Rock and a Hard Place

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Rock and a Hard Place
1524
Thu, 11-20-2003 - 10:45am

There's something on this board that has been bothering me, and I hope I can articulate it.

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2002
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 11:26am
I am also talking about the end product and SAH/WOH CAN make a huge difference depending on circumstances. It doesn't always boil down to finances and there are plenty of reasons why the end product may be better by having a SAHP.


Laura

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 11:34am
I've seen a lot of people too who dig themselves into a hole financially-they *MUST* have 2 incomes just to survive. Not because they dont make enough money, but because they have gotten themselves into such debt that they put out more money than they are bringing in.

Kind of like when we bought our home-if we'd have bought a house that cost what *they* said we could afford, we'd have ended up very house/cash poor. I know a LOT of people who would have bought right up to the limit of what they could afford, without considering whether or not they could *really* afford it.

dj

Dj

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

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2003
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 11:41am
>>I know a LOT of people who would have bought right up to the limit of what they could afford, without considering whether or not they could *really* afford it.<<

Yep. I know a lot of people like this too. Just b/c you "qualify" for something doesn't mean you have to buy it.

These are the people who have enormous homes with very little furniture in them b/c they can't afford it. I'd rather buy smaller and not sweat the mortgage payments (and have a couch to sit on!)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 12:13pm
Have you read the Two Income Trap? She argues that lattes and the SUVs rarely cause trouble - it's overspending on things that would be 'good' in anyone's book - esp. the house in the good school district - that gets people into serious financial trouble should someone lose their job.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 12:21pm
Why do you keep posting the same thing on different threads???-nt

Dj

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

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 12:26pm
Sigh. I never said it was generally true. My whole point has been that one cannot judge high ses as an OVERALL benefit, or general benefit as it were, for a child without considering the individual situation. There are PLENTY of people out there who have high ses coupled with extremely high debt ratios. Just because they dont fit the general populace of people you know personally doesnt mean they dont exist-there wouldnt be thousands of those consumer debt counseling places out there otherwise.

A high ses is NOT necessarily coupled with the ability to MANAGE the money a person earns. And a high ses doesnt mean squat to a child if mom and dad still can barely pay the bills and fight about money.

dj

Dj

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

Avatar for mygriffin
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 12:27pm
Sorry, there's no "in general." How about "in some cases" or even "in many cases"?

You can say that WOHMs whose incomes increase their family's SES (if it's needs to be increased) benefit their kids by working.

Big deal. It's not a general benefit of working.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 12:44pm
You know, one thing that was really good about me sah ft for a couple years was that it taught both dh and I how to live on one income. It WAS hard on us financially at first, but eventually we got it figured out. When I went back to work pt, I was able to put most of my income right into savings.

Of course, now that we have a bigger house and somewhat bigger payment, my income is a bit more *needed*. But we have made sure that we COULD manage on dh's income alone if necessary. And thats good peace of mind for us.

dj

Dj

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

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 12:48pm
I haven't but we debated that book extensively here - another thread I need to find the link for!

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 11-24-2003 - 12:50pm
Well, that's just not very easy around here.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

Pages