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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not change jobs even though it would be 1.5k more per month?

33 replies

MyTimeIsWorthMore · 26/10/2026 11:31

Currently WFH full time and love it. Due to some health issues it’s the perfect balance for me.
We just manage financially.
DH has been commenting on how the same role but not WFH and an extra hour per day is approx 1.5k more. Where these jobs are though is quite a long drive .

To me it’s not worth it as would unbalance things for me health wise, with the house and also with ds as currently I can do all school runs etc. I’ve said to dh my time and health are more important to me than building up savings. AIBU?

OP posts:
Brokentoes85 · 26/10/2026 16:44

FiveEightNine · 26/10/2026 11:50

It's not wrong that he looked at options and want to discuss them.
However, the discussion can easily show it is not worth it in your circumastances and he needs to accept that.

Take home after taxes
Childcare, impact on the child, emergency childcare - will he pick up if sick?
Commute costs
Your health
Less time at home - what would change at home to accomodate the 3 hours a day where you'd be away?
Getting a new probation period and losing tenure-based protection (which might be even more relevant with yout health issues).

Youve jumped to its not wrong without so many details.

How much is he working, earning and contributing. Why did he look it up before discussing it with her? Is he going to do 50% of the childcare?

FiveEightNine · 26/10/2026 19:18

Brokentoes85 · 26/10/2026 16:44

Youve jumped to its not wrong without so many details.

How much is he working, earning and contributing. Why did he look it up before discussing it with her? Is he going to do 50% of the childcare?

Two things can be true at the same time.

I don't consider looking at options and mentioning them to a long term partner to be a wrong move on it's own. It's just one search, or maybe a random add you see somewhere.
I see the OP is "a bit irritated" by that, so I commented on this part specifically.

That said, he can easily be wrong about everything that follows - how he presents it, how the discussion about the options goes.
The question "would he cover 50% of childcare" is part of that discussion, and in general if he doesn't propose any change on his side, it is probably a bad proposal.

In my post I mentioned many points to consider, and any of them can be the reason why whatever he found isn't relevant at all - it seems, that the current job has significant non-monetary value, so a good discussion would be mostly about this aspects and about what the OP wants (now and in the future)

Wonkybaby · 26/10/2026 19:36

Whether it’s net or gross is key here. If gross, then you’re looking at net £750-800 or so. Less childcare of say £350-400/month. Less commuting costs and parking (low balling this at £100). So you’d be making maybe £300 extra a month.
If he thinks this is worth it he can find himself a new job!

PermanentTemporary · 26/10/2026 19:45

A lot going on here. I wouldn’t regard a partner’s focus on building up savings as a bad thing, quite the opposite. But it sounds very like the politician’s syllogism:

1 something must be done
2 this is something
3 therefore we must do this

You need to put an evening aside for a household financial review - short, medium and long term. He perhaps needs to think about how realistic building up savings is right now in the childcare years, but also you need to look at everything- earnings, pensions etc. If he has found an opportunity for you that means a serious jump up in your future earning potential that doesn’t come around often, I don’t think you should dismiss it out of hand or be too irritated by it. And if your ds is out of nursery and into school, that might be a good time to start thinking that way.

Boreded · 26/10/2026 19:59

latetothefisting · 26/10/2026 13:31

Yeah its far more than "just a bit".
If youre in higher tax band its down to about £850 extra a month anyway.
20 days at £18 for wraparound care = £360.
So only £490 more.
Then at least an extra tank of fuel every week if its a long commute, which, at current prices, depending on your car is, what £70-100 each time?
Down to only £90 more a month.

But of course you're working an extra hour every day, so you have to divide your current salary by current hours vs new salary by hours plus twenty.

Not to mention maybe having to hire a cleaner or whatever if you're not around to do as much housework.

And thats without all the non-financial aspects such as time with your son, physical health, etc.

I'd cost it up to the penny and then tell him to mind his own business, or look up better jobs for him.

Yeah I value my personal time too highly to be doing all that extra time for such a small amount extra, just isn’t worth it is it.

Hankunamatata · 26/10/2026 20:02

So you would work and hour a day extra? How long is the commute?

TFImBackIn · 26/10/2026 20:09

The only thing I'd say to him is to shift his arse and get a better job himself, rather than expecting me to solve all his financial problems. Cheeky fucker.

ThisOldThang · 26/10/2026 20:24

How much do you earn and how much does your husband earn? Is he working long hours while you take the easier option of working from home? If he did the same as you in terms of hours worked and salary, could you cover the family bills and maintain your current lifestyle? Why does he have to do it, but not you? Do you feel entitled to being a 'kept woman'? Does he have the option of having 'health issues' or does he just have to keep going no matter what?

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