Think it’s impossible to be a stay at home mom? Well, with a little ingenuity and lots of dedication, any mom can cut costs and move towards being home full time.
Reduce your expenses
Working outside of the home costs money. You have the expense of childcare, wardrobe, dry cleaning, meals out, gasoline, and then you lose some of your money to taxes.
Unless you make a very substantial salary, you may just continue working to afford to keep working! Even if you do clear a little bit of money each month, you could budget your expenses to save as much money as you were bringing in.
Before you can cut your costs, you need to maintain a spending diary for at least two weeks and preferably for an entire month. Doing this alone may reveal where you are slowly diminishing your cash. Are you hitting the drive-thru often? How about the coffee shop? It is essential that you know where you are spending money before you can create a budget that will work for your situation.
So where can you cut costs?Here is a short list of ideas of where you can cut costs.
Food
Shop on Wednesday – Wait until the “best food day ads” come out (typically every Wednesday) and look for the deals.
10 for 10 deals – If you see a deal for 10 loaves of bread for $10, you don’t have to buy all
10 loaves to get the deal. Each loaf will ring up individually for $1 each.
Gardening – A garden can be grown just about anywhere. We spend $1 on a seed packet that yielded at least 40 squash. In my area, squash sells for $1.00 per pound, so we saved around $10. That doesn’t seem like much at first, but imagine the savings if you could grow all of your produce.
Drive past the drive-thru – Convenience comes with a price, especially if you stop to eat just because it sounds good at the moment. If you really hate to cook, think about how you can utilize your slow cooker.
Generics – I realize some people have brand preferences but for some items, simply reading the ingredients might reveal that the product is exactly the same.
Find a rancher – Using a rancher to purchase beef in bulk can drastically save you money if you have a deep freezer to accommodate. My local cattle rancher sells beef at $3.50 a pound if I buy in bulk. My grocery store charges any where from $5 to $10 per pound of beef.
Utilities, Phone, and Cable
Seal your house – According to the Energy Star website, sealing the shell of your home is one of the most cost-effective ways to lower your home’s energy bills. (Tax credits are available for many types of home improvements. Check with the IRS or your tax professional to learn more.) Light bulbs – Replace all of your regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. They use 66% less energy and they often last 5-10 years.
Conserve – Turn televisions, cable receivers, and computers off when you leave the house and turn lights off when you are exit a room.
Clean your filters – clogged filters put a strain on central heating and cooling systems.Adjust your thermostat – Do you need the heater roaring at night, or could you wear sweat pants and a heavy blanket?
Cell phones – Get rid of your cell phone.
Long Distance – Switch to VoIP technology to get long distance at a flat monthly rate. VoIP users find they save substantial amounts of money of long distance charges.
Cable TV – Do you watch 300 channels? I took my cable package from full to basic and saved more than $50 a month.
Other Expenses
Gasoline – If you are driving 20 miles to work each direction, 5 days a week, you can save about $20/week in gasoline by staying home or telecommuting.
Car Expenses – The more you drive, the more you need to do oil changes, tire changes, get tune-ups, etc.
Movie Rentals – I signed up for Netflix a few months ago and I got the plan where you can have two movies out at a time for $14.99 a month. If I would have rented and returned the same 10 movies at my local video store, it would have cost me $39.99, so I saved $25 and I saw all of the great new releases without hassle (or the risk of late fees).
Shop secondhand- Utilize your local secondhand stores for bargains on clothing, dishes, and other household items. I have found great mismatched dishes for 10 cents each at my local Goodwill.
Freecycle – Sign up at freecycle.org to see what others are giving away. I found a portable dishwasher and saved $500 because of a seal leak that only cost $20 to replace.
Bank Fees – If you have the tendency to overdraw your account, ask your bank about getting overdraft protection.
Hair care – Over the counter hair coloring kits have come along way over the years and are very safe. If you love to color, there is no need to spend $60 at the salon with all of the wonderful coloring products available on the market. Also, if you have little boys at home, get a pair of clippers for $20 and give them a buzz periodically. Young boys in particular don’t seem to care what their hair looks like so why spend $8 a cut?
Sit down and do the math and you may find you can in fact afford to stay home with your children!
Why do so many people say if you can’t afford to stay home with your children then you should not have them?
My wife and I both work, and I cannot afford to support my wife and future children on my income alone. I live in an area which has high living expenses and buying a home is only possible to very few. We bought a smaller sized home, but with medical insurance, our home owner’s association fees and living expenses we don’t have the money left over to support a SAHM. We will lose our home if my wife stays home, so she has to work, at least part time to be able to afford to have children.
So, since we HAVE to work I guess we shouldn’t have children, right? Because daycare would be “raising” them for 30-40 hours a week and it would be unfair to the child? (This is the attitude I see a lot here.)
I cannot sell my home and live in an apartment, it would be smaller and would cost more than my house. Why should working parents not be allowed to have children too, not everyone has the money to stay at home and I will not move since our entire family and my job are here.
People say it because they believe strongly that at least one should be home. I personally believe that if its possible, then one should have a stay at home parent.
