It began as a simple question in the Tobias & Sara Room forum on CatholicMatch.com on March 17.
Carl-111594 asked, “How much money does he have to make so you ladies would be happy?”
Minutes later, the comments came rolling in, including this clever summation by Daniel-634934: “Can you say 'lightening rod?'"
More than 200 comments were made on the original thread, resulting in the creation of additional threads to continue the conversation.
Many commenters, like Rob-362135, said that women need a man who can make enough money to support a family, but that money and material items cannot buy happiness. Brenda-444789 and many others said that earning a high income can create problems on its own and not necessarily make a couple happy. Karen-133138 cited a recent Princeton study that found an annual household income of $75,000 is the magic number for happiness.
Still, others, like Alex-314577, said that money does matter. He waited until he was earning $70,000 a year as an engineer before entering the dating world so that he could be confident in his ability to support a spouse and future family.
So how much money do we ladies want the men in our lives to bring home?
As much as it takes.
We are all accustomed to different standards of living depending on our upbringing and geographical location. Some Catholic singles value luxurious vacations, nice dinners and oversized homes, while others prefer modest weekend trips, the occasional night out, and a comfortable, ranch-style home. “As much as it takes” is relevant to the couple and cannot possibly be attributed to a specific income level or lifestyle.
Deanna-558852’s comment on the forum especially resonated with me: “I'd rather spend quality time with my guy doing simple inexpensive stuff like going on hikes, watching a movie at home, making dinner together or lawn care/gardening or a trip to the lake for a picnic than compete with his work schedule because he thinks he needs to bring home six figures.”
No one wants to play second fiddle to a spouse’s career, so for me, “as much as it takes” refers to an income that can let us support a family, purchase a home, enjoy God’s world around us, and help us give back to our community, all while letting us feel stable and secure amidst the uncertainties of life.
Oh, and a lifetime of season tickets at Target Field wouldn’t hurt either…even if we’re in the outfield.
