s/o SAH: how much would your DH have to make?

[southerntransplant]

for you to feel comfortable doing it?



I'm pregnant now and we occasionally talk about my quitting to SAH for a couple of years. But then I think about all the stuff that I'd like to keep about our lifestyle (such as our weekly cleaning service and regular vacations) plus all the extras that I would want to add in ($$ for "mommy and me" type classes, preschool eventually, regular babysitters, etc.) and it makes me panic.

So just curiosity: if you were to ever stop working for a period of time, what level of income would you need to feel comfortable doing so?

[chessie]

At least 150k or more, we have no family around so we would have to pay for side childcare if we went through route.

[Deleted]

Isn't this incredibly dependent on cost of living?

[gibbinator]

We really only need to find an extra $400/mo to live comfortably. It's a $4,800 raise so he'd be making about $60, 000. Or if we pay off his car, we're set. Normally with me working our hhi is $75, 000

Its lcol area

[SJ]

I don't think I want to completely SAH for any amount of money. Neither does DH.

[6fsn]

It depends on cost of living and your overall financial picture. It also depends on what you are willing to give up. DH makes just under $100k and I'm home with soon to be 3 kids. We have no student loans and when I resigned no car loan (baby 3 pushed us into a van at 0%). I made sure when I worked a budget that we would have enough to max my Roth and add a little bit of college savings for the kids. I also made sure there was wiggle room for fun stuff.

We have a smaller home and don't go out to eat much, but our overall quality of life is better with me home than it was when I was working.

[ECB]

HCOL area. He'd need to make at least $150k. That's more than what we presently make combined, but I'd want some kind of buffer!

[takeonyou]

We would need dh to double his current earnings. It's overkill, but I have issues with not working at all.

[southerntransplant]

Dec 6, 2012 8:39:48 GMT -5 v said:

Isn't this incredibly dependent on cost of living?

I'm sure. I was just curious about different people's circumstances and how they choose to live and make that work. We live in a hcol area though.

[ssmjlm]

Well I make about $20k more than DH's base pay (he can make a lot in OT), so he would have to probably increase his base by at least $20k, but truly there's so much more to just salary since I carry the health insurance (mine is better), retirement, etc.

So I would say we would have to completely replace my salary to SAH.

[countthestars]

At least my salary + his current salary.

[Susie]

I think in our case, I would need to make about $60k more for Calvin to SAH.

Sure we'd like a little more, but we plan to raise our kids on that much money now, so why not?

For me to be the one to SAH, Calvin would need to triple his income. Not so likely.

[everam01]

DH is up for a promotion which will require a move and the increase in pay is more than my salary, so I'll have to SAH for a little while until I find a job I want. I like the luxury of being able to wait for a good opportunity, but at the same time I'm very nervous about not working. I'm more afraid of the mental aspect of it than the financial one.

[pugz]

another $1k a month, enough to cover our $500/ month student loan payments with some leftover.

i may stay at home full time when we have another kid depending on his raises between now and then but try to stay employed at my job by working the occasional weekend. We bought a house we could comfortably afford on just his income, and if I didn't have SL payments I would SAH.

[h]

He would need to make about what I currently make. DH could SAH now, but he has no interest in doing so.

[bronxgirl]

Dec 6, 2012 8:39:48 GMT -5 v said:

Isn't this incredibly dependent on cost of living?

It's dependent on a lot of factors. That's why she asked "your DH" vs. what's the amount anyone needs to make.

[mrshandy]

Yeah, I don't think DH would ever be able to make the amount we need for me to SAH. It would be more of a question of how much I would need to make since I'm the breadwinner.

[cherry1111]

Barebones, 70k but we'd have to carefully budget. I dont think I'd want to live like that even if it meant SAH. It would have to be at least 100k so we'd have money to be able to enjoy it. I make 65% of our income so barebones or comfortably, I won't be SAH.

[SusanBAnthony]

About 80K to be able to fully fund retirement, and buy a house.

If we hadn't lost 100K on the house we just sold, the number would be lower. We also have very high medical costs, so that influences it. That does not include vacations beyond camping, or fully funding our kids college. It does include spending quite a bit on food.

[CallingAllAngels]

I'm going to say $250k. I don't really want to SAH, so if I am going to I want to have the money to do what I want.

[aspentosh]

About $120k for me to feel totally comfortable and not feel like we're giving much up. We've actually been talking about this a lot because I want to stay home and he is in talks with a few companies for a job change.

[Deleted]

I quit in 2004 when my DH made just over $40k. Our house at the time was $120k & we lived in a MCOL city. It was fine. I made a bit more than him when I quit. Now he makes what we made combined plus we get another $2kish a month in income from other sources. I have no regrets, I'm glad I had those years with my babies.

[soozy87]

Probably around $55,000.

[lishie]

Since I don't want any sort of lifestyle change beyond staying at home, he'd need to at least make his salary plus mine, and I'd want a buffer, so that would mean his doubling his current salary (right now he makes a base salary without bonus of $20K more than me.

[glitzy07]

I have no desire to SAH, but DH would love it. He has always said that if I ever got to the point where I made the same on my own that we make combined now, he'd stay at home with the kids.

Fine by me!

[simpsongal]

DH would have to double his salary. That would still be an income cut of about $50K but I think we could manage. Just typing this out makes me realize it ain't gonna happen.

[Deleted]

Monetarily wise we could afford to do it on H's salary now.

But I don't want to sah. I would gladly work PT though. I'd be giving up a LOT more than just money if I stopped working altogether.

If I HAVE to pick a number, it would be $300K or more, though.

[aspentosh]

Dec 6, 2012 9:16:45 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

Dec 6, 2012 9:13:09 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

About $120k for me to feel totally comfortable and not feel like we're giving much up. We've actually been talking about this a lot because I want to stay home and he is in talks with a few companies for a job change.

Yeah, I think I'd be comfortable with 120K.
Actually, I'd probably still work, I'd just work somewhere fun like a coffee shop or an independent book store.

I've thought about that, too. I always tell H I want to work at a pet shelter and he forbids it since I'd bring home 834587 dogs

[Deleted]

If we are only basing it on money I would say about 80k. I would never actually do it though no matter how much he made.
1. I am just not the SAH type.
2. I always have worst case scenerios running through my head. What if he divorced me or died? How would I support myself and any possible children we had?
3. I have a need to be independant. I like knowing that I contribute equally (almost) to our finances and that if anything did happen I would support myself on what I make.

[sporky]

Well, I'm basically unemployed now so we live on DH's salary of around 75K. No kids, though.