Single income household?

[bloopbloob]

How many of you all out here are single income households, and how many children, and ages, do you have? Dual income households? I can give my details, but would prefer to just wait for blanket answers, and will then elaborate. Basic info is I'm the sole provider, make decent money but under 6 figures. Just wondering how sustainable sole income is under different circumstance to some of my peers. 5 years now as sole provider, made due, but work is super slow, layoffs and work share program, most are down to 3 day work weeks. Starting to get worried as wife is 11 weeks pregnant, but no job, so no maternity leave. Any advice tips or tricks?

[calgarychef]

We were single income for a few years... we made it work and if you have young kids keep one parent at home. It’s not worth trying to juggle house work, cooking and paying for child care to have some stranger raising your kids.

[Trochu]

Essentially single, four dependents.

[Glion]

Very fortunate to be able to be a single income household. Wife hasnt worked since 1st kid. Another on the way. I think it is to bad society pushes career vs stay at home mom. Very thankful my wife can raise the children.

[bsmitty27]

Single income 4 kids. Life is simple, and life is good!

[Etownpaul]

Double income no kids, life is good.

We have set ourselves up to be able to live on one income if need be, just no vacations and we’d have to switch to cheap beer.

[buckbrush]

Mostly single income for the last 15 years.

My wife works a couple days a week now that the kids are a bit older. Mainly to get out of the house. She uses that money for herself and it goes into her personal account. All of our expenses come from my account. I don't see much financial benefit since I still pay for expenses but I did get spoiled with a new spotting scope for Christmas.

We were lucky in being able to have her stay home full time when the kids were young and even with her working She still sends the kids of in the am and is home before the bus gets here in the afternoon.

I don't have much advice, it works for us. The second income would be nice but for us the benefits would not outweight downsides.

[Smoky buck]

Right now times could be better. It’s a good thing we had years of multiple income where we saved money without accumulating debt. Right now even with both working I would not call it dual income

Wife and 2 kids grinding it out trying to improve present situation.

[Dynamic]

Single parent co-parenting 2 elementary kiddos. So far making it on one income. I make decent money as a tradesmen and make it work by keeping it simple. Bought a average house but was only able to do so because I sold my truck I had payments on and bought a beater. No payments, basic insurance and reduced operating costs saved me 500 a month.

No lavish or unneeded spending. But if I do need something for me or the kids, it’s not crap from Wally World but rather something that lasts. One vacation a year. Putting some money into RESP’s and RRSP’s. I use my bank app to track all my spending and once it’s on the screen right in front of you, it’s easy to see where you are bleeding money.

[Twisted Canuck]

Single income for 28 years of marriage, raised five kids, and took care of needs and lots of extras beside. Worked hard. Now when I thought I could dial it back, the markets burn to the ground. Guess I will have to work a while yet.

Or "let" mamma bear go to work and make grocery money.....

[pinelakeperch]

Young and dual income with fairly decent paying jobs. Accumulated some debt with wedding, house and baby, but happy to have the big things out of the way.

[HeavyD111]

Single income, no kids, spouse hasnt been able to find a job in years...our location is cheap but blows in that regard. Have my job for a out a year yet, after that its all over and doubtful will find another in same field.

[bloopbloob]

Originally Posted by Etownpaul

Double income no kids, life is good.

We have set ourselves up to be able to live on one income if need be, just no vacations and we’d have to switch to cheap beer.

Trips to Wuhan just went on sale for $1.99 per seat, one way of course.... Buy the good beer and cheap flight!

[bloopbloob]

Appreciate all the responses, with true sincerity. Been getting overwhelmed lately on a personal level. Appreciate when people can contribute their opinions and experiences. That is what this community is about.

[Positrac]

Single income, wife and 2 kids aged 15 & 16 -1/2. My wife hasn’t worked since #1 was born.

When I say my wife hasn’t worked I guess that’s not completely true. She has home-schooled both kids following the same Alberta curriculum they would be taught in public school and both kids are straight-A students. She has also finished her own Bachelor of Commerce degree with distinction in that time as well as look after me which is pretty near a full-time job on its own...

To us the most important thing in life is giving our kids a good head start and that’s a lot harder to control when both parents are working and the kids are basically being raised by someone else. I’ve always been very fortunate and made a pretty good wage so we’ve had the luxury of being able to choose to have my wife stay home. I realize that not every family has that luxury and that more often than not both parents have to work just to pay for the essentials in life.

