Mar 17, 2025
Asking your spouse to earn more money is like walking a financial tightrope. One wrong step, and you’re in a freefall of hurt feelings and bruised egos.
But for Hanna, a mother of two from Nebraska, having this uncomfortable conversation with her husband seems like the only way to resolve her family’s debt burden.
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Her husband, a high school teacher, makes roughly $60,000 a year, she shared with John Delony and Jade Warshaw in a letter featured on a recent episode of The Ramsey Show.
Normally, that would be enough for a family of four in Nebraska, but it doesn’t cover the $125,000 debt they have looming over them.
Hanna has considered getting a job, but believes her salary would only cover the costs of daycare. The dilemma has left her emotionally drained.
“I'm grateful for all the blessings God has given us, but today I felt some break inside and I don't know how to move forward,” she wrote. “What do I do with the feelings of resentment that I have?”
Hanna's story underscores the challenge of managing a family-sized debt burden on a single income, while also working to get on the same financial page as your partner.
Financial tightrope
In 2023, roughly 30% of families in the U.S. relied on a single income in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — and the median household income was $80,610.
Like Hanna, many moms are struggling to find work as they tackle the rising costs and limited availability of childcare. In 2021, 79% of mothers reported family care as the leading reason for [exiting](https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/understanding-americas-labor-shortage-the-scarce-and-costly-childcare-issue the workforce, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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Unfortunately, the family’s six-figure debt burden has made it essential for them to find ways to boost income. Hanna wishes her husband could find a new job or side hustle, despite his attachment to teaching.
“I understand he wants to make a difference in these young people's lives,” she wrote. “However, we can't make ends meet.”
Delony agrees.
"I don't believe you have the right to ‘make a difference’ or ‘work your passion’ when you've put your family $125,000 in the hole,” he says.
However, if her husband can’t be convinced to switch careers, he believes the only solution is to embrace the modest lifestyle and make other adjustments.
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Embracing the ‘Corolla forever’ lifestyle
Teaching isn’t a lucrative career. As of 2024, the average school teacher earned $69,597 a year, according to the National Education Association (NEA). For many of these professionals, the mission is more important than the compensation.
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Delony is familiar with the sacrifice, having married an elementary school teacher himself.
“She entered what I call a Corolla world,” he says. “That's what she expected to drive forever because she knew, ‘I want to do this thing and so I'm going to build a life that requires that I can live on this salary.’”
Delony suggests that Hanna find a job she can do at home, noting that he knows a couple where the dad is a teacher and the mother runs a home daycare to help make ends meet.
If Hanna and her husband can’t find ways to make more money, they need to embrace this Corolla-forever lifestyle, too.
Warshaw encourages them to consider downsizing the house or tightening the monthly budget to gradually pay off their debt.
Over time, lower monthly interest payments, a smaller home and a more modest lifestyle should give them the breathing room they need to reduce their marital stress.
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Vishesh Raisinghani is a financial journalist covering personal finance, investing and the global economy. He's also the founder of Sharpe Ascension Inc., a content marketing agency focused on investment firms. His work has appeared in Moneywise, Yahoo Finance!, Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine and Piggybank.
