I work very part time during the school year (only make about $10,000) and my DH currently makes $120,000. I was at home full time for 7 years. I can't remember what his salary was when I quit working. We live in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. We bought our home (4 bedroom, 2000 sq foot home built in 1960) in 1998 for $220,000 so our PTI is only $1500 a month. When I started staying at home, we had a two year old and were expecting baby #2. Three years later, we had baby #3 and had to buy a new minivan. Very stripped down, base model mini van. Its now 10 years old and we have no plans to buy anything soon - it runs but doesn't look pretty. Kids go to public school. DH is maxing out his 401K. Luckily, we have a family member who puts money into 529's for our kids.

We pretty much live paycheck to paycheck (although we do have an emergency fund.) But I wouldn't change anything. We don't take fancy vacations. Some years we haven't done any vacation. I rarely buy myself new clothes, but I don't need them because I don't work in an office where i need to get dressed up. We do eat out occasionally, but because I'm home a majority of the time, I usually cook from scratch.

I do get envious sometimes when friends are going on fancy vacations, or to the latest, trendy restaurant, or when a girlfriend is dressed in an expensive outfit. But our priorities are in having a parent at home when the kids are at home - in the morning until 8:45am, in the afternoon at 3:00pm, during spring break, winter break, summer, etc.

i stayed home with our first when my husband was only making 75K. We rented a nice 2 bed apartment near the Vienna metro in Fairfax, owned 2 cars, including one we bought new when baby was born (after I had already quit working). We paid off all student loans before baby and we had no debt besides the car. After paying rent, utilities, grocery bills, car payments, insurance payments, cell phone/internet bills, we were still able to put a couple hundred into savings/investments each month. Yes, we had to cut back on things like eating out, going on vacations, buying clothing or other items for ourselves, cable, etc. but these were all pretty small sacrifices to make since we had a baby and weren't going to be spending a ton on, for example, entertainment or vacations anyway.

Ultimately, we moved out of the area so my husband could take a higher paying job elsewhere and we now live in an area with a much lower COL and are much more comfortable but I say all this to say it can be done in the DC area (not in DC, probably, but in the suburbs).

Most of these responses are not helpful.

I will say I'm impressed with those earning <150k and make it work. We live in the suburbs and our housing costs are around $2400. We are expecting our second next year and just feel like we can't make it on DH's salary (~125k).

$750,000 when I became SAHM, now over a million. Alexandria.

You need like 500k in this area to make it work if you still want a nice house and nice vacations and such.

Anonymous wrote:$375K. It's hard to live comfortably, in the DC area, with an income under $200k.

Not true at all, you just can't live in the city.

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure it just depends on your mortgage and other debt load and your priorities (college/retirement). We're a combined HHI of 430k, our PITI is 2500/mo, with an end to a mortgage payments in 7 years when are in our mid 40s. We could easily live on 40% of our current income. I just couldn't leave that much money on the table. My kids will have an easy start in life and will never have to worry about financially supporting their parents.

So i dont see why a family can't live on any low amount as long as your housing is low.

I think this is the key. If one of you had a house in the area pre housing boom, you're good. DH and I both grew up here. After college we both ended up back here and it just made sense for us to buy houses where we grew up. We both bought in the mid 90s. We didn't get married until 2007. When you have 2 houses to sell that have significant equity, your new housing cost goes way down.

I'm sure it just depends on your mortgage and other debt load and your priorities (college/retirement). We're a combined HHI of 430k, our PITI is 2500/mo, with an end to a mortgage payments in 7 years when are in our mid 40s. We could easily live on 40% of our current income. I just couldn't leave that much money on the table. My kids will have an easy start in life and will never have to worry about financially supporting their parents.

So i dont see why a family can't live on any low amount as long as your housing is low.

When I stayed at home my husband was making about 95k/year and we lived in a one bedroom condo in Friendship Heights. Our rent was about 2k/month and we had one car that was paid off. It was a lovely time of my life.

Anonymous wrote:Would it be possible to hear from folks who have more middle class incomes (less than $200k) AND describe their housing cost, location, type of housing (family of 4 living in a studio would probably not be as inciteful).

Our income hovers around $200k with DH's bonus but his salary is currently $175k. When I started staying at home it was just over $100k and has grown steadily through the years. Our housing cost is about $2500 per month including mortgage, taxes, insurance. We have one child in college and one in HS. 4 bedroom ranch built in 1965 in McLean. We have been able to save for retirement and college too. Part of this is because we saved my take home from the beginning so we were used to living on one salary and built a nice nest egg. Part of this is because we have never had to have an escrow as we bought our house with 20% down. Part of it is because we are naturally frugal and not spenders. Part of it is because both of us were able to start saving for retirement from the getgo and neither of us had any college loans to pay off. Part of it is that we have never had to support any other family members. Part of it is because DH has always had a job.

We never planned on having one of us stay at home, it just made sense for our situation and solved several problems.

Anonymous wrote:90k, DH is a fed on a high-ish COL overseas assignment. Fortunately we get housing and utilities paid for.

This doesn't count. Apples and oranges. Wait until you come back.

Anonymous wrote:Would it be possible to hear from folks who have more middle class incomes (less than $200k) AND describe their housing cost, location, type of housing (family of 4 living in a studio would probably not be as inciteful).

Honestly the only way to know if your family can swing it is to bank your entire income (less daycare/costs that will disappear if you stay home) for the next 6 months or so. If you can make it work, you can make it work. If you're $1500 short every month, you need to make some changes or stay at work.

Anonymous wrote:Would it be possible to hear from folks who have more middle class incomes (less than $200k) AND describe their housing cost, location, type of housing (family of 4 living in a studio would probably not be as inciteful).

You're in the donut hole. Not rich enough to be a SAHM and not poor enough that you have to stay at home (ie when daycare costs more than your salary). Such is most of the middle class.

Would it be possible to hear from folks who have more middle class incomes (less than $200k) AND describe their housing cost, location, type of housing (family of 4 living in a studio would probably not be as inciteful).

90k, DH is a fed on a high-ish COL overseas assignment. Fortunately we get housing and utilities paid for.