Can I be a SAHM on about 100k per year?

[Anonymous]

We do it on A LOT less than 100k. We have 2 DC. Husband works and I SAH. We have a car payment, a mortgage on a SFH, we eat well and we still go out. It depends on your dedication, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem stems from the fact that PP suggested that OP could SAH on $30K/year. What PP neglected to mention until this post is that 1) she pays no mortgage or rent, 2) she relies upon Medicaid and WIC.

I think that it would have been more honest had PP offered these details in her initial post, instead of "gloating" that she can SAH on so little. I'm sorry that PP has had to suffer through this, but I also think that her initial post was very, very misleading.

I'm sorry you feel that way. My initial post was not gloating, a bit of tongue in cheek maybe, but I fail to see how you could take it as gloating. Also, I stated I was on WIC for 3 whole months and instead of that now I rely on sales and coupons. My point stands that yes, you can stay home if you are only pulling in 100k because some of us out there are doing it on much less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I swear I will never understand why people come on these posts clutching their pearls because someone isn't saving hundreds of thousands of dollars for college. There are things called scholarships, you can encourage your children to aim for those. You can also point them to the FAFSA which will enable them to pay for their own education. Help out where you can- pay for room or board, or books, or whatever. I want to give my kids as big a boost as I can, but I'm not forking over $100,000 when they turn 18 years old so they can go drink for four years and never understand what it means to have to pay for your education. MANY people on these boards have student loan debt and do just fine, self included. My children will not suffer some huge mantle of injustice if they have to incur some themselves.

AMEN. I think that's the first time someone else has posted exactly what I'm thinking. I have loans. DH has loans. Our parents both paid a good amount, but we do have loans to repay... and I don't see a problem with that whatsoever. I'm not saving the $400k that these idiots on these forums claim they're saving (which I find hard to believe) to send my snowflake to college.

[Anonymous]

OP, you are being a little mysterious about your home-based work, but regardless of when you have the meetings, you will need childcare to do the work. People who don't yet have kids tend to think that working while taking care of kids is viable, but it's not (and I speak as someone who really believed, once, she could freelance at night or while the kids are napping). If you're clearing $45K/yr, you can afford a sitter, but you will need one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear I will never understand why people come on these posts clutching their pearls because someone isn't saving hundreds of thousands of dollars for college. There are things called scholarships, you can encourage your children to aim for those. You can also point them to the FAFSA which will enable them to pay for their own education. Help out where you can- pay for room or board, or books, or whatever. I want to give my kids as big a boost as I can, but I'm not forking over $100,000 when they turn 18 years old so they can go drink for four years and never understand what it means to have to pay for your education. MANY people on these boards have student loan debt and do just fine, self included. My children will not suffer some huge mantle of injustice if they have to incur some themselves.

AMEN. I think that's the first time someone else has posted exactly what I'm thinking. I have loans. DH has loans. Our parents both paid a good amount, but we do have loans to repay... and I don't see a problem with that whatsoever. I'm not saving the $400k that these idiots on these forums claim they're saving (which I find hard to believe) to send my snowflake to college.

When did you graduate college, and when will your kids? I'm guessing it's at least a 20-30 year span. You can't compare the way college tuition has gone up. And more and more people are trying to get into state schools for this reason, so your super well rounded, talented, 4.0 and perfect SAT score kids are in no way have a spot locked down.

I read a great article recently on how the burdens of student loans will impact future generations - their ability to move out on their own, go into certain careers, and go to grad school. If you can't afford to save for college, that is one thing, but don't kid yourself into thinking your kids may not be greatly impacted if you are not able to help for college at all.

My parents paid full freight for both my brother and I - we both worked PT all the way through college, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude, I missed two classes total in all four years, and we both earned full fellowships for grad school. Paying for college does not equal inability to achieve. I did drink some though

[Anonymous]

^^^Sounds like a bubble waiting to burst. Just five years ago, you had to get into the housing market NOW or you were doomed forever.

If DD's only shot at college is for me to save 300K, then she needs to look at trade school. Do hair. Something other than college, because its not worth the price.

