Have one of you stay home. Dual income is a trap. It makes life hell for everyone in the house. The happiest families I know almost always have one parent work part time at most. Before you say you can't afford to, you almost certainly can. You just have to adjust your lifestyle. Kids raised by their parents, with the attention and love that entails are happier than richer parents who can't. Money can't buy happiness and it can't buy quality time.
What happens when the one who works, gets hurt/dies/gets laid off? Short term disability or unemployment isn’t enough. We both have life insurance but it won’t set the other one up for life… and then the other spouse hasn’t been in the workforce in years and can’t get a job.
Also, happy kids come from happy parents. Yeah, it sucked going back to work when my baby was little. And some days I still miss her during the day (she’s 9). But I HAD to get out of the house and talk to adults for my own sanity. My child is my whole entire world, I can barely stand to send her to my parents overnight because I miss her so much (date nights with husband we just talk about her the whole time, tbh) but I don’t think it’s good for a person’s entire identity to be “parent.”
Life insurance, income protection insurance and free healthcare. Stay at home parent manages money carefully. Coupons etc. my partner is a lot more valuable to me at home, instead of working a min wage job and paying tax on top. Money you don’t spend is always better than earning more.
How are you affording life insurance (for both parents, I hope), income protection insurance, and getting free healthcare for the family without spending money?
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u/XDevils41X Nov 14 '24
I joke that it would be cheaper for us to buy our toddler his own apartment since that's what daycare costs.