how to be a stay-at-home mom?

Question

How do married couples have enough money for the wife to be a stay at home mom? It just seems so impossible!

Answer 1

Live on what your husband makes and cut your lifestyle accordingly. Most of the cases of a wife having to work involve an unwillingness to cut spending and be frugal.

Answer 2

Don't worry about having an immaculate house. I'm not a stay at home mom but personally I don't understand how some women keep their houses spotless. Their poor kids must have to stay in their rooms all the time or something. My house is only spotless on Saturday mornings - that's when I do my weekly cleaning. The rest of the week I do basic pickup and wipe down when I get home from work. I literally set a timer for 10 minutes and do nothing but clean. The 10 minutes a day keeps it from getting truly dirty but means I don't follow my daughter around all evening telling her to pick up her toys (actually she does that during the 10 minutes cleaning and it keeps them under control, if there's some on the floor when we go to bed so what, that's what the next days 10 minutes is for). If 10 minutes a couple times a day isn't enough time for you to get the house the way you want then my suggestion would be to advertise around the neighborhood for a mother's helper - a younger teenager who can entertain and take care of the kids for an hour or two while you clean house and do laundry.

Answer 3

Save save save while you can before kids. Me and my husband are 25 and we save pretty much all the money I make so that when kids come along ie more expenses we can afford it. There are so many ways to cut down on expenses, no cell phones, one or no cars (buy used), don't eat out often, don't buy what you don't need. This seems common sense but think about the Latte factor.... one latte (or any other small purchase like buying lunch) every day adds up. If you don't buy that Latte you will have alot more money at the end of the month (a 3.00 latte for 30 days = 90.00 extar not spent). And without these things that you really don't need you should not feel deprived, and when you do buy one it is like a treat.

Also, always always learn and keep working to better yourself and your job. You should always be in the job market, looking for something better to come along not waiting till you need it.

Answer 4

Hi there, I have been a stay at home mom for 8 years. My youngest is nearly three. I am very freugal. It is actually quite fun. I shop around, only buy certain things at certain stores, buy in bulk, and much of the time, only buy necessities. I cook from scratch and buy very little processed foods. One of my children is allergic to dairy so I have had to become creative. My kids are in programs, but through the community center rather than through expensive sports clubs. I spend a great deal of quality time with them. We do outings to the park, go toboganing, to the library, to the lake and have picnics, etc. We really have gone back the basics. I have even decided to eliminate cable vision until the winter. We still go on 1or 2 vacations a year. My husband only makes about t$40,000 per year, and we (and the bank) own our own home. Freecycle.org is a great website, as is craigslist. They have free items/ low cost items for things you need. I buy unimportant items ie. a wheelbarrow for example, second hand. We have a lot of time together as a family. If there is a will there is a way. Please feel free to email me if you like. Also, we aren't missing out on a thing! It is so worth it!

Answer 5

I read in Money Magazine that unless the wife (or husband) makes over $70,000/yr, it usually makes better financial sense for her (or him) to stay home.

This figure takes into account childcare costs and extra transportation costs as well as more frequent eating out and other costs that arise when both spouses work. Even if the numbers are close, many moms believe it's worth the few thousand dollars they might lose in order to be involved in their children's early developmental years (and avoid the guilt that comes with leaving your kids all day every day; I've heard it's the worst).

Answer 6

Normally the mum would stay at home while the dad works, or now, some woman, will work from home, just doing a simple working form home job, normally on the computer to earn a little money.

Answer 7

The husband has to make enough money to support the whole family. They may have to all cooperate to keep their expenses low--minimize eating out, buy only second-hand clothes, get by on one car or no car, live in an inexpensive neighborhood, and so on.

If being a stay-at-home mom is your priority, there are lots of choices availble to make it possible.

Answer 8

My wife is a stay at home mom. We started a home based business and it has worked out great for us. Do some research and you might find one you and your hubby will like to work on together or just by yourself.

Answer 9

If you're a stay-at-home mom and your hubby doesn't make loads of money then be prepared to live a more frugal life with little or no extras.

Answer 10

Hi, If you would like a couple of web addresses to look at please e-mail me. They are something you could do while holding down your current job and if one of them starts moving great for you you could look at being a stay at home Mom and just working at home when you want. Good luck to you.