My family consists of my wife, our two young children, and a third child on the way, as my wife is five months pregnant. Living costs in Hanoi are already high, forcing us to calculate every expense carefully.

My income comes mainly from online work and is highly unstable. Some months, there is almost no income at all. Rent alone costs VND5 million a month, not including food, utilities, childcare expenses, and other unforeseen costs. Recently, I have also taken on debt, further intensifying the financial strain.

As the sole breadwinner, I have carried the full financial burden. My wife gave birth to our two children in quick succession. With our parents living in the countryside and no means to hire a nanny, she has stayed home for years to care for the children. I respect and support this, viewing childcare and managing the household as full-time work, and have tried to take full responsibility for our finances.

However, with unstable income, rented housing, young children, and another baby due soon, I increasingly feel unable to sustain our current life in the long term. Our basic monthly expenses are already stretched to the limit, leaving almost no savings. When income drops, I often lose sleep worrying about rent, daily expenses, mounting debt, and my children’s future.

I have therefore seriously considered moving the family back to our hometown, where living costs are lower, we would not need to pay rent, and the financial pressure would ease, allowing for a more stable life.

But every time I raise the idea, it leads to tension. My wife is reluctant because of past conflicts with my parents. Although I reassure her that we would live separately, she remains worried about changing her living environment and losing her current sense of stability, especially while pregnant and emotionally vulnerable. I understand my wife’s concerns, but I am also deeply exhausted.

In this situation, how can I help her confront the reality of our income and expenses with me and reconsider a living arrangement that better matches our family’s financial capacity?