We’re a couple of dinks.

    That’s what they call us, Kari and I, anyway.

    Dual Income, No Kids– that’s us in a nutshell, but
the title doesn’t feel quite right. I always pictured Dinks as being a
subset of the Yuppy (Young Urban Professional) – fluttering between
cocktail parties in matching BMWs; shuttling to a Sag Harbor beach
house; flipping real estate like pancakes. This conception relies on
the belief that becoming a couple creates financial efficiencies which
translates into a huge increase in surplus income.

    That’s not us. That’s not to say we wouldn’t want it
to be us, but we have a few priorities we need to check off first. And
those don't seem to be getting any closer to reality.

    I’m not sure what we’re doing wrong, but that
surplus has yet to materialize. The problem may be that she’s not a
corporate litigator and I’m not a hedgefund manager.

    The reality is the efficiencies our marriage created did not significantly change our financial equation.

    High on that list of priorities would be dropping
the “n” in dink, although I don’t like how that’s pronounced– I hope
that’s not us either.

    For several reasons, Kari and I have decided the kid
(or kids), will be adopted, which costs a lot more up front than the
usual way couples acquire them.

    And before we get around to adopting those little
rug rats we're going to need a lot more floor space for the rugs.

    We rent our apartment, and we probably could get by with the room we have, but it would be a tight squeeze.

    People have done what we want to do with less, but
recognizing that fact doesn't alone make it any easier to correct.

    Simply put. One of us has to start making more.

    And then Kari quit her job.

    It sounds crazy but it was absolutely the right
thing to do. To make a long story short there were things at her job
she didn't like and then some consultants came in an suggested taking
away the things she did like.

    We were faced with Kari being unhappy while she
looked for a new job (and suffered the inevitable rejection that is
part of the job search process but can crush your soul when you feel
trapped already).

    Faced with that prospect, Kari opted out and took control of her own (and our) life.

    She could have spent most of her waking life in a
state of dread, but she did something brave and jumped into a new
possibility.

    While it was the right thing to do it left us as
SINKs (which seems like a very appropriate acronym), even though we
were just getting by as Dinks.

    And then less than two weeks after Kari jumped into
the unknown, she landed a fantastic job that she is perfect for. The
money's not what whe made before, but she's determined to keep up her
end.

    We've got plans and Kari's not about to be the one that gets in our way.