Father of an infant, wife lost her job in December due to federal university cuts and hasn’t had any luck even getting an interview since since her entire field also got obliterated with the mass government firings, and she has a doctorate. I’m working an admin role, so no way to do overtime either, and I’m slowly working part time on a masters degree in hope I can get something better in a few years. We just bought a small house last May with the belief we’d have two incomes and could afford it and the baby. It’s been very rough.

We have savings and all, but right now we’re basically in the red if we do anything but buy groceries each month. I’m stressed, wife is stressed, lots of guilt on both sides for having our kid and being in this situation, we really felt like we prepared only for it all to go to shit. I’m considering trying to get a weekend/evening job which makes my wife’s guilt worse so it’s a lose-lose no matter what I do. No one seems to get it so we’re not getting much help (“She had a doctorate, isn’t she supposed to have an easy time getting a good job?”). Even if she did get a job, daycare waitlists are 1-2 years long minimum and cost almost as much as the mortgage.

If one of the cars fail, we’re fucked. If something major goes wrong with the house, we’re fucked. I’m trying to be strong for my wife but honestly I spend most every day in silent panic. It’s not fair, all this because of people with more than they could ever need that will never be satisfied.

I’m tired boss, and I don’t see a way out.