Seriously? You just increased your family’s income by $10-15K and the first thought that goes through both your minds is that now she can quit work, thereby immediately reducing your family’s income, and exposing your family to more risk (since if she quit you definitely can’t afford to lose your job)? You don’t become wealthy by thinking of ways to reduce your income as soon as one of you increases income.
I’m not saying she shouldn’t quit, but I truly hope you mean that she will quit her current job only after she has another more suitable job lined up.
She makes barely enough money at her job and considering the amount it will cost for daycare and the like, its almost worth it for her to look for work, as the pay increase is equal to her salary.
but yes, I don't advise it fully but she has mentioned that being able to find new work would be in her best interest. I alone will have the new salary, also PT money coming in from a sales job, and any weekend work I do installing floors.
She should not be thinking about quitting her job unless she is moving directly into a new position (ie, she accepts an offer first and then puts in her notice). Even if you were married, but especially because you are not. Think of your pay increase as not equal to her salary, but enough to cover the day care costs. Just leaving her job, even a low paying one, can cripple her income potential for years, if not permanently (and it will be harder for her to re-enter the workforce as an unmarried woman with a child/children). I'll assume that you are a great partner, but statistically speaking, if the relationship ends, she is much more likely to end up in poverty by going that route.
Eh, I think the math on that depends greatly on
- where they live
- cost of childcare
- income of the gf
- ability of the family to help out
- what gf wants to do next
At least where I live, taking a year or two off doesn't seem to affect your income possibilities, depending on the kind of job you have
If you are professional with a lot of contacts, you'll be fine.
If you are a part time worker, you'll be fine.
People in the middle - might be harder.
Many of my coworkers have wives and girlfriends (and babies), where the wives/ girlfriends already work part time. That means, the kind of childcare they are looking for is relatively casual - also part time. That changes the math greatly from "I need 45 hours a week".
On the other hand, at $15 an hour for a nanny for one kid, or $60-85 a day for a daycare center, or $1000 a month for part time pre-school, it might actually be cheaper (short term) for her to quit work.
The thing I would caution is that she keep working and try it out, and THEN quit. It's easier to quit later than it is to get your job back. Also: when you have babies, working PT instead of full time is GOLDEN - but at least where I live, and in my industry, it is IMPOSSIBLE to get hired anywhere PT. It's easier to switch at an existing company. This town is pretty full of SAHMs who all want to now suddenly work from 8:30 am to 2 pm.
If she long term wants a better job, I'd recommend keeping the current job, cutting hours if possible. Get through the first couple of years, first one especially is hard. THEN, when your brain is fully functional again, look for another (better) job. New job + new baby do not mix, in my experience.
