Here are the details...
I work a full time salaried job in corporate wellness making $31,000 a year. I also work part-time as a personal trainer about 7-10 hours a week making $18 per session. Sidebar: This is a gym in which the trainers do not have to sell. They are given clients, thus the reduction in hourly rate. In most gyms you may take home 25-30 per session, but are expected to do a fair share of unpaid time doing orientations and trying to sell the training...I don't have the time for that.
This is my day, most days of the week:
6am-2pm: work day job
4pm-6 or 7pm: personal training.
We've worked it out. To pay for childcare, which can be upwards of $150-200 a week AND bring enough home to match my current earnings she'd have to find something that's around $12-14 per hour and she doesn't have a college degree. She is however currently enrolled for online classes in Medical Coding.
Our original plan was for her to stay home with the baby up to a year and then we'd make a decision from there. We also were not going to have our child raised by childcare.
Health Insurance Premium as of Oct 1st: $297 per pay period....that's a jump of $20 per pay period over previous.
We do ok. Single car household, car paid off in another month, 2b/2b 1200sq ft apt, plus two dogs, plus cable/water/trash...$761...then we just pay the electric and cell phone bill.
I have a BS in Exercise Science. Thought about going to school many times, the problem is when? Looked into the alternative route to teacher certification here in Kentucky as well as possible Physical Therapy School. Hell, even a PTA would barely take 1-2 years and I'd be making more. Again...the problem always is when do I do all this stuff? Until the baby's in child care I just don't see it happening.
Alan