<prompt> Human: Both my wife and I are in our mid-30s, with two children. We immigrated from the UK to the US, and have managed to find well-paying great for rural Wisconsin jobs in our respective fields. Difference is, I love my job and she hates hers. We both have great benefits health and retirement, great pay. She additionally has flexible working hours that allow her to stay at home with our children during the day time and work during the night. Since she works with a hospital, health insurance for us has been free for the last few years. She didnt much like what she did at the onset in her job, and it has just become worse for her the last few years, to the point that she hates being at her work, and working nights has sapped her of her joie de vivre. Both of us being late to the job market in the US, have not amassed any substantial amount of retirement savings on our own. We have been contributing the max we can to our 401ks and both our companies match what we put in. Weve only recently started a Roth IRA and are maxing our contributions to that as well. Starting out in a new country, we went a little crazy with our spending at the onset. The luster of buy now and pay interest free got us very enticed and we spent like there was no tomorrow. To the point that now we owe 12k in deferred financing debt, and another 13k in home improvement loans 1.5 interest. She recently got an offer from a private firm, where she would be on a normal 9-5 schedule, and get paid more than what she is now. The catch? No benefits at all. No health insurance, and no retirement options. Nothing. The financial impact of this would be 2,800 a month, figuring in Day care for the two kids and health insurance which would now be 400 a month on my plan. Before taxes, I earn 65k a year and she earns 58k a year. Again not stellar, but good enough for rural Wisconsin. Her new job would pay 70k a year. After taxes it comes to around 800 more a month in net pay, nowhere offsetting the 2800 a month we would need. A raise for me is out of the question as I just recently got a 5 raise at my current job.Needless to say I am very scared. Two years of our bank account and investments not going above the 25k mark has me very worried that well start dipping into our savings. And the fact that shes not going to add anything to her 401k has me very worried for our retirement future. Which of course has led to a lot of tension at home whole other story. I want her to continue in her current job, and maybe move to a day shift in her current job,where wed need daycare, but only for three days a week instead of five days a week. Wed get to keep the health insurance,and minimize the impact. But shes dead set on this new job. Does anyone have any input on how we can save and maximize our retirement savings without having the benefit of a 401k? Would this work out in the long run? Assistant: You will make enough money even after childcare costs that I dont see any reason you cant save a decent amount for retirement even if she takes this job. If you cant make it work after she takes this new job, I think you have a budgetspending problem. The debts are a bit worrisome but again you make enough money that paying them off should happen fairly quickly, unless youre spending too much on stuff now. So, Im kind of on her side.Life isnt just about retirement savings, and it sounds like this would increase her quality of life significantly. Especially since two fully funded IRAs and one maxed out 401k is already pretty close to a damn good retirement for you, further so if you assume SSBritish pension. But, you can always use taxable accounts for added savings.Human: We do unfortunately have a budgetspending problem. We both went nuts spending for years. Last month, when we realized that out of the 6300 a month we get to take home, we hadnt put anything into savings for the last few months, did we finally see eye to eye and stop our frivolous spending. I blame my addiction to technology and gadgets, as well as her passion for the HGTV channel. : I agree with you about the quality of life, which is why it is a difficult decision to make. But it is reassuring to hear that it could work out. It is just hard to see that right now.  <response>: Yeah, Im not surprised given the tone of your post.So, I think the wisest step here is for her to take the job, with a very strict understanding that you both need to get your spending under control, and have a solid budget.Youve realized that you have this spending problem, which is the first step, but what you need to do now is sit down with your wife and create a budget you can agree on together. Theres no need to be paupers--you will make enough even after she changes jobs that you can certainly still have plenty of discretionary money well, not plenty compared to what youve been doing, but plenty relative to most, but you do need to be disciplined about it.There are two sides to being financially healthy, having a decent income and keeping spending in check. Telling her to keep her job she dislikes is dealing with the former, but the former isnt a problem for you--for you, the problem is the latter. If you can get your spending in check youll be fine whether or not she takes the new job so she should since itd make her happier, but the important part here is fixing the spending, not anything about which job she takes.Speaking to how two fully funded IRAs and one fully funded 401K is already a great start, plugging in your numbers here: 35yo, assuming 20K saved up now which sounds like it might be low, contributing 28.5K annually, 7 return 3 inflation, you are on track to have an inflation-adjusted 66K annually in retirement. Which is pretty good, especially since thats before SS or any of that, and you wont have to save for retirement or anything obviously 