WOHMs - could you afford to take 3 mo...

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2005
WOHMs - could you afford to take 3 mo...
1595
Mon, 11-05-2007 - 11:13am

WOHMs - could you afford to take 3 months of totally unpaid leave?



  • Yes, we have enough saved up for that
  • Yes, we could save up enough for that
  • Yes, DH makes enough to get us by
  • No
  • other


You will be able to change your vote.






Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:48am

And certainly there are people for whom all of those circumstances are true. For me, it would have to be an extreme situation (only one possible job, only one possible place to live, no public transportation, only one possible gas guzzling vehicle).

But that is extreme. For example, I choose to live somewhere with good public transportation. I choose to rent a (more expensive) house, so I can walk and take public transportation to work. I chose a job that is with in a walkable/"public transportationable" distance from my house. Because I made those choices, I can choose not to drive in the snow, but I haven't had problems driving even on terrible WV roads (widing, icy, narrow) in non-4-wheel-drive cars. Not to mention that there are several smaller vehicles with 4-wheel-drive, if I felt I needed 4-wheel-drive.


iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2002
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:49am

In some parts of the US, affordable housing may be an hour or more commute away from the actual jobs. It may simply not be possible for people to live closer to the job. I really hate that, but blame years of very poor city planning. Add in a truly lousy public transportation system and people really and truly are stuck.

It's not really even bad yet in the US. We currently pay $7.50 per gallon of gas. If it hits that kind of price in the US, people will be stuck having to choose between gas and food because they won't have any alternative ways to get to work.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-27-2005
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:49am
No, I don't buy furniture with the idea of replacing it anytime soon! We did get a new dining room table because we grew out of our old one but we had it for about 10 years. We got a new couch because our dog destroyed it. It was 14 years old and I would have kept it for much longer if I could. My dd is using my furniture when I was a kid and my son is getting his first "real" set as they furniture he has now is basically baby furniture, crib, toddler bed, dresser, changing table/dresser.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2006
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:51am

we moved to the nw side of town because the commute was getting just too long.

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:52am
I understand that. It's part of the reason I live and work where I do.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-27-2005
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:52am
Yes it is, why?
Avatar for mkatherine
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:54am

I guess. I'm just used to NH where everything is at most and hour from everything else -- and most of the jobs are in two -three cities.

 

Yes. We. Did.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-06-2004
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:55am
I could never cut out my cable.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-27-2005
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:58am
I am not considering cable a luxury. It is something that has always been part of my budget, like food and not something I would not ever give up. I really don't think I have expensive tastes. I don't shop in high end stores. I buy sales all the time. Pride myself on how much I can get for a dollar!
It is basically me saying to you that you can give up such and such (something you like and would never think of getting rid of it at all, ever) that I find unnecessary and a waste of money.
Daycare DOES prevent us from saving for 6 months and I will never deny that. There is nothing in my budget that I would cut out for those 6 months and just continue to make interest on my savings during that time. This was our last year so we won't have that problem starting next September.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2002
Thu, 11-08-2007 - 10:59am
Much of what people term "modern furniture" is actually based on styles developed in the 40s-70s in Scandinavia. The original versions are often much nicer than the recent knock-offs, but unfortunately way out of my price range. Another big influence on "modern furniture" is Bauhaus style (Germany, 1920s and 30s). Loads of copies from this style are still sold in furniture stores as "modern furniture".

Pages