A one Income family

Today’s economy is not geared to a one income family. In fact, as my mother tells it, back in the 60’s when women started working to earn a little extra cash to improve there family’s financial status, an interesting side effect occurred. The business realized that people had more money to spend so they started upping the prices, because now people wanted things more and could afford them. 40 years later – how many families can live on one income and have the middle class American Norman Rockwell family life of the 1950’s?

Not many people can afford to do that. In fact I was reading last night that when politicians talk about the “middle class” or “the back bone of America” for things like tax breaks … usually its $65,000 – to 200,000 a year. However when taxes payers were asked if they were middle class, people earning $45,000 – 200,000 considered themselves to be middle class.

Now how many people can earn 65,000 a year these days on one income? Not as many as you may think. And certainly the back bone of America is the working class, which is mostly UNDER those middle class numbers.

So now why should you make the decision to be a one income family? The best reason is you are the best person to raise your kids the way you want them raised. Kids need the love and attention of there parents, and always having a parent at the ready will help them grow up secure. Being with your children so much will also help you be more aware of there needs and any problems they may be having. You will be more alert to when your children need you the most. And at the end of your life, you can take nothing with you except the memories and love of the ones your shared your life with. Would you rather have memories of strangers at work? Or memories of watching your children and grandchildren grow up? I promise you if you make the decision to stay at home and raise your family, it will be worth it in the end.