Two incomes with long commute, or one income with a shorter commute?
I'm currently a full-time telecommuter, but I anticipate that I'd need to commute to a major city for my next job if we rely on both incomes. In this case, she'd commute about an hour south, and I'd commute to the major city about an hour north.
The alternative is that we can live rather inexpensively in this popular vacation spot, and due to my wife's hours, I can watch our children while she's at work, and still have about 25-30 hours a week free for technical pursuits. In a few years, when the kids are in school, I'll have plenty more time.
Is anyone in such a situation? Is 25-30 hours a week enough for a "single person business?" What about flexible telecommuting jobs, or flexible contracting on open-source projects? In any case, my wife will provide a comfortable safety net.
Would love to hear how other people make this work!