200k for us

Anonymous wrote:$125K+ It really depends on your expenses.

+1 it depends on where you live, how many kids, and what you are willing to go with out.

I was a SAHM for a couple years when my DH was making only 90k but we had a low mortgage and were willing to give up some luxuries, plus I figured out how to keep our food expenses extremely low because I'm a good cook and know how to take advantage of coupons and deals and make meals stretch. And we knew it was temporary so we didn't stress too much that we had one year that we didn't save money because we were adding another income back in not long after that.

I know other people who have done it on an HHI of around 100k but they lived in low COL areas and had multiple kids, and there were genuine financial benefits to having a SAHP and not having to pay for childcare for multiple kids. Even once they started school, being able to not worry about summer care for younger kids can be a big money and stress saver. But also, these are people who aren't going to lament not being able to travel extensively or spend lots of money on technology and clothes and stuff. The people who do this have decided to prioritize a certain family lifestyle over other things.

In DC, if you want to maintain a typical UMC lifestyle and have a SAHM, I think you need the other spouse to be making at least 200k, probably closer to 250k, and you need to already own a home with access to schools you are happy with. It's really, really hard in DC to move for "good" schools own one income unless that person is a very high earner.

Why is DCUM so focused on HHI when most of this sub claims to have endless piles of family wealth?

Income is for poors.

I became a SAHM when my husband was in law school. We lived in a cheap apartment and I used coupons and our car was probably worth a thousand dollars.

So, I guess 0?

As ever, HHI is only one of a handful of crucial factors.

We did it with $150K and three kids in NoVA.

Is the number different from what would be required for a husband to stay home?

950,000 income per year plus

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just asked my husband this question - he said 400k.

Tell him to get a better job then.

He makes 600k as a W2. But thanks for the snark.

Anonymous wrote:I just asked my husband this question - he said 400k.

Tell him to get a better job then.

I just asked my husband this question - he said 400k.

300K+

Depends on the lifestyle you want. You could make it on one spouse earning $100k if you wanted to.

$125K+ It really depends on your expenses.

Your opinion DCUM? What would be ok income for someone to stay home? Meaning if only one spouse working?