Every couple has to decide their priorities; ours was to be together. We had enough money saved that I could afford to wait 6+ months without work. Obviously everyone's situation is different.
I was, however, able to get a job offer once I had my biometrics and got my EAD very quickly after that. You may have similar success.
If you don't want to wait to work, go with the consular processing, but know that this will add at possibly 2+ years to the wait time for you guys to be together. If you're prepared to this, this could be the best option.