I want to be a stay at home Mom.?

Question

Our Monthly bills are way to expensive. Gas costs us almost $500 a month, not to mention house, car, car insurance payments. Any tips on ways to make it as a stay at home Mom. I am missing my baby boy grow up, and it brakes my heart. my hubby loves the idea, but we need advice, and tips.

Answer 1

If you have expenses that require 2 paychecks, you better keep helping out. Every mother's heart breaks when a family member or sitter gets to see all the "firsts" of the child. Its part of the American Way. You might want to be there with your child all the time, but when it comes to having all the little extra's that you can now pick up and not think twice about in the check out line, that's gonna be a whole new ball game. I'd think twice about it... also, probably gonna be some resentment from the hubby when he comes home all tired, worn out and you need a night out... Things aren't as bad as you think they are right now in your current situation. Take heart.... its the American Way now.

Answer 2

Maybe take in some kids and do daycare. You would still get to be at home and make some money all while spending time with your kid. Or do something like sell avon, tupperware ect. to at least help with the bills. Maybe move to a less expensive house or apartment. If you have 2 cars could you get by with one? If you could price check for cheaper car insurance...some companies can be hundreds of dollars different from the next. Refiance you mortage if you have one if you can get cheaper payments. If you have a new car can you get by with an older used car. Or if need be try to find a newspaper route that runs in the very early morning while the baby is still sleeping. Some routes around here can pay up to $1300 a month for a few hours a day.

Answer 3

It is all about budgeting. We don't have kids but we have always lived on one salary because I want to have the option to stay home when we do have kids. It is nice because we have been able to save quite a lot of money.

It does have negatives though. We bought a smaller house than most of our friends. We drive older cars than people around us. We don't spend very much money on clothes or furniture or things like that.

You might see if you can cut back in some areas. The bottom line is that you can't live the same lifestyle and you stay home.

I think that it is a good idea to look into work-at-home possibilities. I'm a math teacher and when we have children, I plan to tutor in the evenings. That way I can still make some $$ and be at home. You might consider is there is something you can do at home.

Answer 4

Invest in a computer and start an online business that allows you to stay at home. Ebay is a great way to make money without alot of investment beyond the computer. Start by selling EVERYTHING you have in your home and put it at $1.00 on the bid start (at least, unless the item is worth alot more like jewerly or collectibles). Charge shipping @ +$2.50 over the actual shipping cost. If you have 10 sweaters that bring in $1.00 a piece and $2.50 shipping a piece you make $22.50. Take the $22.50 and find a wholesale place or Big Lots or whatever and find items that you can buy and put on ebay (go find name brands that sell cheaper in these stores even if you have to drive a way to get there). Go home and check ebay for these items to determine if you can make a profit (take a notepad and make all the notes you can). Go back and buy those things and put them on ebay. Invest that money and do this again and again until you have a "core" investment dollar of $300.00. Buy, sell, give the money over the $300 to your husband for bills. You'll be making about $500-1000 without a whole lot of WORK, but some effort. I did this and I make about a $1000 a month profit in about 30 hours a month.

Answer 5

Since I became pregnant for the second time I've been wanting to work less because for the first trimester I became very sick and it was very hard for me to deal with working full time and all and especially in an environment that I didn't like much. The pay and the people aren't so great. Gas a month is about $400, house, car payments, insurance, etc. Gets expensive but it's easily managed with 2 incomes. I know being a stay at home mom for now isn't ideal for us, can't start off not bringing incoming, I know I'll have to work PT to bring some income and we can gradually work on me not working at all once the baby arrives. Lucky for me I now only work PT, in the same office as my husband's but for different employers. I make more but work less and we commute to work together meaning we spend less on gas and it evens out. We have breakfast, lunch together. I always cook at home, and our lunch is usually our left overs so he doesn't have to spend $$$ on lunch like he used to. We are managing quite well so far.

Answer 6

You know, I wish I had someone like you sticking up for me. Some days I will slack a little bit cause I have worked so hard the other days I have to give myself that break. I have a 3 yr old and 2 yr old with another on the way so I get exhausted easily. My husband complains that i need to be cleaning when the kids nap instead of napping with them. But you know what. The house isn't PERFECT, but dishes are done, I have a plan for dinner, the laundry is done, ect. My house is clean and sanitized and I feel that even though I know he goes to a hard job for 10 hrs a day I have a hard job here to. Yeah I get more breaks to sit on the computer for awhile. But I keep my butt moving on other stuff most of the day. I wish my 16 yr old brother was as smart as you. He wont pick his own laundry off the floor and both of my parents still work. You are going to be a wonderful husband and father someday! Just don't rush it! Enjoy your single life for a bit after high school or at least don't marry for awhile. I don't regret it but some days I wished I had let myself party a bit before I settled down. Tell your mom many people out there are rooting for her! And way to go to you for helping her out. Your dad should do it sometimes too. ( I have to admit that my husband can be a big help on Sunday's if he isn't fishing.)

Answer 7

Well some financial planning before you had your baby would have helped. In our case, we paid off our cars, credit cards and college loans, which saved us some and helped my wife be a stay home.

Anyways here are a few tips that can help. No more eating out, more home cooked meals. See if you can minimize the use of your AC/Heater, that will save you some in your utility bills. If you have expensive calling plans on your cell and home phone change them for cheaper ones. If you have dish/cable TV, you might want to switch to the basic plan. Find out if you can commute together or with someone and share gas. Here is a big one, stop using your credit cards, put them in a lock box, seriously. This way you are not spending more than your means, especially now that christmas is around the corner. If you want to buy something use cash in hand, if you can't afford it don't buy it, or save money to buy it. Try to pay more then minimum on your credit cards, to pay them off fast. If your mortgage is too high, you might consider selling and moving in to something affordable. I hope these tips help.

Answer 8

Instead of thinking of the negative things about staying at home (i.e. your income would be no longer), think about all the things you'd be saving. No more daycare expenses, gas costs would be less because you wouldn't be driving to work everyday, you could maybe even sell a car because you wouldn't be needing one as much. You'll both have to make sacrifices (cable, expensive cell phone plans, unneeded shopping trips, going out to eat), but it can be done. Sit down and figure out how much you'd be saving by staying home with your baby boy and hopefully that will make it more obtainable.

Answer 9

You have to be a magician with a budget. You have to write out all of your monthly expenses, and your income and do the math. Most importantly you can't stray from it. If there is extra money one month, you may be tempted to go out and spend it, but you can't. You need to put it away. If you are living pay check to pay check the way my husband and myself are, than being a stay at home mom can be a scary thing. When something unexpected comes up, we are rarely prepared for it.

But honestly, it's worth it to be there with my little girl everyday.

Answer 10

Mary Kay. If you first response is no way I challenge you to hear the facts first. I say this because that was me it took a year before I would even listen. I have been doing it now for 3 years and I am a happier person. I struggled with putting my daughter in day care for 2 years before I gave Mary Kay a try. It fits your life if you like people and the product then it is worth giving it a try.