I had an interesting week while I was taking my blogging break. I finished Breaking Dawn, as planned, although I didn't get much additional reading done, as I'd hoped. Instead, I was left reeling from the backlash of a certain CNN article that came out last week about stay-at-home wives.
I discovered that there are a lot of misconceptions out there about living on one income. Some assume that a couple has to be wealthy to be able to afford it. Others think that SAHWs are moochers, lazy, and just sitting at home watching television all day or off on extravagant shopping sprees. Others are convinced that a woman who doesn't work outside the home is vapid and uninteresting, and her husband will wind up cheating on her with a woman with a job. (I fail to see how working 9-5 in an office makes someone automatically more fascinating, but that's one of the many misconceptions out there.)
In response, I've decided to do a blog series this week on how to live on one income. Steven and I have been doing it for 9 years now, so I feel somewhat qualified to give some advice on this particular issue. My hope is to dispel some of the false assumptions, while giving practical tips for families who are wanting to have one spouse stay at home. Stay tuned!
For all posts on this series, click here.
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14 comments:
Any chance you could link to the article? I'm really looking forward to your series, especially since I'm a stay-at-home-wife, and have been since I got married 4 years ago. There's no question in my mind that my marriage greatly benefits from this arrangement.
I had to laugh about the TV thing though, I never turn it on when my husband isn't home! Too many other important things to do. But the beauty is that I'm not constricted to getting them done in a certain time frame, and my stress levels are incredibly low. This is truly the best time of my life. :)
I look forward to your series! I was thinking of doing a similar series myself - except that I'm not currently staying at home. ;-)
Leah, I don't want to link to the article here because I don't want all the wackos and meanies showing up at my blog. It's a little self-preservation on my part, as I was one of the people interviewed for the story. If you email me, though, I'll be happy to send you the link. (My email is in my profile.)
hah! my husband sent me that article last week as i've been trying to convince him that it would be better if i was a sahw once i'm done with school (he wants me to get a part-time job). reading it made me want to re-discover your site and here it is that you're the one in the article! how ironic! :)
Can't wait to hear your tips, AM! We've been living on one income quite successfully for 6 years now, and have purchased both a car and a house during that time!
Oh wow. I searched for the article and found it that way.
Reading through some of those comments made me want to SCREAM.
The article is no longer "up for commenting" and it is probably a good thing too. I'd have come to your defense but probably would have had a hard time doing so in a way that would not have made me stoop to the morons level!
I look forward to reading your series. I have worked outside the home for many years - but with odd gaps of coming home - but now I am home for good! A real blessing. An ex work colleague claimed that my husband would find me boring as I have no school politics drama to discuss now I'm not teaching. Well she is right that I have no school upsets, but we do talk loads, and he says I am not boring! We have time for us and our family!
I became a SAHW a couple of years ago and in my search for finding other souls out there, stumbled across your blog and was so pleased to discover there WERE others out there like me. I am currently a SAHW, soon to be SAHM, but wholeheartedly support bright, educated women (and couples) making financial sacrifices in order to improve their quality of life.
The comment "and her husband will wind up cheating on her with a woman with a job". Hmmmm maybe less cheating if there were less working women :)
I worked while I was married but had no children (4 yrs)...I'm now a housewife. I also homeschool our children.
We live on one income - and we live far below our one income, by choice.
Two income families pay daycare workers - so I guess taking care of children is a legitimate job.
I found the article too. Wow you're famous!
I didn't read the comments, but as the husband of a SAHW, I can attest that I am quite content with my wife not working outside the home. I'm always very careful to include the "outside the home" part, since she does do much work. And I suppose she does do some work outside the home (for example, shopping for necessities and the occasional tutoring session). I guess I lie sometimes ;)
In this materialistic and hedonistic society, some people just don't understand why strange people like us are willing to sacrifice.
I look forward to the series!
Great series! My husband and I were just discussing the CNN article the other day. I could not believe how venomous and downright hateful some of the comments were. My husband loves that I stay at home and so do I. We remember what it was like when I worked almost full time and neither of us desire to go back to those stress filled days.
He sometimes gets hateful comments from women that he works with who can't believe that his wife stays home, but it doesn't bother him (or me) one bit. They also seem to think he's crazy for being married to the same woman for so long...go figure.
Oh wow, so you were one of the women in the article? That's cool. I hate how they spun it to mean that stay at home wives are freaks. Anyway, I wrote about the article on Wise Bread:
http://www.wisebread.com/is-living-on-one-income-a-status-symbol
BTW I really love your living on one income series and this blog. I am a Christian wife, too.
TheBagLady, a few people emailed me the link to your blog last week. I have to say thank you, as it was one of the few positive takes on the article on the web. It really lifted my spirits!
50s Housewife, my husband has the opposite experience at work. The men often tell him they envy him, and they wish their wives would stay home. I have no idea what the women have said, if anything. We recently celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, and he was met with some incredulity at work that he'd managed to stay married to the same woman all that time. Really makes you wonder about people!
Thank you to the rest of you for stopping by!
Jen, don't worry; TBaker defended me plenty over there! She cracks me up! My big sister had a few words for those jerks, too.
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