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One Family, One Income
Making It Work Today
By Sharon Waldrop
In 1999, both parents were employed in 64.1 percent of married-couple families with children younger than 18, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Single-income families are in the minority, yet these families are performing financial miracles raising their children in our nation's current economy.
Most single-income families decided that one parent – not always the mother – should leave the workforce once their first child is born.
Jayne Harrelson of Steger, Ill. stopped working in September 1991 – one month before her son was born. "The most difficult part was simply keeping a roof over our heads," Harrelson says. Less than a year after Harrelson stopped working, her husband earned a promotion at work, which helped their financial situation substantially. The family moved to a rural community, where the cost of living was much less, saving them $150 per month on rent. Utility and insurance rates in their new town were less, and the family cut down on other expenses where possible. "I never pay full price for clothes and shoes. We also refuse to have two vehicle payments," Harrelson says.
Tammy Klain and her husband lived a comfortable lifestyle on two incomes before their daughter was born. Tammy is now a stay-at-home mother. "The most difficult part of our salary reduction has to be not being able to go in a store and buy whatever we want. Not being able to say, 'Hey, let's go have lobster tonight,'" Klain says. Instead the New Jersey couple bargain hunts on the Internet and participates in online reward programs.
Kim Rickard of Rotterdam, N.Y. saves money by cooking from scratch. She also drives an older car, which cuts insurance costs, and when she stopped commuting to work, she advised her insurance carrier of the change and gained an added savings.
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