How many of you are the only income for your household ?

hotnurse84 · Jan 5, 2010

I too am getting ready to start a 2nd job...i'm not our sole income though. we just are in so much debt....anyway I am wondering the same thing. I don't know how this will work but the way my schedule will be is work at my primary job mon-wed-fri and every other weekend. and at my secondary job tues-thurs (5 hrs a day) and sat(4 hrs). so I won't many whole days off. but at least I only have to work both jobs on every other saturday....I was thinking of going to weekend option ...which pays really well here. it would pay me what I make at my primary job. that would be me working only 2 days and making what I make in working about 4 days now....and then during week work at my part time job. thus making the same as I do now but be at home more with my family.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Jan 5, 2010

I'm sole income also.

So this truck driving school had a nurse check him out and the nurse said his back made him disqualified? My husband was a truck driver for a while, and they did do a lengthy physical, but he can look into other programs or pay for his own physical to make sure it is accurate. The nurse sounded unprofessional though in how she dealt with this situation. I would say that it was a close one and good to not be involved with this company as they hire unprofessional staff.

keithjones · Jan 5, 2010

Having been to truck driving school and having worked for 2 years as a truck driver I can give a little helpfull info here... first of all most truck driving schools are mills that are in it for the money and the physicals they give are a joke "here lie down so your blood pressure will drop enough that I can pass you"...so if he can't pass a physical there try a different school... that nurse may have been fired already for turning away paying customers!

Second Don't let him be a truck driver! Trucking companies try to lure drivers with promises of $80,000- $120,000 a year and the like, but in reality only "real" truckers that live in their trucks and never go "home" make anywhere close to that, and these guys have the best routes with the least downtime because "if the wheels ain't rollin you ain't making any money". Expect to be a truck driver for 5-15 years to get a sweet route like that. Most guys going into trucking these days aren't the hardcore truckers of old but family men torn from their homes in search of promised security and stability that just isn't there. Once the trucking company gets you they lure you in further with the promise that leasing your own truck gives you more freedom to choose your routes and how much you can make, but in reality it means the trucking company gets to make money off of you in addition to their customers and you get stuck with multi thousand dollar fuel bills and when you blow a tire... there goes $800 for roadside tire change of a $600 tire!! It's just sick! It forces many into bankruptcy and the profession as a whole destroys marriages... If you are smart and lucky you might do a year "Over the road" making around $35,000 (much of which you spend on meals and entertainment for your abundant downtime) and then get a local driving job where you can be home everynight... but still expect 12-14 hour days for $30-45,000 a year. In that case "home" is just where you crash for a few hours to sleep .

I worked for a year over the road and nearly had a nervous breakdown. I wasn't making any money solo so I became a trainer. I made better money but most of my students were morons that couldn't navigate so when it was their turn to drive I couldnt sleep or I risked waking up 300 miles in the wrong direction, so I slept 3-4 hours a day for 2 weeks at a time and then got to go home for 36 hours (that I spent comatose) and go out and do it again! I had anxiety issues for nearly 2 years after that. I did get a local job for a year but again I was working 14 hour days and you didn't know when you were going home because you could think you were done at 3:00 pm (after starting at 6:00am) and get a call that you had to do a 150 mile round trip pickup in the middle of nowhere... so you get home at 8:00 pm. this rushing around caused several minor "incidents" (turning into a parking lot with low hanging power wire, getting stuck on soft shoulders 3 times, backing into a residential driveway on 2-lane roads requiring a tow truck each time etc.) which now make me unhireable as a truck driver!

So you can see in my case I lost 2 years of my life, my mental and physical health to some extent and almost my family to make a few bucks...

There are many better options available even in this tough economy (btw trucking companies nationwide have thousands of trucks sitting idle due to the slow economy and drivers wait days on loads sometimes, making $15-30 a day while they wait.) Tell him to go to nursing school or become a radiology tech. he can get a job as a nurse aide after a 6 week course and do that while in school!

Even though the nurshing shortage isn't all its cracked up to be for the moment, healthcare is the place to be for longterm job stability these days.. Our parents may have worked 20+ years in one job and only 4-7 jobs in their lifetime, but these days expect to work 15-30+ in your lifetime making no money unless you choose a stable career instead of a job. Thats why I am 33 years old shooting for Nurse Anesthesia. If I fall short I still end up an advanced practice nurse with infinite possibilities.

Good luck to you both

misschiatia · Jan 5, 2010

I am not the only income in my house anymore, but i was and have been for periods of up to a year. Generally, we make it ok on just my income( husband and only 1 child). This is even when i was only working 32 hours/week(my preference not because more hours werent available).

If you think you have it bad, how do you think your staff makes it on their salary. Im sure you have CNA's and PCT's making it on far less than you make. I wish you luck and hope for the best for your husband. I have to add that i have always felt that it is not how much you make that influences your lifestyle, but how you manage what you make.

It doesn't matter what they pay you if you don't get a handle on how to manage finances and cut where you need to cut in order to afford what you need to afford(THis statement is made in general and does not indicate any criticism of your personal situation).

Lastly, nothing is constant but change so hang in there. Eventually things will get better

vivacious1healer · Jan 5, 2010

Sole provider here too. My hubby is able to pick up some freelance work here and there, but we survive mostly on my income.

Helps that our mortgage for is manageable, and have only one car (now paid off), and no outstanding loans or credit cards.

I have learned from being in debt that I will not allow it to happen again!

sasha2lady · Jan 5, 2010

I'm a better money manager by far than my hubby. Once these smaller bills are paid down it won't be as hard. My car will be paid off tax time and so will 2 credit cards. I don't know how that nurse has a job treating orientees like she did they told him to get a md note saying he can drive a truck. He would never do healthcare work as he was a fireman/ Emt at his old job. His dream is to own his own truck one day . Here Jin our town people can't get waitress jobs nothing is left.

PurpleLVN · Jan 5, 2010

Sole provider. Divorced with a teen daughter who gets support from her dad. No debt, car paid for, rent is manageable, Thank God!! Doing fine with one income, but considering another job to save for ADN school and prepare for my DD college!!

ck29_2000 · Jan 5, 2010

Weird about your husbands physical. The hubs is a trucker and I swear they'd do anything to pass some of those guys. I'd steer your hubs into a different career. Mine is driving truck because he has the lap dog of trucker routes (10 hr day makes 60k a year), but if it was over the road you better believe he'd be back in school or back farming. That's a big part of the reason I'm going to school now, while his job is good, we've got another 5 years guaranteed and then it's up in the air (gotta love contracts) so we're planning now for him making a career change sometime in the semi near future.

mattny · Jan 5, 2010

I'm a sole income holder

mattny · Jan 5, 2010

Wow this trucking , I never knew was so difficult

inkedRN · Jan 5, 2010

I became an RN in July 2008 and started working right away. My husband lost his job in October 2008, three months later. We've been surviving off of just my income since then.

My husband does pick up odd jobs here and there but mostly he is a stay at home dad while I work 2 jobs, one full time and one per diem. It really didn't make sense for him to get a job and put out youngest in daycare when I could just pick up a second job and make more money.

Things are definitely tight, but we are making it so far anyway.