Single income families: What is the earner's job and how much does he or she make? - Page 3

[KimProbable]

DH makes our sole income and he makes just a smidge over $50K/year. He's a software engineer. I've been a SAHM since we've been married though I've worked very casual PT here and there. It's been enough to help out in the tight spots but that's about it.

I think it's been easier to live on one income right from the start rather than going from two down to one. We actually feel pretty rich these days considering DH was making only about $32K a couple of years ago. Mind you, we've moved and our mortgage is now almost $1000/month more so we don't seem much of it, but we're in a much different overall financial situation now.

[Marcee]

DH is now the sole bread winner in our home. He makes a smidge over 50,000. He is a Corrections Officer and works part time at a local sporting goods company.

I worked full time until 2 years ago. Before that we worked oppisite shifts to eliminate daycare. I made about 36,000. But most of my income went to convienece items to supplement me never being home.

We are a family of 7.

[pixie-n-hertwoboys]

Dh is the wage earner and makes a little over 25k after taxes. Before kids we both worked part time jobs and were used to being frugal/poor. When I got pg w/ ds1 we had been married 6 months - I worked up until 8 months pg. His first year of life we made 9k. Dh works and has worked since marriage for a local company installing and servicing alarm systems.

[kijip]

At the time we changed from 2 incomes (each pt, around 30-35 hours a week) to one income, my income jumped. So while we have one job now, it is actually bringing in more than we made before with 2 workers. My previous job was in a mid-level admin position at a non-profit, and he worked in sales at a department store. One reason his income was low was the huge cost of the medical insurance at his sales job. Now I manage a non-profit.

Single income families are far from the norm. Most 2 parent families have 2 people in the workforce just to make the ends meet.

[LiasMamma]

dh is the sole income earner in our family of 7. He makes approx. 25-30K per year. It is really hard here, where we live, as it is a big time money place to live for the rich. We always joke and say this is where the rich go to retire and/or die. Sad but true. Not much place here for the hard working blue collar people.

[FiddleMama]

DH makes ~$40,000 as a corporate trainer. I stay at home with our toddler (and another of the way) but I also teach part-time out of my home (6 hours/week) and make ~$12,000. As a small business owner, I end up "taking home" much much less after taxes and business expenses. Not to mention that I have to pay for a babysitter while I am teaching.

Before we had our son, I made ~$30,000 as an educational consultant and DH was an intern at that time so he made ~$30,000 also. Choosing to stay home didn't crush us financially as I was fearing (or course, it helped that DH got a promotion) because we would have been spending ~$10,000 for daycare for one child. We cut our spending too by living more mindfully. It also helps that we live in the Midwest U.S. and cost of living is not too bad.

[tempestjewel]

Another single-income family here. DH works for Costco and is also in the Army National Guard, and we pull in somewhere in the 35K range per year.

I worked when I was pg with DD #1, but quit when I had her. Right before she was born, DH was deployed to Iraq, so instead of going down to a tiny income we were suddenly getting housing allowance, combat/hostile fire/imminent danger pay and DH had most of his personal needs (food, etc) taken care of over there so we were actually making more then we were now. I just wish I had been better at being frugal and saved more of it

We can pay our bills though, and to be able to afford to keep living in this part of the country we just bought a house with my father. However, at the current time we can't even afford half the mortgage, but with time we will be able to and we will pay him back for what he is overpaying now.

I'm a big fan on the Tightwad Gazette books! Its not always easy but I wouldn't trade being home with my girls for the world!

[elizawill]

my husband makes 40,000 a year as a minister of worship. he also gives guitar lessons to 3 students and that gives us $300 extra a month. I just got a job making $8 hour and 10% commission (but have NO idea what that is yet) working 8 hours a week. Before that, I worked full-time as a program director with senior citizens and made $30,000. we have a lot of cc debt from when i quit working -- we just couldn't seem to make ends meet

...w/out our debt though... we could live very comfortably in our town. makes me mad at myself :

[Amys1st]

Originally Posted by PajamaMama

I think this is an interesting question and I'd love to see some responses! Also, if you don't mind, were you used to a single income before children or did you have to make a change from two to one incomes, and how drastic was that change? Poll to follow.
.

I am at the upper end of the responses. Before we had our children we were right at what dh makes now. I quit my job in 2000 and landed another within 3 mos. I could have had one earlier- that was the market back then, but I took my time. It was great. We learned what it would be like on one income. We also found out how much it cost for me to work. We then figured out with daycare etc, it would only be about $1000-1500 a month I would end up bringing home- not worth it to us.

