Dear Valued Users,
It's with a heavy heart that we announce the permanent closure of StepTalk.org on August 31st, 2025.
This decision wasn't an easy one. For over twenty years, StepTalk has been a source of support for stepparents around the world! However, over the years, the costs associated with maintaining and upgrading the site to remain secure, meet current standards and maintain availability have become unsustainable.
We are incredibly grateful for your support, contributions and the community you've helped us build. Your engagement has made StepTalk.org a special place and we cherish the memories and connections made here.
We would especially like to thank Aniki for volunteering to be a moderator and for caring so much.
Thank you for being a part of our journey and we wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Dawn and The StepTalk Team
I make more than my SO but I
I make more than my SO but I am hoping that will change any day now.
LOL I am an accountant.
LOL I am an accountant. (hopefully one day CPA)
It stinks. Now I have to get
It stinks. Now I have to get my masters and work for 1 year I believe to sit for the test right now I am thinking 5ish years.
Thanks. I finished my
Thanks. I finished my undergrad a year ago. DH is on track to finish in 2 to 3 years with his undergrad in IT. We found after our son was born both of us cannot be in school at the same time. Our house is a disaster and at least one of us fails. So I will go back when he finishes. By the time I start SS will be 10 or 11, BS will be 4 or 5 and hopefully we will have another one that will be 1 or 2. School was very hard when I had a newborn I am not up for that again.
I make more than DH some
I make more than DH some years, other years not, he is a commission based I'm salary, so it depends if he has a good year or not, last year he was 30,000 more than me, this year I'm 20 to 30 more than him, it fluctuates,
I have the steadier income,
I have the steadier income, DH has contract positions.
He's realizing however that he also needs a steadier income.
I do believe I made more than him this year and he's really feeling it - as am I, making sure we keep on our debt payoff plan and keep up with the usual expenses. I'm due a promotion early in the next year which should come with a nice salary bump; but that bump is going 100% to debt reduction and he knows it.
My income (much more than
My income (much more than his) and my property (a significant amount) are protected by a pre-nup. I'm debt-free and he's paying off a large school loan that he had to take out several years ago to re-train when the industry he was in went TU.
Everything goes to my favorite charity when I die. Bios, skid, and DH resent this. But DH, at least, has a reason to want me to stick around. :>
Good on ya about the
Good on ya about the insurance. I'm actually not that worried about DH. He's good to me, he's a hard worker, and he can be made to see reason about his kid's behavior, unlike some I read about here. He's demonstrated to me that he has a good sense of boundaries about what belongs to him and what does not. To date his grousing about being "rent boy" has been minimal, and he lives well. Complaining wouldn't benefit him much.
Skid is a different story. There is something decidedly unsavory about his attitude towards money--he's a mingy little shit, cheap and grasping, and does not have his father's generosity of spirit. I have observed him looking at my home and the things in it in a way that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I have no doubt that someday he will end up with everything his father owns, which SS has ensured will never include anything that is mine. I've worked very hard for what I have, and it hasn't been to benefit people who wouldn't piss on me if I was on fire.
We make the same amount
We make the same amount actually.
nope SO is making about 3x
nope SO is making about 3x more then me, specialized job and one of 4 in the country with the qualification...
He just can't get along with his money and goes into debt month after month,
I'm teaching him how to live poor, he does not know what I earn thus I make it a couple of thousand less then true,
he's trying his best now, he just can't imagine living like me, but I'm the one paying for most groceries and entertainment }:) oh the couple of thousand I do not tell him about goes straight into a trust fund for old age...
I make twice what DH makes.
I make twice what DH makes. I was blessed to find a career I loved and was good at in my mid 20's and have managed to increase my salary steadily.
DH dropped out of college his freshman year and has always worked steady but his income depends on commission so some years it is feast and some years it isn't so great.
The part that I wonder about is how he supported BM and three kids on his income. BM was a SAHM for their whole marriage except for the last 6 months.
I guess that explains why they lost their house in foreclosure...BM had high dollar taste on a poor mans budget.
I control the finances and we do just fine.
Nope, DH makes much much more
Nope, DH makes much much more than I do. I got laid off from my full time job last year but I do all the accounting for our small construction company, DH does all the work.
I'm a saver and he's a spender. He never had any money till we combined our incomes.
I took control of the finances and now we have an operating company and a holding company, both have a very healthy balance. We also have a very good retirement fund.
We live below our means but still vacation and drive newer safe cars.
DH doesn't have a problem with me handling the finances, I'm better at it than he is.
Even though I've told people
Even though I've told people on here to have separate finances, it makes me sad that it sometimes has to be that way.
I like that DH and I have a partnership, we each have our strengths and weaknesses and compliment each other.
I wish that was true for more couples.
I never considered combining
I never considered combining finances. I have adult kids, DSO has minor kids. I don't want anyone telling me I can't help out my kids if I choose to, since I earn it.
Same for DSO, he works hard for his money, he doesn't spend it much, but he should be able to do as he pleases for his kids and my blood pressure doesn't spike out of control.
DH was the same. I handle
DH was the same. I handle the finances now and we have a savings. Not big but getting there. I need to get on top of the retirement stuff. We also both have investments that grandparents gave us years ago that we just let sit.
I make 20K more than DSO at
I make 20K more than DSO at this point. His income has risen significantly since we have been together. His job is rebuilding auto parts and one of the best things about his job is that he doesn't have a drop off when the economy takes a hit, like here in WV, bc less money means people repair their cars instead of buying new.
I pay all household bills, DSO does pay a large credit card but he also supports his 2 kids 100%, he is CP and BM rarely helps out.