Community colleges and moderately priced schools will be around. Where there's a will, there's a way.

To the OP, 100K is plenty enough to SAH. Move now to someplace cheaper!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem stems from the fact that PP suggested that OP could SAH on $30K/year. What PP neglected to mention until this post is that 1) she pays no mortgage or rent, 2) she relies upon Medicaid and WIC.

I think that it would have been more honest had PP offered these details in her initial post, instead of "gloating" that she can SAH on so little. I'm sorry that PP has had to suffer through this, but I also think that her initial post was very, very misleading.

I'm sorry you feel that way. My initial post was not gloating, a bit of tongue in cheek maybe, but I fail to see how you could take it as gloating. Also, I stated I was on WIC for 3 whole months and instead of that now I rely on sales and coupons. My point stands that yes, you can stay home if you are only pulling in 100k because some of us out there are doing it on much less.

Well duh. If you have no housing costs 30k is probably enough. The crazy part is that you own your home free and clear and can still qualify for public assistance. Sounds like you are abusing the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem stems from the fact that PP suggested that OP could SAH on $30K/year. What PP neglected to mention until this post is that 1) she pays no mortgage or rent, 2) she relies upon Medicaid and WIC.

I think that it would have been more honest had PP offered these details in her initial post, instead of "gloating" that she can SAH on so little. I'm sorry that PP has had to suffer through this, but I also think that her initial post was very, very misleading.

I'm sorry you feel that way. My initial post was not gloating, a bit of tongue in cheek maybe, but I fail to see how you could take it as gloating. Also, I stated I was on WIC for 3 whole months and instead of that now I rely on sales and coupons. My point stands that yes, you can stay home if you are only pulling in 100k because some of us out there are doing it on much less.

Well duh. If you have no housing costs 30k is probably enough. The crazy part is that you own your home free and clear and can still qualify for public assistance. Sounds like you are abusing the system.

And how do you figure, when you are required to report and bring proof of all assets and income, I am doing that?

The only crazy thing is that because I've identified myself as a member of the working poor, you automatically assume that I am somehow cheating the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're doing it on <30k a year. All things are possible in this the best of all possible worlds.

Props to you for the reference to Candide. Although by the end of that book, Voltaire pretty much discredits this mantra. He argues that, in actuality, most things we want are not possible, the world is rather indifferent to our struggles, and pretty much every character ends up crippled and destitute. However, they are all together after a long separation, so they learn to appreciate what they have and not to be disappointed that they don't have more.

PP, I'm sorry the world is knocking you around right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem stems from the fact that PP suggested that OP could SAH on $30K/year. What PP neglected to mention until this post is that 1) she pays no mortgage or rent, 2) she relies upon Medicaid and WIC.

I think that it would have been more honest had PP offered these details in her initial post, instead of "gloating" that she can SAH on so little. I'm sorry that PP has had to suffer through this, but I also think that her initial post was very, very misleading.

I'm sorry you feel that way. My initial post was not gloating, a bit of tongue in cheek maybe, but I fail to see how you could take it as gloating. Also, I stated I was on WIC for 3 whole months and instead of that now I rely on sales and coupons. My point stands that yes, you can stay home if you are only pulling in 100k because some of us out there are doing it on much less.

Well duh. If you have no housing costs 30k is probably enough. The crazy part is that you own your home free and clear and can still qualify for public assistance. Sounds like you are abusing the system.

And how do you figure, when you are required to report and bring proof of all assets and income, I am doing that?

The only crazy thing is that because I've identified myself as a member of the working poor, you automatically assume that I am somehow cheating the system.

This poster is exactly who I WANT to get benefits from the government. Why are PPs harping on the fact that she and her husband own a house? What would they suggest doing? Selling the house, and living off that money until it dries up and THEN being qualified for gov't assistance? People like this poster, or small farmers, people working hourly jobs that need to be filled for our world to go round are in a really tough spot in this country. People on DCUM are so sheltered and entitled and say the worst things about the working poor. They would not cut it for a month.

