The 'Team Work' : Part 2

How to Help Your Husband Make More Money So You Can Be A Stay-At-Home Mom
by Joanne Watson

(Page 2 of 2)

Bringing Up The Subject

It is important to bring up the subject in a positive way. Let your husband know that you think he is a great guy, and that he is worth more money. Tell him you would like to work as a team to help him get the pay he deserves.

Explain to him that by pooling your resources, you increase your odds of success. You can remind him that his favorite football team or baseball team is made up of more than one player, and together they win the game. Here is an inspiring quote he may relate to:

People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society. -Vince Lombardi, ESPN's Coach of the Century The truth is, if you are working outside the home currently, you are already helping with the family income-just in a more expensive way.

Do The Math

It is easier than most people think to raise their husband's income by enough to stay home with their children.

One important (but often overlooked) fact is that you don't have to replace your entire income to make it work. You only need to replace the part that you are keeping after deducting work-related expenses like child-care, office lunches, transportation, work wardrobe, etc.

So, for example, if you are a mom of two earning $30,000, and you are spending $15,000 on child-care and other work-related expenses, you would need to help raise your husband's income by only $15,000 in order to have the same net result, but with the added bonus of you being able to be home with your children. If the change from two incomes to one lowers your tax bracket, you will have a savings there, too. Of course, you will need to factor in the replacement cost of any job benefits you receive, as well, such as insurance provided by your employer, etc. If you sit down and go over the numbers, you can figure out how much you really need to raise your husband's income by to accomplish your stay-at-homemom goal. It may be less than you imagined. Either way, that amount then becomes Target #1.

It is best if you both agree on your target, so there are no misunderstandings, and you can keep your eyes on your goal.

Achieving your target may happen all at once, or it may come in stages, and it is important to celebrate your victories along the way, and acknowledge what you have achieved as a team.

Of course, once you have achieved and celebrated Target #1, you may want to set Target #2, which will allow you to achieve greater financial stability and help you to accomplish your other financial goals.

Believe In Your Team

Sure, you will have to apply what you have learned, and it will take some action on your part, but once you have made the decision and have the know-how, it's really not that hard to do.

A big part of success is believing in your ability to accomplish what you set out to do. A confident approach will open more doors than a timid one will. Many people have successfully used these Team Work techniques to raise their husband's income - some of them with less skills than your team. If they can do it, so can you.

Being armed with the knowledge of how to go about something makes it a much easier task. For example, having a good recipe makes it a lot easier to bake a cake!

How to Help Your Husband will give you knowledge to confidently guide your path to the life that you want.

There are plenty of high-paying positions out there. Some of the top executives are making hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Do you think that all of them are that many times more qualified than most hardworking Americans? Neither do I. But they have accomplished something that they dreamed of, and they are being paid very well for it.

A "high" salary for your husband, one that by itself comfortably supports a family, is not too high of a goal to shoot for. It happens every day all over the country. In any economy, opportunities exist. It is important for you to keep in mind that there are plenty of high-paying jobs out there. Employers and hiring managers are right at this moment grappling with the problem of how to find the right person to solve their particular problem and fill their need.

The idea that it is hard to do can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Decide that it is easy, follow the steps, and it soon will be.

Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Joanne Watson

About the Author

Joanne Watson is a stay-at-home mom with three children. Thanks to the principles outlined in this book, her husband is now a top executive at a successful hi-tech company.