Affording to Stay at Home

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-01-2007
Affording to Stay at Home
1968
Wed, 12-12-2007 - 12:20am

Ever notice that those moms that SAH are usually (although not always) more well off than mothers who WOH? It seems to me, based on what I have seen, that while most women enjoy working their jobs and having a professional life outside of the home, some women prefer to stay home with their kids for a certain amount of time - whether it be 1 year or 10 years - and those women have the option to do so, while other women wouldn't even consider the option because they feel they can't afford it.

Well, it has been my experience that most women who do stay at home have

1) husbands who support the idea

2) Husbands who probably earn enough (or almost enough) to support the family.

3) Enough money to support themselves without working.

**Now I am not talking about people who get help from government agencies, I am speaking about women who do it with no outside help - just seems like most women can't because of financial reasons. So, is being a SAH mom now an "upper class" phenomenon - in general? Of course there are many SAH moms that are middle class, but if they chose to have paying jobs, they'd probably move right back up into that higher income bracket.

Blythe

http://beaworkathomemom.blogspot.com/

Working on being...Supermom!

Blythe http://beaworkathomemom.blogspot.com/ Working on being...Supermom!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:36pm
In the long term, chances are she'll figure it out and the kids will do okay.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:37pm
No, I don't always assume anything will be the case.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:39pm
I agree, but OTOH, we don't actually know what type of apartment or what type of town/city she might be able to afford, and it sounds like she doesn't yet either.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:40pm
So, you'd be willing to compromise, as anybody must who finds herself in the situation described in the OP.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:42pm

If you dont see

Dj

"Now when I need help, I look in the mirror" ~Kanye West~

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:46pm

Do you really place that much value on having a house versus renting?

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:49pm

You've made it clear already that you don't deem pets any more important than the chicken you eat. I'd say that makes them pretty disposable in your eyes. Your attitude is a big part of the reason shelters are full of animals. A pet becomes a bit of a nuisance and "oh well its just a cat." lets dump it and make it someone else's problem.


Pets can be expensive. If spending $ on your pets makes you cringe, dont own them. You arent doing cats any favors by *rescuing* them, only to put them down later when they become inconvenient.

Dj


"Now when I need help, I look in the mirror" ~Kanye West~


Dj

"Now when I need help, I look in the mirror" ~Kanye West~

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:50pm
I do see them as more valuable than the meat on my plate, which is one reason why I'm fine with spending several hundred on them per year.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:52pm
No, not at all.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Mon, 12-31-2007 - 1:55pm

No, you're quite mistaken.

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