Comments on: Reader Case Study: Is Having a Stay-At-Home Parent Financially Feasible for the Longterm?

By: Grace

Grace — Fri, 12 May 2023 19:25:12 +0000

In reply to Tara R.

I’m the owner of two EVs and depending on your use case, they can work out great! The sticker price is high but cost to own can be very low. I own a 2016 Kia Soul EV (125 miles of range, bought for $11k in Jan 2020) and love it. My second car is a 2020 Nissan Leaf S Plus (230 miles of range) which I actually am considering selling to Carmax. We use the Soul as my husband’s daily driver, we can haul just about anything in it, and it has performed flawlessly for us. My electricity costs come out to about $1560 right now over the last 3.5 years for both cars) due to a few subscription plans I belong to. We are apartment dwellers and rely soley on public charging. The Leaf is an okay car, not especially loaded with tech but does have blind spot warnings. We both prefer the size and driving position of the Soul. That being said, there are LOTS of options for EVs out there – some glorified golf carts and some big luxury cars. Definitely recommend checking out the Chevy Bolt before it’s gone. Cheers!
p.s. All this being said, I’ve been car-free and a one-car family in the past and I’d love to get down to just (1) car again. Insurance has gone way up for us in the last few years too, so that has eaten up some of the gas savings.

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 14:46:13 +0000

In reply to Julie. Julie, I totally agree! They can cut a small amount in other areas (or earn a little more) and easily balance their budget. No need to stop tithing.

By: M

Sat, 08 Apr 2023 23:06:20 +0000

In reply to Kate. Foolish

By: M

Sat, 08 Apr 2023 23:06:01 +0000

In reply to Clara. That is magical thinking. Spending $300 a month they can’t afford is NOT keeping them in the black, and is in fact contributing to their overspending. They haven’t been stretching their money, they have been overspending and not realizing it because they lend the government a big chunk of change every year interest free in exchange for a refund come April.

By: M

Sat, 08 Apr 2023 23:00:57 +0000

In reply to Elizabeth. I’m genuinely curious what jobs you are applying for that are turned off by a degree? Every job I’ve applied for after the age of 22 has required a college degree. Can you share some examples please?

By: M

Sat, 08 Apr 2023 22:59:10 +0000

In reply to MrBojangles. This is such a small mindset, I’m floored. Be poor so you don’t have to pay as much in taxes? I just can’t wrap my brain around that. As for college, most good paying jobs that are not physically demanding require a college degree.

By: B

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 11:43:49 +0000

In reply to Holly. These are amazing ideas. I love them and your family sounds wonderful. Thank you for sharing as I really admire you.

By: Jess

Jess — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 17:08:20 +0000

This is a very interesting case study. Thanks for sharing!

By: Dianne

Dianne — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 22:54:15 +0000

In reply to Clara. Amen

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 16:46:42 +0000

As a parent of a high schooler, I think Josh should look into tutoring Latin to high schoolers. Parents of failing students pay good money hourly to hire a tutor for their kiddos. He would be his own boss, set his own hours and make some extra $$$.

By: Rise Nyren

Rise Nyren — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 21:00:33 +0000

I think Josh will love substitute teaching, and, given his background, may end up pursuing teaching. Yes, he could be a Latin teacher, but there are also other areas in the humanities that Josh may enjoy. It is those with an esoteric background who studied for the sake of learning who most enjoy education!
Subbing will make connections, and Josh can get to know other teachers, counselors, and principals as he is subbing. By the time his youngest is 8, Josh may love teaching! The kids certainly would love having a parent/teacher at all of their events! For kids, it is a little like having a celebrity in the family.

By: I M

I M — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 19:18:18 +0000

There’s so much good advice posted here, and I too am in awe at how well Holly & Josh manage their finances. I just wanted to say that from my experience, any post-secondary education is a good thing, but I totally understand it’s not for everybody. The examples from people I know is what made me think it’s helpful. My brother trained as a heavy-duty mechanic, and that paid off in spades; he is very well-off indeed. My best friend has an anthropology degree and makes well over $500 K a year in finance (she did say once that knowing about large primate behaviour was useful for dealing with brokers :)). My cousin has a degree in Old Norse (!!) because she found it interesting, and had a six-figure salary running charities for most of her working life. So Josh’s degree in Greek and Latin made me deeply happy to hear about; never underestimate the value of a liberal arts degree! You’re being taught how to think independently, and I’ve found that employers value that. I’ve got the inevitable degree in English, and I freaking loved every minute of it and don’t regret that choice at all. I know this is a money blog, and understand why people would recommend the practical qualifications like engineering or nursing, but I just wanted to add a small hurrah for Josh’s degree and what I see as its value; any language learning opens your mind to broader things, not to mention the learning for the joy of it, which I think sometimes gets lost sight of.