunded just about everywhere, I'd imagine.

 

Ugh! :grouphug: I can't even think what to say--Good luck? Get some sleep? Thank you for all your hard work in your community? Probably all of those! :lol: Thanks for the explanations. I had no idea, really.

[Mrs Mungo]

No single income families here?

 

We are a single income family, but I have stayed home ever since our first dd was born. Dh had a job change at the same time where he was making more than double what we had been making combined. So, there was no real "change" to speak of.

[DawnM]

Well, this probably won't effect you in any way, but for us, the insurance costs went up, WAY up.

 

My job allowed me to get full health coverage (medical, dental, vision) at NO cost to me....it was part of my benefits package and it covered the entire family. It was excellent coverage too. I gave birth to two babies, both C-sections, and paid $0 for office visits, the birth, the time in the hospital, everything.

 

Now we pay $600/mo for medical and dental only and it is quite sub-par. The co-pays are high. I was told labor and delivery was only covered at 80% and if I had a C-section I would pay the first $2,000 and then they would cover the rest at 80% only. Thankfully I am not having any more babies.

 

Dawn

[Mom0012]

I quit working full time after my son was born in 1999. At that time, my husband and I had been married about a year and a half and we had been only using half of my paycheck for living expenses and had put the other half in savings, so we had a nice nest egg. We also had no debt. I continued to work very part time until my daughter was born two years later.

 

The big thing for us is we were renting when I quit my job, but getting ready to build our first home on land we already owned outright. We were terrified about being able to pay the mortgage because we had been paying very low rent. It all worked out though. We had a backup plan of finishing our basement and renting it out, but we never had to do that. We lived very well until the last few years, when prices began to increase and my husband's salary decreased at the same time. Now, we have to be very careful with our money, but I still feel like we have everything we need and more.

 

Lisa

[VeteranMom]

Our living expenses went down when I quit my job. I was only working part time, but I felt really rushed most of the time I was working. I now clip coupons, watch for sales, and we eat out a lot less. That's been a huge savings. The freed up time allowed me to pay more attention to my spending.