Are single-income households a relic of the past?

Do you think for today's couples a single-income household is attainable or a relic of the past?


More than 33 years ago, my wife and I returned to the U.S. after my first military overseas tour in Panama. My wife is Panamanian.

We had a son, had adopted two sisters, and would inevitably have a second son soon thereafter.

We were stretched financially. S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D.

I was a brand new sergeant in the Army, and in those days sergeants didn't make much money at all.

My wife and I talked about her working. She held an accounting degree. But a few years earlier during the U.S. invasion of Panama, a stray bomb hit her college and burned it to the ground.

Digital cloud records didn't yet exist. The only record she had was a paper copy of her degree.

And of course that wasn't going to fly in the U.S., especially with a 24 year old still learning the language. So we began to search for alternatives to a professional career.

The job had to be mobile and flexible, and as many a military spouse will tell you, one of the hardest things to do is hold down a job when married to a service member.

We figured if she started at a minimum wage job, she'd basically be working to pay child care and not much else. And it wasn't like we wanted someone else raising our kids. So we decided as a couple the smartest option was she'd stay home and care for our family.

I took on additional part time jobs as my military career allowed. And on this , let me tell you it was hard.

But with the guidance of a financial planner, a budget, a support network, and a lot of sacrifice, we found our way through my 30-year military career.

As hard as it was, I wonder if it was a "luxury" by today's standards. It sure didn't seem like one.

But in today's economy, for those couples who would like a more traditional family dynamic where one spouse stays home, is it even possible?

-Does it even matter?
-Are traditional marriages and roles a relic of the past?
-Or do some couples still desire at least the option of having an option?

What decisions did you make and if you had a choice, would you have chosen the family dynamic you currently have?

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