Mainstream Research:

Screen 42 of 52

You could say Doug Wilson is the sultan of savvy dining in Dallas. The 35-year-old can get his family of five in and out of Furr's Cafeteria--where he and his wife lean toward the meat bar and his kids prefer the seven colors of Jell-O--for under $30. The deal he's got at Marshall's BBQ and Souper Salads is even better: $20. Avoiding places like Olive Garden and TGI Friday's, with their $45 tabs, is one of the many ways Wilson and his wife, Lisa, survive on just one annual paycheck of $40,000.

Her paycheck, that is. Wilson used to spend his days soaked in sweat managing road repavings in the 110-degree Texas sun. Now, he does the housework, runs the errands, and scours the city for bargains in his '86 Ford LTD. "This is the hardest job I've ever had," Wilson says.

In many ways, you could say Wilson has traded places with June Cleaver, becoming one of a new and growing breed of housewife--the househusband家庭主夫 — a husband who keeps the house. In fact, the number of children living with stay-at-home dads has jumped 70% since 1990, to 1.7 million, according to Census data. "These are dads who have committed to leaving their life for four to five years," says family researcher Robert Frank, a psychology professor at Oakton Community College, in Des Plaines, Ill., who studies at-home dads.