Giving tips and tricks for living on one income is fantastic, and it's great to see so many people share. I guess I wasn't arguing why people do or do not struggle. As you say, there are a range of reasons from personal choices to education and employment opportunities, from corporate downsizing to overspending. My post was simply saying I felt it was wrong to assume that the majority of people living on two incomes are living in luxury, or are overspending on unnecessary goods, as the poster had said she assumed that most of us here would agree on that. I didn't agree, and so felt perhaps I should make that known.
There are a good many statistics on these things, but I didn't feel this was the place for them. Mostly saying that it would be nice to feel that many of the hardworking people I know aren't being judged becuase it's necessary for them to have two incomes to live reasonably. I am sorry you felt that you didn't make a difference as a public school teacher--I know that position can be frustrating. I have several friends who teach in intercity and low-income schools, and most of them feel the opposite, which is why they stay; but, they do get frustrated with the sytem sometimes. Personally, I feel I've made a difference in many people's life choices and spending habits the last few years through nutrtional education and counseling. It's been a wonderful experience, even with the occasional frustrations. Again, though, this wasn't really my point. My point was that many people living on two incomes are frugal, and it's nice to come here and not feel that because you live on two incomes you're thought impractical or wasteful.
"This isn't life in the fast lane, it's life in oncomming traffic." -Terry Pratchett
