Advice?

[PanthaSan]

I agree with all above...

:yesnod:

I'm with the majority on this one...

[TarPanther9180]

Yeah definitely take the package and leave. She can take a break the first month or two and get part time employment, while still banking money from the sev package. Save any extra money you can, let her go to school the rest of the time. Working somewhere you hate sucks, that's why I spend so much time on the Huddle during the day.

[Delhommey]

Put every penny of that severance package away. Start pulling back now.

That way you get accustomed to the new reality and have a backup plan.

[CLTPanther]

It's all about opportunity costs. You have to take into account the explicit and implicit costs of the decision to decide what to do. Go do a little research on the subject of opportunity costs, do the numbers, it will tell you what you should do.

[Mvp2014]

more to life than money!

take the package...give her a couple months of peace and quiet and then hope she can find a job somewhere that she will be happier...and hopefully gets over the need to stay home. If not, you're going to need to figure out a way to make ends meet on what you've got.

Happy wife = happy life.

You gotta take that

[Hawk]

this thread could have ended after my post

people....Hawk is knowledge!!!!

[Delhommey]

this thread could have ended after my post

people....Hawk is knowledge!!!!

An he who increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

[Murph]

I agree with all above...

ditto.

My wife only worked 2 days a week a year ago but her employer added more clients to her list and she was forced to take on a third day last spring. She had always loved her job but she hated that extra day because that was one less day she could spend with our foster baby at home. She spread a negative attitude around the house on that day because she hated going in.

She and the office manager started working on changing her schedule in November to consolidate clients & decrease downtime to elimate that third day even though it will decrease her pay somewhat. Three weeks ago she finally got that day back. Her mood immediately changed and when I go home for lunch on that day she is truely giddy to have that time back for herself and the baby. It was worth the cut in pay.

[theedaddy]

take your wife on a "vacation". either mountains, deep sea fishing, or animal farm.

[Zcustom]

Lots of good responses already, here's my thoughts since I'm in that boat right now.

You cannot replace the value of your child having his/her mother in their most formative years, you just can't. I was raised this way and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Yes we were poor, and yes it was tough at times, but it made me who I am today.

Your wife is clearly unhappy at her job and even if you weren't in line for a sweet severance my advice would be the same, let her stay home with your kid. The severance is icing on the cake, take it and run. You are in a better financial position than we were at that point so know that it can be done. Frankly (I'm not big on sharing this kind of info but for this purpose wth) we live off of approx. $300 every month after bills. We get food diapers gas and all other necessities with that and make it work. We did have around $5k in savings at my sons birth, but it goes quickly. It can be done though.

Depending on how many kids you want and when, this "rough period" could be as short as a couple years or at worst 4 or 5. Your wife can do PT work or like mine was pursuing before getting pregnant again, tutoring work or daycare. Once the kid is in preschool your wife can start working more hours.

Go for it man! Your life will be richer for it.

[Darth Urious]

lol well then, here's an update...

She turned in the paperwork to get the estimated benefits...

They call her back and say (basically reading from their general guidelines that are not published anywhere for employees to read it) that anyone with only 1-5 years on the job will receive the minimum package... WHICH IS:

1 month's pay

1 year paid healthcare

paid balance of leave, which in her case will only be like $300 or so since she burnt up most of hers when our son was born...

So, I think she has decided to stick it out up there as long as she can, and in the meantime be looking pretty hard for something part-time so that she can eventually be a stay-at-home mom part-time too...

Ah well, that maximum would have been a great deal for her in my opinion, but it didn't work out like we thought it would...

Thanks again for all the advice...

[The Saltman]

That sux. hope everything works out for u.

[Darth Urious]

Oh we'll be fine... I just hope she doesn't take on too much stress or get cut back by a mandator RIF now... If so, we've still got that money in savings to fall back on...

I told her the other day that I didn't care what she did if she quit, as long as she didn't start working the poles lol... I told her she didn't have to do anything at all aside from be a mom, heh...

I also told her that we could make some home movies and sell them... but she didn't like that idea...

[CLTPanther]

Movies about what not to eat?