Your best bet is to:
1. Put as much as possible into an IRA (both his and yours; there's something called a spousal IRA if the spouse does not work, I believe...).
2. Stockpile cash (MM account/CD, whatever), then once 401k is available, max out. By any amount the 401k contribution is "too great for your budget", fund your budget with the stockpile. Do this until the stockpile is gone, then adjust the 401k to a sustainable rate.