qofcc
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Posts: 1,869
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Post by qofcc on May 4, 2011 9:18:53 GMT -5
if she's going to be gone anyway I'd rather she came home with a paycheck. However, having a stay at home spouse is pretty damn sweet!
Well, that makes sense. Loop is a smart woman and I'm sure she can find a way to transition her volunteer work into paid work, because if she's going to spend time working, she ought to be getting paid for it. You said she's been out of the job market and that's going to hurt her chance for employment, but she hasn't been out of the job market, she's just hasn't been getting a paycheck. All of this volunteer work needs to go on the resume. And I'm sure there's plenty of opportunities for her to take on free lance work using her skills to make some extra cash without taking any additional time away from the kids & the house. You guys have a built a great life... no need to screw it up with her taking on a stressful job and sending the kids to daycare just so you can have more in your retirement fund 30 years from now. There's plenty of time to ramp up the savings in 10 years when the kids are grown. That's one of the benefits of having kids young, might as well enjoy it.
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suziq38
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I love to save
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 21:11:27 GMT -5
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Post by suziq38 on May 4, 2011 9:21:44 GMT -5
It is obvious that you probably like that your wife stays home.
I'm honestly still torn on it. She enjoys getting out of the house for her political stuff, and if she's going to be gone anyway I'd rather she came home with a paycheck. However, having a stay at home spouse is pretty damn sweet! Coming home to a clean house, kids already done with their homework, dinner on the table... I can totally see why people get all misty eyed remembering the 1950s, let's just put it that way. Dark, It is nice that you recognize and appreciate the importance of what your wife does for your family. It is really nice to have someone at home to take care of the household. On the other hand, this is a choice. If your family has some future goals: retirement, 2 kids in college, braces, emergencies, etc. It would be nice to say, "Hey, I spend X amount of hours over so many years volunteering. Volunteering is admirable, but only if I can meet my family's goals first. In other words, the family unit comes first." The Democratic Committee either has the money or doesn't have the money to pay her. She can always curtail her schedule with them and begin to work a little. Start at a paying job with 15 hours a week, move in to 20 hours a week, then leave it at that until the kids are in college. Don't get me wrong, I would love to volunteer at various causes to my heart's content. I just like getting paid a little, since I am not independently wealthy.
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zibazinski
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Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
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Post by zibazinski on May 4, 2011 9:25:20 GMT -5
DF is high maintenance and although he isn't OPPOSED to me getting a job, I know he won't like it if I do. I know myself, though, and the guilt on me if everything at home isn't "perfect" will eat at me so I'm not sure what to do. I don't HAVE to work financially but extra money never hurts.
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Angel!
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:44:08 GMT -5
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Post by Angel! on May 4, 2011 10:32:25 GMT -5
As far as the braces, both our kids had them. We paid about $2,500.00 each, and they would not keep their retainers on at night. Consequently, DD's teeth shifted and she is now 26 whining about how she needs braces again. Seems to me that it is partly the parents responsibility to ensure the retainers were worn at night. Especially if you spent all the money fixing the teeth in the first place. I would have gotten my assed kicked if I just flat out refused to wear mine. Seems like anymore too many decisions are being left up to the kids. Just my .02
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on May 4, 2011 14:06:15 GMT -5
When she goes on these out of town conventions, does the Democratic Committee pay for the trips? Hell no. The cheap bastards. They use them as fund raisers. The only upside is that the cost is tax deductible. ETA - Nevermind, Loop just informed me it's not tax deductible. There is no upside. Financially anyway. I mean, Loop had fun and got to meet basically every person in a statewide office in CA.
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suziq38
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I love to save
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 21:11:27 GMT -5
Posts: 1,160
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Post by suziq38 on May 4, 2011 15:44:17 GMT -5
When she goes on these out of town conventions, does the Democratic Committee pay for the trips? Hell no. The cheap bastards. They use them as fund raisers. The only upside is that the cost is tax deductible. ETA - Nevermind, Loop just informed me it's not tax deductible. There is no upside. Financially anyway. I mean, Loop had fun and got to meet basically every person in a statewide office in CA. Tell your wife that she knows every person in each statewide office, get a job! Keep in mind she needs to ask the people locally, as she is not willing to move for this job. The problem is that she has not been offered a job yet. What is the likelihood of this during a severe recession? I hope that she can get a job in spite of the lack of funds. I sincerely wish her luck. I would hope, but I would not be able to count on a job that was not yet offered.
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swamp
Community Leader
THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS!!!!!!!
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 16:03:22 GMT -5
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Post by swamp on May 4, 2011 17:16:36 GMT -5
When she goes on these out of town conventions, does the Democratic Committee pay for the trips? Hell no. The cheap bastards. They use them as fund raisers. The only upside is that the cost is tax deductible. ETA - Nevermind, Loop just informed me it's not tax deductible. There is no upside. Financially anyway. I mean, Loop had fun and got to meet basically every person in a statewide office in CA. The upside is that Loop is networking and could find employment that way. Representatives need people to work in their local offices, adn they also appoint people to local jobs.
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Jun 16, 2011 17:04:22 GMT -5
Update:
So we upped our auto insurance deductible from $500 to $1000 and while doing that we changed our coverage since we've had the same policy since the cars were brand new. Now that they're 7 years old, and both have at least 80k miles on them we don't need all the fancy coverage, so switched to really basic coverage. It dropped several hundred dollars from our six month policy. I no longer have a data plan on my phone, and I was paying a $10 a month charge just for VZ Navigator that's now gone. There was also some $2.99 recurring monthly app that I'm pretty sure the kids downloaded. That should save over $50 a month from our cell bill.
We're thinking about changing our medical coverage during the open enrollment window this year as well. I'll have to look at the options to see if it's worthwhile. The current coverage leaves us responsible for 10% of the medical bills up to a yearly cap, that I think was $5k. My portion of that plan is over $7k a year for family coverage. There was another option where I cover 20% up to an $8k cap (I think), but I don't remember what the cost difference was.
We still have cable but I think we both want to drop it when the contract is up. I'm not sure if Loop has looked at what it would cost to break the contract early, but I haven't.
Small changes I know, but changes. Oh, and this will be Loop's last summer as a SAHM. When the kids go back to school in the fall she'll be looking for work.
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