Her Husband Wants to Sell Their House Instead of Getting a Second Job While She's on Maternity Leave. Dave Ramsey Tells Her to Go Back to Work

Adrian Volenik

Sat, September 5, 2026 at 6:14 PM GMT+3 6 min read

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She's six months pregnant with her second child and preparing to take three months of maternity leave. There's just one problem: She's the breadwinner, the family has almost no savings, and her husband would prefer to sell their house instead of getting a second job.

Stephanie from Connecticut explained on a recent episode of "The Ramsey Show" that she's self-employed as a consultant, helping businesses with grant writing and strategic planning. She normally brings home about $6,000 a month, but expects to have little or no income during her maternity leave. Her husband, a processing technician, brings home about $3,500 a month.

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A Three-Month Problem Could Cost Them Their House

The couple previously had savings, but Stephanie said they "had to blow through most" of the money to replace their home's heating and cooling system. They also have student loans, a $350 monthly car payment and two mortgage payments totaling about $1,680 a month.

Stephanie estimates her husband would need to earn roughly another $3,000 a month to comfortably cover their bills, groceries and household expenses, with daycare also coming.

But her husband doesn't want a part-time job. His proposed solution is to sell their house, despite their mortgage carrying a 2.65% interest rate, move into a one-bedroom apartment and live on his income.

Co-host Rachel Cruze wasn't having it.

"Go get a job, dude," she said. "Don't make your wife, after you've been through what you've been through… You should have seen me 60 days after a birth." To Cruze, Stephanie's husband needed to take responsibility for covering the temporary income gap.

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Personal finance personality Dave Ramsey agreed that her husband needed to work more, but he didn't let Stephanie off the hook either.

"There's no reason for you to be off from work for 90 days," Ramsey told her, pointing to the flexibility that can come with running your own business. "You're self-employed."

Cruze immediately disagreed.

"You push a baby out and try to be somewhat normal 60 days later," she said. "So, nope. Husband, get to work."

The exchange highlighted something bigger than a disagreement over maternity leave. The couple is making a potentially life-changing decision because they don't have enough cash to absorb a few months of reduced income.

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They Have to Choose Their Pain

Ramsey ultimately argued that both spouses had contributed to the situation. They have debt, little savings and knew Stephanie's self-employment meant she wouldn't receive the same maternity benefits as a traditional employee.

"You made some choices here that painted yourself in the corner," he said. "We have to choose our pain. Pain is coming."

Still, Ramsey sided with Cruze: Stephanie's husband shouldn't simply refuse additional work and expect selling the house to solve everything.

"He needs to go get six jobs and take care of his family," Ramsey said.

Ramsey suggested Stephanie could gradually take on some consulting work from home when she was reasonably able after giving birth. He also said he'd sell the car before selling the house, although eliminating a $350 payment wouldn't close their entire monthly gap.

Their relatively modest housing payment wasn't the real problem. Their lack of savings meant a temporary drop in income had become a potential housing crisis.

Ramsey's advice was to endure the difficult few months, keep the house and fix the underlying financial problems afterward. Ten years from now, he argued, they'll probably be glad they did.

Image: Shutterstock

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This article Her Husband Wants to Sell Their House Instead of Getting a Second Job While She's on Maternity Leave. Dave Ramsey Tells Her to Go Back to Work originally appeared on Benzinga.com