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Again, that's all well and good. But marriages are a partnership - a team effort. Especially once kids enter the picture.
When one member of the team is "down for the count", for whatever reason, it's good to know the other member of the team can carry the load for a while.
Having someone to share all your burdens with (including financial) is one of the perks of marriage
All that can be accomplished on a teacher's salary by planning ahead and choosing a low maintenance lifestyle.
It's not like he's planning on a career as a Walmart greeter.
Wouldn't logic dictate that there are several variables to this question???? Every one has differing ideas of decent salary. Location plays into it, lifestyle you want to have.....etc etc....
Oh and i also agree on partnership. We are no longer living the times that our parents parents were living. Where a weman can just stay home and men work, unless your rich.
I want to earn enough to support myself comfortably and for my SO to be in the same position that way there is no financial strain on a specific partner, also the combined salaries would allow us to live without financial worries.
That's a great goal
Sometimes life deals you unexpected hands, so it's good to have as solid of a foundation as possible.
Oh and i also agree on partnership. We are no longer living the times that our parents parents were living. Where a weman can just stay home and men work, unless your rich.
I can't quite agree.
You don't have to be "rich" to have one parent stay at home - not at all.
You DO have to have a good plan in place, learn to live within your means, and know how to compromise.
What kind of woman do you think you will want for a wife someday?
Do you want a woman who is going to be a sahm or one that has a career? Do you want a wife that will do the majority of the childcare/house chores or will you share those jobs?
I don't want to marry someone who will be a sahm since I prefer to marry someone who shares the responsibility of earning income alongside me. I also don't mind helping to raise a child and don't just want to be my future wife's responsibility. Alongside that, I was raised by a single mother for some time so I'm used to doing chores to help around the house and I don't view it as the wife's responsibility either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NilaJones
Now that's the kind of answer I like!
When I was in school rates were low like that, and I did the same thing . Invested the money elsewhere, at a good profit. My understanding was that student loans have changed a lot since then -- not only rates, but terms of the loans.
In what ways did you invest your money? No one in my family did any investing, so I'm not familiar with it, but I do want to be able to grow my net worth while I'm paying down my student loans which will be payed off in ten years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Knight2009
OP: if you love teaching, have you considered at all teaching as a professor, at the college level? (I think I had heard somewhere a while back that professors earn significantly larger salaries, than K-12 teachers?)
I have since I considered getting my Ph.D at one point, but it probably wouldn't be worth it unless I knew I had a straight path into a research position, but also because it's hard for professors to become tenured. I should be able to teach adjunct once I have 18 credits past my masters at the university level and earn about 15+, but as of right now, my focus is paying down my debt before I take on more courses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliTerp07
Decent income = we will not be overly stressed about money.
If we have children, we will be able to fund a college account for each. We can afford to fix the car when it breaks without having to pick and choose repairs to put off. If the roof starts leaking, we can fix it without pulling from savings/retirement accounts. We can easily afford plane tickets to visit our parents in other states. 1 or 2 nice vacations a year. The money to do modest hobbies (I train my dog in competitive agility, he plays on a hockey team and is in a bowling league).
I don't think it's a number--it more depends on your lifestyle.
I would like for my life to be like that ideally if I ever get married. Growing up, money was somewhat always a point of concern
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinawina
Where do you live OP?
Anyway there are women who will marry a teacher. Lots of them. What you want is a woman who is okay with not being in the higher end of middle class unless she pulls in the cash herself. Also lots of women were raised in "regular" households, and would be perfectly happy continuing that lifestyle. Just be sure you show can manage the money you do have.
Also you might move up in salary down the line by moving into the administrative side of teaching.
I live in Virginia. The cost of living is very high in northern Virginia. I do want to teach there someday, but I know it would be very hard as a teacher to buy a home some the values are increasing in that area.I've considered administration, but I don't think I have the personality for it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovesMountains
Exactly. You can plan and plan, but sometimes things like a "surprise" 3rd baby make things complicated.
Smart women just want to know their partners are going to be able to carry the financial load for a while if they need to stay home with small children - which is why some look for guys who make a "decent salary".
Part of the reason I choose teaching was that I know that it's a very family friendly profession so I could be home at a certain time and not have to worry about being called into work in the evening so I could spend time with my family and also because I know that I would be able to take leave if I ever had a child and my future wife isn't able to do so.
Wouldn't logic dictate that there are several variables to this question???? Every one has differing ideas of decent salary. Location plays into it, lifestyle you want to have.....etc etc....
Yep, that's what several of us said at the beginning of the thread - "decent salary" is all relative
I don't want to marry someone who will be a sahm since I prefer to marry someone who shares the responsibility of earning income alongside me. I also don't mind helping to raise a child and don't just want to be my future wife's responsibility. Alongside that, I was raised by a single mother for some time so I'm used to doing chores to help around the house and I don't view it as the wife's responsibility either.
In what ways did you invest your money? No one in my family did any investing, so I'm not familiar with it, but I do want to be able to grow my net worth while I'm paying down my student loans which will be payed off in ten years.
I have since I considered getting my Ph.D at one point, but it probably wouldn't be worth it unless I knew I had a straight path into a research position, but also because it's hard for professors to become tenured. I should be able to teach adjunct once I have 18 credits past my masters at the university level and earn about 15+, but as of right now, my focus is paying down my debt before I take on more courses.
I would like for my life to be like that ideally if I ever get married. Growing up, money was somewhat always a point of concern
I live in Virginia. The cost of living is very high in northern Virginia. I do want to teach there someday, but I know it would be very hard as a teacher to buy a home some the values are increasing in that area.I've considered administration, but I don't think I have the personality for it.
Part of the reason I choose teaching was that I know that it's a very family friendly profession so I could be home at a certain time and not have to worry about being called into work in the evening so I could spend time with my family and also because I know that I would be able to take leave if I ever had a child and my future wife isn't able to do so.
Two points...
consider moving to southern or southwest Virginia - MUCH better cost of living
Realize that many male teachers (and some female!) end up taking summer or second jobs to make ends meet. This means they often do end up "working evenings"l
Again, that's all well and good. But marriages are a partnership - a team effort. Especially once kids enter the picture.
When one member of the team is "down for the count", for whatever reason, it's good to know the other member of the team can carry the load for a while.
Having someone to share all your burdens with (including financial) is one of the perks of marriage
That is a perspective I had not considered, thanks for sharing.
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(I think I had heard somewhere a while back that professors earn significantly larger salaries, than K-12 teachers?)
