A husband has to be fairly affluent for his wife to be able to afford to stay home: “Only a few households can afford to give up a good second income.”

via The Unchained Woman – WSJ.com.

I found this article somewhat fascinating.  Mainly because my wife has not worked outside our home since our 1st son was born, 11 years ago.  I’ve never made more than $60,000 per year (between two jobs–pastoring and AF Reserve), which I don’t consider ‘affluent.’  We’ve lived in the suburbs of Chicago and currently Colorado Springs.  Not the cheapest places in America to live (though not as pricey as New York, admittedly).

How have we done it?  Through choices.  We prioritized her staying home and made choices to make that possible.  Living with one income, for most of us, has more to do with choices than income.  Some examples:  we don’t have cable, we rarely eat out, we buy generic, we shop at thrift stores (like Salvation Army & Goodwill), and we don’t belong to a gym.  We strive to avoid debt.  We’ve never been in debt, by God’s grace, and other than a home mortgage, work to avoid debt.

Two incomes may, at times, be necessary.  However, doesn’t the ‘necessity’ of dual income marriages say more about our choices and priorities than about how much money we need to live?