Then after I stayed home- 5 years this fall, I noticed dh kept getting raises, more responsibity, dividands etc. He is a physical therapist, but a part owner of the clinic operation. So now he is a partner/vice president and makes a few bucks give or take what we both made together before I became a mom. But along with the jump in pay comes a lot of work.
We live a very simple lifestyle, frugal, and we have no debt with exception to our mortgage which is very small. We are moving to a larger home in a few months and our mortgage is still very small compared to others. So yes we have a larger salary than others, but we also live in a way to promote dh's career advancement.

[Fiestabeth]

Dh makes just under $50k, and he is a customer service rep for the postal service. He actually started out as a mail sorter on the big machines, but took it upon himself to march into the marketing office a couple of years ago and tell the marketing manager, "I want to work in here." I was so proud of him. A little less than a year later, he got a call saying, "Show up on Monday for your interview. Wear a tie."

We got married young. I was in my first year of college and worked part time. Actually, dh got fired from his very first job, and we lived on my income for several months - about $600 (rent was $400). I look back on that and think, "How did we do that?" But at the time I didn't even really notice.

We are at a point where we are wanting a little extra fun money, so I have started selling things online, and I am also going to start babysitting regularly for a friend. That will pull in an extra $100/week, which is just as much as we would really like.

You know, sometimes I feel guilty that dh's career plans got thwarted because of our unplanned pregnancy, but I think that eventually he's going to get where he wants to be, whether that is within the post office or not. He's an artist and hoped to go to college and get a degree in graphic design. A few years ago the diversity office at his job ran a contest to design their logo, and he won! Now he has been solicited twice to design other things, by a couple different branches of the post office. One was a lapel pin that was distributed nationally to all window clerks! He's showing his natural talent in that area and they're taking notice. (Sorry for the tangent - I'm just super proud of him.)

[velochic]

Dh makes a good living for us. He is a tenured professor in a field that demands high salaries, so he also provides stability.

[kayjayjay]

DH is the wage earner here. He is an architect for a local firm (he does both commercial and residential work) and makes around 45K. We've been mostly single income since we got married...I used to be the one working while DH finished his degree, then we both worked for about 6mos before DD #2 was born and I've been home ever since. I also have an architecture degree, but no license, and DH and I have plans to work together some day. In the meantime I'm SAH and homeschooling our 4 lovely DDs.

[UberMama]

Family of five.

We had two incomes before I became pregnant with our first. Then it was down to DH's income.

We've made as little as 24k a year (with three children), and last year was our best by far - 51k (gross). It'll be more this year with DH's raise.

[sanguine_speed]

Ooops. I had misread the question. We are not a single-income family. Sorry!

[Alohamelly]

My husband is in the military and his base pay comes out to around $30k a year. But we don't pay rent, utlities or medical. We get all of that as a benefit. We are quite comfortable as a family of 3, soon to be 4.

[Kewpie]

We've recently become a single income family, up until December I worked part time. My husband accepted a new position that required a move out of state and thankfully a HUGE salary increase. He is currently making slightly more than what our combined incomes minus childcare expenses used to be. I'm PG with twins, so working wasn't really resonable and I was ready to stay home. And we're fortunate enough to vote toward the bottom of the poll.

DH is a Director of Revenue Optimization for a Fortune 500 company.

[ScotiaSky]

Single income family. Two adults and two children.(Where the heck is that Canadian flag? I go to use it for the first time ever and its gone)

DH is the wage earner. He works for the provincial power company and last year made above 60,000. He just got transfered to a new position and it will be in the 80,000-90,000.
Like others it should be very comfortable BUT we both have very large debts from pre kids.
Which not only eats up a very large chuck of our earnings but affects things like our credit rating so its like we are making payments for a BMW when we drive a Ford.
Hoping to put a lot of our new earnings towards paying off these debts and getting things back on track.
Pre kids we both worked and it was about the same amount of income as we earned last year and then I went on maternity leave that paid 55 percent of my salary for a year so we had time to adjust to limited income. Sorta

[witchbaby]

a works as a supply tech for the abulatory surgery center at a nearby hospital, making about $24,000 for our family of four.

[chanibell]

My dh works for himself. He just tells people what his fee is and he does just fine. We are both able to stay home with our little guy in which I feel super blessed about. If I need to run out and do a quick errand,my dh is here with our ds. If we want to take a break for lunch,my dh can come with us. He says he will never work for anyone again ( well, in an office) It was really stressing him out and this way,he's not going out to lunch everyday and spending time in traffic. I'm really not sure what I would do if he wasnt here with us during the day. I really like it that he can make what I call "pop up" appearances throughout the day from his office and play with our son.
On the side, I sell online.

[Jennisee]

DH works as an accounting supervisor for a Fortune 100 company, and we are in the middle of the survey choices. I wasn't able to find a job in my field after college, and we decided to have DD instead, so this is all we've known.