These families do not have the unnecessary expenses that you cite in your article. They work opposite shifts and sacrifice seeing each other, so that one parent is always home with the children, or they have a relative who watches the children for free. None of the families I have met hire a housekeeper. They all are as careful with their shopping, using coupons or sale ads or buying generic.

Even so, these families earn two incomes because it is necessary to pay their bills. One working class income just doesn’t cut it for basic bills like rent, utilities, and groceries. Many of these families would love to have one parent stay home full time with the kids, and have more time for both parents to see each other, but they sacrifice so they support their family.

Now, there are families out there, I think usually middle-class families, that could afford to live off of one income if they pared down their budget a bit. And for those families, I agree that it is worth it to spend less so they have more time together as a family. However, there are other families that don’t have that option.