To SAHM: What Does Your Husband Do?

My husband is in the navy. I know it's not for a lot of people, but it's been great for us. He doesn't make a fortune, but he makes more than enough for us to be comfortable and the benefits are fantastic. He hasn't had to go on any deployments so we've been lucky, but that could always be a possibility. The nice part is that it's a very secure job and you never worry about not getting a paycheck. He's going to retire by the time he's 39, about 6 years from now with half of his pay for the rest of his life, so that's another big security boost. Like I said, it's definitely not for everyone, but I thought it was worth a mention. I hope your husband finds something wonderful so you can stay home more! It's worth it!

J.,

Mine owns a restaurant and although the money is good, he is hardly ever home! I basically take care of the kids all by myself and it's REALLY hard. I definitely have my hands full. It is very nice to have time to yourself to enjoy something simple such as a pedicure,or lunch with a friend. Right now, finding time to get a haircut, or just to use the bathroom is a challenge!
Anyway, to answer your question, a friend of ours just quit their job in a company to go sell cars at Mercedes. He now makes enough so that his wife can stay at home with their 6 mo old.

My husband has been in sales for about 20 yrs. His undergraduate degree is in finance and accounting. He went back for an MBA and completed that before we moved to TX about 20 yrs ago.

Prior to our move, he was in purchasing. He now is selling products he used to purchase. Sales is very rewarding, very hard schedule. He sells in a niche where the products are very much needed and used everywhere. The sales is pretty specialty and involved him knowing his chemistry. He has been in this industry for over 25 years.

Depending on the type of sales.....you can be rewarded very well. The downside to my husband's job is the amount of travel involved. He is on the road anywhere from 2-4 nights a week. He is a gem though. He will fly home to be able to attend any functions our daughter has with school or personal and then he will go back on the road. My body clock is auto set for 3am because he is usually on a plane by 6am.

We work as a team and maintain constant communication. I manage all of his air travel and act as his customer support. Sales involves a wife's help. There is also a lot of entertaining and some travel for the wife to help maintain customer relationships. (Ex: conferences, golf tourneys, dinners, sports events)

This type of job has to be a team effort. He makes sure that my daughter and I are constantly wired technically to be in contact with him when we need him via the most recent laptops and cell phones. He calls me his cheerleader.

I left the sales work force in 1991 while building our first house. We had our one and only child in 1994.

I personally would stay away from any MLM's or sales where you are putting up money to sell something. You know....the get rich quick stuff.

I will add something similar to what another poster said......have no debt. Yes we use a credit card and you have to in sales. All of his expenses are reimbursed. That card is ALWAYS paid in full before the due date. This is a must. A lot of sales people get in trouble because instead of sending the expense check to the credit card company for those reimbursements, they use the money. It takes discipline, delayed gratification.

We refinanced our house at the right time and every time we refinance, we pay down. Our mortgage gal thought we were crazy refinancing this house we just built so quickly but it was worth it. Don't use escrow services. Save and pay your own insurance and taxes. You might as well be the one getting interest on that money. Don't carry a loan on a car. If you can't pay cash, get the best that you can with your cash. Make sure you have college funds and your retirement funds set up and use it. We actually live on about 1/2 of what my husband makes (which is extememly rewarding) and the rest is put away for retirement, daughter's college, daughter's wedding and I am driving her first car now. We wanted a safe car for her but not a "new" car for her. This one will be about 4 yr old when she gets it and it is in perfect condition and well cared for. She helps take care of it because she knows it it going to be hers. SAVE SAVE SAVE.

I apologize for the ramble. As you can tell, I am married to a guy who knows his numbers and we use that to make our life much better.

Best wishes to you and your family. I feel very fortunate to be able to stay home and I count my blessings.

T

J.,
I feel for you, because I felt this same way after my oldest son was born and staying home with him was simply not a choice my husband and I could even begin discussing. What we did was to concentrate on paying credit cards and other loans off. Yes, this took several years. During this time, my husband was able to obtain some better paying positions and we continued to reevaluate what was most important. Now, I've been a stay at home mom for almost a year with my second son. Of course, I also prayed daily for a miracle in our lives. God is good!
E.

My husband works for an online travel company. We couldn't ask for a better job right now. He gets to stay home and work, which is a blessing most of the time. lol (Not when the kids are playing loudly and he's on a call.)

But he's always worked in the hotel business, and I've been able to stay home with the kids. Yes, there have been some VERY tight times, but God has helped us find a way to survive.

If you think he'd be good in sales, I know there are a lot of the pharmaceutical companies that have agents that visit clinics and hospitals. Maybe something like that? One of my friends works in medical equipment sales, and he LOVES it. I don't remember the name of the company, though. Luckily, Dallas is full of company headquarters and regional offices; so, he may have a better chance here than anywhere else.

I hope you find something soon, J....or your husband, I mean. :)