The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Lans Holman on February 07, 2014, 03:33:11 PM
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As a result of some potentially exciting changes I'm contemplating some big decisions and would love to get some other perspectives.
For background, here's the thread I started last year:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/doing-all-the-obvious-stuff-how-to-dig-deeper/msg84256/#msg84256 (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/doing-all-the-obvious-stuff-how-to-dig-deeper/msg84256/#msg84256)
Short version is my monthly income is about 2500, my wife's is about 1700, and our monthly expenses are about 3300, including 600 for child care. I like my job just fine and am very grateful I found it when I did, but I'm getting bored with it and there is very little chance of advancement or change. I also have to work Saturdays, which I don't like because it really cuts into our time as a family. My little boy is one and my girl will be six next month. The possibility has arisen that starting in September my wife could go to full time, which would put her monthly income about 3500. (We also get about 400 in rent on a spare room.) I've been working on learning web design on Treehouse in my spare time and absolutely loving it. So what we're talking about right now would be if she gets the job (nothing is definite but I like her odds) to have me quit mine sometime this summer so we can actually enjoy some time off all together this summer, and then have me basically be a SAHD for a year or so while trying to learn some skills that would enable me to branch out into something new. Then by the time the little guy was ready to start preschool, I'd hopefully be able to get started in that field.
My biggest worry with all of this is that I've never really quit a job before, certainly not without knowing what was coming next. On the other hand, although everything is working out OK right now, my wife and I both feel very trapped by our schedules and unable to fully enjoy this stage of our kids' lives, and this feels like it could be a way out. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
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If you have some money saved and can bring in a little income this sounds fine to me especially in light of the fact that your expenses will go down 600 since you will not need childcare. Also there are other ways for you to save the family $ since you won't be working much. Good luck! I was a SAHM for a # of years and the sacrifice was well worth it. There is always lots of time to work but your kids are only young once.