First, collate your financial statements to know, how much the household earns and spends each month
I am 42, married and we have a four your old daughter. I wish to take a sabbatical from work to study for two years. How can we prepare for this situation, given existing financial commitments, when I know the two year period that I will be away for will leave us to fend on what my wife earns?
Dinesh Narayan, Chennai
You are in a tricky situation to decide between future studies and current employment. Whatever you land up deciding on, discuss it with your spouse. First, collate your financial statements to know, how much the household earns and spends each month. Include the loan repayment with the monthly household expenses. This way you know the minimum sum that you need each month for your household to manage. If you have the surplus that can sustain your financial commitments over the next two years, you can easily go in for your planned sabbatical. However, do factor a few additional expenses such as cost of studies, increase in prices of essentials (inflation) and any other emergency that your house may face which need to be provided for during your sabbatical.