[trailraat]

We've got two kids and we are doing fine on one income. We keep a pretty tight rein on the finances, no new cars with payments, no yearly trips to Mexico, but we were able to buy a cheap holiday trailer last year and go camping. It's certainly doable. If both people are working you have to be making enough that it compensates for the reduced Canada Child Benefit, increased taxes, and child care cost. I would hazard a guess that in some situations if people ran the numbers they might find that, given the stresses of having both parents working, they are not any farther ahead.

[OL_JR]

Our household has been single income since about 08 and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'ts been a lot of hard work and headaches at times on both our parts but something to be proud of imho. Ive completed an apprenticeship and a steam ticket in that time and my wife has done an amazing job of keeping our home and doing the bulk of raising our kids who both excel at school.

We've been lucky though. We bought a house in a smaller town before things got ridiculous. I look at some of the prices on houses nowadays and don't know how people pay for it and afford to do anything else.

[OL_JR]

.

[kbobbeck]

snt you pm

[obsessed1]

Single income. 6 kids. 5 boys ranging from 3-11 one girl just turning 2. Never made over 80k/ in my life. Most years closer to 70. We live simple. Our life is great

[TBark]

Single income for 34 years, 3 kids all out and doing fine.
The fortunate career has allowed the wife to stay at home.

TBark

[Tfng]

Mostly single income. My wife works a bit from home. Two kids 8 and 6.

It can be tough but worth it. We’re looking forward to her going back to work closer to full time in the fall. She is self employed so can make her schedule suit the household schedule.

We don’t live on the fancy side of town but everybody has a roof over their head and food on the table. Vacations are spent at the lake and until last year we tented.

Used vehicles, no fancy rifles or toys, if it breaks I fix it, if it needs doing I do it.

I’m lucky to have a schedule with lots of time off as well. Having a happy family and wife is worth living with less.

[slough shark]

Dual income, 2 small kids with a third on the way, My hat is off to anyone who is able to do it these days on one income especially if you didn’t buy a house quite a few years ago. We are lucky that my wife doesn’t have to work full time and between that my schedule being home a lot of the time child care isn’t too bad and we get to raise our kids most of the time.

[Pathfinder76]

Single income, three kids.

[Mavrick]

Kids are grownup, but one income when they where younger. As they got to be teenagers my wife went back to work. We where cash poor but family rich. No big toys but I was always a simple kind of guy so that was ok. Had lots of opportunity to go out of town and work, but didn’t want to miss my kids growing up. I coached them in sports and we did a lot of family time. They turned out great and happy we did it that way. Still not really cash rich but everything’s paid for, life is good.

[zabbo]

I'm retired, wife had some medical issues and ended up on a permanent disability pension. We have one son who is married and has two kids. I've worked lots of different jobs over the years. Always made pretty good money but hard work and lots of overtime. We didn't live extravagantly, purchase new vehicles, fancy furniture, clothes or go on lots of holidays. Even with the current financial mess the world, Canada and especially Alberta are in, we will still be OK. I hope.

Only suggestion I could offer my son and also yourself; suck it up, pucker up and hunker down! It's likely to be rough ride and could very well be a long one!

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by bloopbloob

How many of you all out here are single income households, and how many children, and ages, do you have? Dual income households? I can give my details, but would prefer to just wait for blanket answers, and will then elaborate. Basic info is I'm the sole provider, make decent money but under 6 figures. Just wondering how sustainable sole income is under different circumstance to some of my peers. 5 years now as sole provider, made due, but work is super slow, layoffs and work share program, most are down to 3 day work weeks. Starting to get worried as wife is 11 weeks pregnant, but no job, so no maternity leave. Any advice tips or tricks?

Was a single family income for almost ten years as we chose to raise our kids until they went to school full time....can be done....just cut back on the crap and only keep, purchases necessaries....one vehicle type thing....not hard to do at all.

[obsessed1]

It's mostly about priorities. You choose. are you willing to do without a vacation?, new quad? Sledding in the mountains? New truck/ car? To have your wife home with your child? Are you willing to do with less to spend more time with the family? I know what I choose but not everyone has to choose the same thing. If figuring out how to stretch your dollar to allow you to continue to be single income is where you want advise feel free to pm me. It can be done

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by bsmitty27

Single income 4 kids. Life is simple, and life is good!

This is the way I saw it when we were in the same situation....we had a blast!
Always had something on the go....time went by fast and we were rich on life!

[AndrewM]

First off congrats for the new on one the way! Single income here with 3 kids. It's not easy and lots of weight to bear on ones shoulders at times for both of us but we make it work. If we ever got desperate my wife would get a part time job or I would to make ends meet.