I have heard a number of horror stories of traditional Catholic families going through a financial nightmare because they got married and had children with only making minimum wage or just a little above minimum wage. The majority of them end up living in horrible conditions and extreme poverty. With this being said, isn't it imprudent to get married only making minimum wage?
My opinion is that if a couple is thinking about getting married, they should have at least an annual income of $45,000 to $50,000. The reason why I say this is because starting a family with an income of $40,000 or less is going to place a family in extremely serious financial problems. Lets face the reality here. We live in a world that consists of many expenses. We no longer live in a world of cottages and villages anymore. Yes, the essentials in life is to have food, clothing, and shelter. Though, the shelter part shouldn't just be any shelter. It should be a safe shelter, that is, living in an area that is not crime-ridden. Who wants to raise a family in a neighborhood of where you have to worry about getting shot at, having your car broken into, or getting mugged? It costs a good amount of money to live in a decent area that is not crime ridden. I'm not talking about living in a fancy luxurious area that is drenched in materialism. I'm just talking about living somewhere that is just decent ... and this costs money to do so.
With all of the above being said, wouldn't you say that it's imprudent to get married and have kids only making minimum wage? Shouldn't a man have a good paying job before getting married?