However, this isnt the 50's. It's just not possible for families to live on one income in a lot of situations. If you can make the sacrifices to have a SAHM, great. Some people work 2 jobs, or parents stagger their shifts so one is always (or usually) homw. If it's not an option, just do a lot of research before you pick a day care.
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Pediatrician
My personal feelings are that when you have a child it is in the childs best intrest to have a parent stay at home and raise them. There are so many people that intrust their children into a babysitter or daycare and their child is mistreated , beaten or even killed. I have 2 daughters myself and i know that we would be better off financially if i worked ,but my children come before any wants that i may chose to have. I used to babysit when my first daughter was little and there are so few babysitters out there that are doing it because they care for the children alot of them are doing it for the money. The little girl that i used to babysit all them years ago is now turning 14 and her and my daughter are still best friends and i think of her as one of my own children and she views me as a mother. I understand that not everyone has the luxury of being able to stay at home and raise their children. I am bleesed in that respect. and why would you want someone else raising your children either when they have 2 parents that are capable.
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In my personal experience, If you both have to work, it is not wrong for you to want a family. If you love your child and spend quality time with them when you are home, that means alto. there are stay at home parents now that don't give their children the love and time they need. I feel it just depends on how dedicated and loving you are to this child. Reach out to your family and close friends to help you with child care so the baby is with someone it can attach to, along with you
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Well, I guess I'm just a terrible mother according to these people. I was widowed a year and a half ago when my daughter was 2. Since I have become a single mother, I am working full time and attending school full time (I only have 2 classes left Thank the good Lord). I guess since I am never home and my child is at daycare or with a grandparent, then I should have never had her. What these people are saying is ridiculous. You should not worry about them because in the end, your kids will be fine either way. Besides, you are showing them good work ethics by both of their parents working and still maintaining a "normal" family life.
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Can you provide your child with love? A child needs love, they can get it from other people besides parents 24/7. My kids have been in daycare off and on since they are born. It is expensive but sometimes work schedules can be altered so they can be at home more. You mentioned that your wife could possibly work part time, would she be able to work and evening schedule? When my first was born, my husband worked full time and i worked part. He worked 630-5 and I worked 3-9. We got to see each other at home after I got off work, my daughter got to socialize at daycare for a few hours, and she got to spend time alone with each parent. It worked out pretty good. THe older she got, the more hours I would work until I switched jobs and worked full time. Honestly, I think teh time we did have together was more appreciated. The point reall is, if you are going a dacare route, find one you, your wife and child likes.
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When I first got married I was in my early 30s. We decided to start our family before we got too old. When I had my first child we had an apartment. We both had to work because we were trying to catch up on debt and then save for a downpayment on a house. So my first child was in daycare. I know how people can heap guilt on you. But sometimes you gotta do what you have to. We saved and started looking for a home. We talked about having a 2nd child (the 1st one was 3). We made sure that when we purchased a home, we purchased a small one that we could afford on one income. We had to cut back a bit. But I was able to stay home for many years then with the two of them. I worked sometimes in the evening when hubby got home. Now the youngest is 7 and I'm back to work full time. It's like I never left. Time flies in many way. So I have been in both places. A working mom, and a SAHM. With one the mom has a lot of guilt for "farming out her children" with the other the mom might feel a bit isolated from the associations with adults and co-workers. Stuff to consider. If you both choose to work, just be sure to give extra attention on the days that you are together like the weekends and bedtime. They really need it. Good luck.
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There can be two sides of this. I agree with both to an EXTENT depending on the situation. Okay, my persoal opinon: I believe one should stay home to raise their child.— I as of yet, dont have my own children, but were trying. I raise my four nieces who are currently 8, 6, 3, and seven months. These poor babies are confused because they spend 90% of their time with me. When they see mom they see her maybe at dinner but mostly when its time to sleep. However this is a worse case scenario because their mom dont give a damn. They grew up confused and calling me mom and their uncle dad. This is why I dont believe children should spend time in a daycare facility.
Now in your situation I give you a lot of credit! You bought a home and you are prepared to provide for your children even though they have to attend a daycare facility part time. You know that it is not possible to have kids and have you or your wife stay home. Right there that acknowledgement, its award winning. Too many people are to proud to admit that. You seem like a down to earth person who is living in reality. You will provide your children with a good life, even though they attend daycare. In cases like this have a million babies and be proud for what you have.I give you all the blessings you and yours need.
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let me tell you something,
both my parents had to work so we could even have a roof over my head stuff like a house and all were not even possible on their salary, so this idea of " stay home parent" is really a "rich family tradition" kinda thing.
simply put, not everyone can afford that! Im in college now and my parents still live in the apartment I was raised in, and its not in a pretty neighborhood either.
My parents did a stellar job of raising me , I went to private and privileged schooling.
So your situation, to me, is golden because you are trying to put yourselves in a better position. It is better that you work now and build your life up, then have children Instead of downgrading or even forgetting about kids. Save money for it, and then wait till your situation is adequate enough.
That notion of one parent stay home is really NOT for the middle class or people of your description. Its really an upper class/privileged notion – because they can afford to do this without much sacrifice.
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there is soo much more I could say, but essential it is your choice. Talk to a family planning clinic!
they know what they are saying!