The Single Income Household is Dead
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The number of single-income households recently went up, but that was out of necessity, not choice. Time is up. Families cannot survive on one income.
When the pandemic hit, many were thinking that within a month things would go back to normal. They strategized and made working at home with children work. They even enjoyed it. It was fun eating all meals together and planning backyard camping adventures. However, after months with no end in sight, life became unbearable, and something had to give.
Some said goodbye to their marriages and others to their jobs.
Those that said goodbye to their jobs have had to scale back on life. This has not made it fun for stay-at-home parents. A second income today is mostly for fun money. To do things that you enjoy with your family: vacations, eating out, trendy clothes and shoes, and home repairs.
These items may not seem important, but we all need to feel that we are working to live and not vice versa. The joy that those things and experiences bring us can make the difference between feeling happy and sad.
The sacrifices made at home to generate a second income make it worth it.
This is an issue that is both political and social.
Parents should have the choice to not work so that they can be the primary caregiver. This choice should not come with sacrificing happiness. Wages should be held to a certain standard, especially for working families.
When parents don’t have this choice, children often do not have the choice to come home after school. They are forced to stay in an afterschool program for 3 more hours after school.
How would adults like it if they worked a full day and then had to wait another 3 hours with the same people before they go home?
Most adults are eager to rush home when their shift is over, I’m sure many kids feel the same way. But they are not asked. They have no choice just like their parents.
Let’s look at an example of what a living wage is in Los Angeles County.
I’m not one that heavily relies on general number calculators. I believe that how you handle money, and your lifestyle is another huge indicator of how much you…
