Dreamin about the American Dream (and being a stay at home mom) (Milwaukee: credit)

[YNGRL]

Hello all,
My Husband and I have been thinking about going down to a single income family so that i can stay home with the kids after he gets his degree. Ive always wanted to stay at home because juggling family and a career can be so stressful. My husband has a year left for his Electrical Engineering degree and has an internship in the pewaukee area. We have been thinking maybe our dreams might actually be possible of just settling down in one area and raising our family like everyone else "seems" to be doing. Im in the military and by the time he is done with school I will have 11 years in. I only have an office job so my hours are pretty standard but I also never know whether they are going to tranfer me or where they might transfer me and that has me worried alot wondering about childcare and all the other worries parents have. The only thing that holds me back from getting out of the military is the fact that I wonder if a family could live the american dream on an engineers salary. Ive been in the military since I was 19 so I have no clue how it is to be a civilian. Military provides health care and cheap life insurance and ok dental plans. The houses is Pewaukee seem pretty expensive to me from looking online. Are there any other engineers spouses out there living on one income in WI and doing ok (own a nice house etc live the nice life)? Or should I just quit dreamin and stay in for another 9 years till retirement because even on an engineers salary the american dream hard to obtain now a days. I would hate to get out of the military thinking I can raise my own kids (no daycare) comfortably just to realize that I have to go right back to work again. Im not looking to be rich, I'll clip coupons and smart shop but I dont want to be house poor either...I appreciate any Advice anyone has.

[JoshB]

You ask if it's possible to live off an engineers salary? Yes, it is. Engineers do pretty well. Electrical engineers if I'm correct make 50-something thousand a year starting out. You may not live in "Perfect Pewaukee" but you can still have a nice home and live comfortably.

[escapetacoma]

You *might* find it difficult given the tightening of credit lately to get a loan that would cover a really nice house in town on just one salary. Once you start to move further away from Milwaukee the housing prices should come down, though - trading your husband's commute time for more house.

If you've got some savings and you're willing to live simply it shouldn't be too difficult overall to live on one salary even that close to the big city. I wold certainly applaud you for trying it - time lost with your children can never be made up. My own mother worked long hours and has many regrets for having done so.

I should point out that the few younger families that I know of here in Waupun are single income households. Each of these families owns their own, pretty nice, home and none of the breadwinners earn in the range of an engineer. OTOH you can get a nice house around here (in my opinion - maybe not in your's) for < $125,000.

[ali&ajsmom]

I am a stay at home mom in waupun and have a nice home with land and what I have found is if your husband is willing to commute to work you should have no problems because homes do cost less the farther your get from the bigger cities. the cost of living is sometimes smaller depending on the city you move to. I love being home with my kids and to be able to go on their field trips and having the time to do all of the fun things with my kids like going sledding on snow days or going camping in the summer when we want to not when I can get off of work. I wish you the best because you will not regret it.