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Let's say you earned a degree and worked in an industry for 25 years, earning a salary most people would consider to be successful. Let's say, $90k a year.
You fall in love, and re-marry to someone who happens to make a lot more money than you do. You keep your job, which is in a dying industry, but you're lucky because you're good at what you do and you're in a solid position.
Three years later, your spouse gets a job offer elsewhere that pays a pretty stupendous salary ... five times as much as you made at your peak ... or $450k a year.
You relocate, start looking for work in your field, and quickly realize that you're going to be lucky to earn $10-12 an hour at it. (Bonus points if you guess the industry.) Couple that income with the cost of commuting and the tax bracket you're fortunate to find yourself in now, and realize that the money you are going to bring home is going to have a negligible effect on the family finances. Plus, due to some lucky real estate moves in the past, you came to the marriage with some substantial capital of your own.
Your spouse, in fact, is enjoying the fact that you are taking care of the house, cooking, shopping, dog sitting, handling all the usual errands that couples do on weekends, and is not in favor of you taking a fulltime job (you have no children). As far as yourself, you happen to have a couple of outlets that occupy your time (you're a talented musician and a creative writer), so you're not exactly going stir crazy around the house. You're picking up a little contract work here and there, maybe some volunteer work when it's available.
Would you work anyway? Is it still possible to be a non-working spouse in this day and age?
No kids? And not working?
Too many woman, some men but mostly woman set themselves up like this!! Too dependent on a man
I wouldnt care if my man was a billionaire I would still want to work and make my own money, There is a lot to be said about having your own self worth.
No kids? And not working?
Too many woman, some men but mostly woman set themselves up like this!! Too dependent on a man
I wouldnt care if my man was a billionaire I would still want to work and make my own money, There is a lot to be said about having your own self worth.
No kids? And not working?
Too many woman, some men but mostly woman set themselves up like this!! Too dependent on a man
I wouldnt care if my man was a billionaire I would still want to work and make my own money, There is a lot to be said about having your own self worth.
But the OP did indicate that she would still be getting some "contract work" now and again, and through some business dealings of her own in the past, had made an undisclosed (but apparently nice) amount of money for herself, too.
No kids? And not working?
Too many woman, some men but mostly woman set themselves up like this!! Too dependent on a man
I wouldnt care if my man was a billionaire I would still want to work and make my own money, There is a lot to be said about having your own self worth.
hmmmm....I've got plenty of self-worth and none of it comes from my career or jobs I've held.
No kids? And not working?
Too many woman, some men but mostly woman set themselves up like this!! Too dependent on a man
I wouldnt care if my man was a billionaire I would still want to work and make my own money, There is a lot to be said about having your own self worth.
Well, I thought that at first. I always tell my daughter to never be wholly dependent on a man for her sustenance.
At the same time, the OP stated that she has substantial money of her own. So I'm inclined to think that she has that to fall back on if things went off the rails. After all, you work to live, not live to work.
Moral dilemma in the sense of how it affects the balance of the relationship, that's correct. My spouse works really, really hard to earn that big salary, but probably will only have to keep it up for another 4-5 years before stepping back substantially. I am also a few years older (48). So, while I have some guilt for being able to relax, that will even out in time.
(I have a son who is grown -- 24 -- and off on his own now.)
As much money as my spouse makes, I was able to contribute $450k in equity toward our home and another $400k or so toward our retirement funds. I'm not exactly a freeloader ... we have no debt other than our mortgage.
Moral dilemma in the sense of how it affects the balance of the relationship, that's correct. My spouse works really, really hard to earn that big salary, but probably will only have to keep it up for another 4-5 years before stepping back substantially. I am also a few years older (48). So, while I have some guilt for being able to relax, that will even out in time.
(I have a son who is grown -- 24 -- and off on his own now.)
As much money as my spouse makes, I was able to contribute $450k in equity toward our home and another $400k or so toward our retirement funds. I'm not exactly a freeloader ... we have no debt other than our mortgage.
I kind of feel sorry for you - you apparently equate not working with being a "freeloader" and that's just not always true. You are kind of psyching yourself out here.
Especially given that your husband has to work so very hard, aren't you interested in taking care of things on the home front to make his life easier so that you can enjoy your free time together to the utmost?
After earning 90K I wouldn't work for $12/hr that's for sure.
I agree! You've worked hard to earn your degree and that salary. I'd imagine these $12hr jobs are well beneath your potential and would be a "working just to work" situation. Unless your family needed the income, I wouldn't bother with it. Your time would be better spent (and appreicated) volunteering or helping with charities than doing menial work.
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