[Anonymous]

as does my son

He started last year and has one more year of preschool before he's in K. I work; I always have. Right now I'm only PT. However, I fail to see how working a job will conflict with your son's county assistance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're doing it on <30k a year. All things are possible in this the best of all possible worlds.

Yeah by freeloading , welfare and wic you lazy slob

Yup, that would be the only way this is possibly.

You know what? Fuck you both.

I held down a job from the time I was 15 until I gave birth to my second child at 31. The only reason I didn't go back to work is because I didn't realize that there are things like child care subsidies, of which I have no doubt that we would qualify. The reason I stay home now, is because my youngest son has speech and developmental delays. He started a county therapy based preK this year and I'm looking forward to him going to kindergarten so I can go back into the workforce. The only government subsidy we *take advantage of* is medicaid, and only for my children. I honestly don't know why I bother after last week when my son was sick with an ear infection that went untreated for several days because medicaid denied the medicine his ped prescribed. I would love to be able to go back to work right now so that I can have access to a better insurance system with doctors who actually give a crap about their patients.

I was on WIC... for the 3 months the initial batch of vouchers they gave me was good for. The whole process was awful and dehumanizing, and made me feel like an animal at a meat processing plant; all for a loaf of bread, 6 dollars worth of veggies, a bottle of juicy juice, a box of cheerios and some cheese a week. I'd rather keep my dignity and clip coupons than go through that again.

We get by though. We own our home outright and we rent out rooms to make ends meet. We have basic cable and internet. We use a magic jack and prepaid cell phones. My mother works with a woman who routinely passes on clothes to us, so that all I have to worry about is shoes twice a year. I cut coupons and shop sales. We eat at home and in the summer we grow alot of our own veggies (in case you think "but I don't have the room!" we don't either, I use containers). I shop yard sales, thrift stores, craigslist, and freecycle. We never did a lot of classes because my youngest was such a difficult child and I felt like I was disrupting the other people when I couldn't stop him from crying, but we did find some affordable programs through the county park system. There are lots of fun free or cheap things to do out there with your kids as well.

Anyway, I didn't mean to come across as bitter as I started out. Things aren't ideal, but we still have a good life, even on so little. My kids are healthy and happy, there's food in their bellies and a roof over their heads. What more can one ask for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do it on A LOT less than 100k. We have 2 DC. Husband works and I SAH. We have a car payment, a mortgage on a SFH, we eat well and we still go out. It depends on your dedication, OP.

What do you put away monthly for retirement and college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear I will never understand why people come on these posts clutching their pearls because someone isn't saving hundreds of thousands of dollars for college. There are things called scholarships, you can encourage your children to aim for those. You can also point them to the FAFSA which will enable them to pay for their own education. Help out where you can- pay for room or board, or books, or whatever. I want to give my kids as big a boost as I can, but I'm not forking over $100,000 when they turn 18 years old so they can go drink for four years and never understand what it means to have to pay for your education. MANY people on these boards have student loan debt and do just fine, self included. My children will not suffer some huge mantle of injustice if they have to incur some themselves.

AMEN. I think that's the first time someone else has posted exactly what I'm thinking. I have loans. DH has loans. Our parents both paid a good amount, but we do have loans to repay... and I don't see a problem with that whatsoever. I'm not saving the $400k that these idiots on these forums claim they're saving (which I find hard to believe) to send my snowflake to college.

Um, private college today is $50K a year. $100K is only half. See why some of us clutch our pearls?

[Anonymous]

State college is cheaper than that, community college is even more affordable. There's scholarships, loans, work studies, and whats wrong with making your special snowflake get a job and start saving up towards school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do it on A LOT less than 100k. We have 2 DC. Husband works and I SAH. We have a car payment, a mortgage on a SFH, we eat well and we still go out. It depends on your dedication, OP.

What do you put away monthly for retirement and college?

Even if you don't save for college (which I realize that some people do not prioritize), you need to be saving for retirement.
Do you have an emergency fund? This is especially important if one parent SAH in case the other loses his job.
How do you pay for health insurance?