As I held him, one thought ran through my head over and over. Rather, look at your schedule and see if there’s a time that your partner can watch the kids while you work. Good luck! And some women are willing to jump through all of these hoops and still can’t make ends meet enough to stay at home with their kids. Before we started living on one income we put as much of my salary into my 401K as I could up to the legal limit for 6 months. #FridayFrivolity. Have you linked up at #bloggerspotlight yet? This sounds silly, but it’s the most important step. My little family of four brings home just $4,200/month, and we are able to live comfortably and even take vacations! Then, go through your bank account and write down what you’ve paid for each of those things for the last 3 months. Believe that you can do it and you can truly do anything! A week after the celebration, I gave birth to our second boy. Switching from gourmet grocery store or even our local grocery store to Aldi has saved us so much money! I don’t think everyone that says they want it really does want it and, like you say, that’s okay. There’s no reason to pay hundreds of dollars for satellite TV when you can get Netflix for about $10 a month! I don’t expect you to go this crazy, but if you’re interested in our inspirational story, stay tuned for the end of this post. I want to stay home with my four babies so badly. Very well put together Jamie! Imagine the wiggle room you’d have in your budget if you were debt free! You can buy produce cheaper than anywhere else (or use their sale ads to price match at Walmart), they have an incredible selection of rotating specialty items, and they have great prices on things like cheese. I think part of wanting it more than anything means being willing to go without luxuries like eating out often and buying new clothes. How to afford to be a SAHM? How to afford to be a stay at home mom in 9 steps. Absolutely. How much do you want to be a stay at home mom? As a nurse, I know for a fact that you made a huge difference in other’s lives when you weren’t at your kids’ programs and I’m sure your kids appreciate the sacrifices you made to provide for your family. It’s already paid for itself, even though it’s a gas-guzzler. I’ve worked full-time since my oldest son was 3 weeks old. It’s been a huge struggle going down to one paycheck though. I can’t tell you how often I hear this from my readers. Explore local parks in your area. Everything is going to be ok. You just have to take baby steps until you get there. Their French bread loaves are usually only $1 which is already an amazing deal, but you can often find them for only 75 cents or even less! I want you to make a list of all of your monthly bills. Being a stay at home mom would be my ultimate dream come true! If you have no debt, put that money into savings. When you sign up to receive the free Tips That Simplify Life for Stay At Home Moms emails, you'll get this bonus gift! No more traveling to Charleston, SC on weekends just because. One of our favorite purchases was our Amazon Firestick. My age group looked down on stay home moms, to the detriment of the children. When I realized our income was going to be cut in half, I started paying all of our bills weekly. I found your website today through pinterest for homesteading. This is all very good advice, Jamie! There is no one right way to parent. We used to pay $200 a month for cable TV and ooooh how I wish I could have that money back!! Hi Tara! I wasn’t good at juggling work and home life. That’s how I got started) is also a HUGE lifesaver. We bought all that we thought we could fit in our freezer and then started using those for as many meals as we could. Be honest with yourself. I do get to work from home two days a week, though that is almost the worst of both worlds sometimes with all that motherly guilt of not focusing in the kids when I’m with them. For instance, frugal people save up to buy a quality item rather than grabbing the cheapest one (and then having to buy it again a few months later when it breaks). My maternity leave was ending, and after going over all our income and expenses, I could not make the money add up! Get tons of frugal living tips here. With my husband’s unwavering support, we have been able to survive and thrive on one small income by making a few changes. 16. You need to carefully comb through what your monthly, quarterly and yearly expenses are. Your tips are right on, Jamie! Get rid of your car and get a beater car. I am so lucky to be able to stay home with my kids. , Go EBA! Our home was the RV that we were bringing, but we were parking it in the most inexpensive campground that we could find. We LOVE to go camping and go for hikes, and you can usually do that stuff for free! Bread – stock up when you see the “We Made Too Much” racks at Walmart. We’re living on a very low income and are able to make this work. Our oldest “C” is moderately autistic, next is “D” who has sensory ans speech issuea and youngest “S” is well quite the chatterbox; making up for anything his two sibs are lacking. If you can only just barely afford the mortgage or the car payment, then you can’t really afford it. Shop around for cheaper car insurance. stick to a meal plan! Can you really afford being a stay at home mom We paid $160 a month for our Jayco Travel Trailer, and $440 a month in lot rent at the campground. I think some people see the amount they need and think they could never quit their job, but sometimes you just need a little bit to make it work and if you think a little outside the box, you can get there. The SAHM Budget Test: How to Afford to Be a Stay-at-Home Mom. Usually, companies are willing to work with you if they fear your next step may be bankruptcy. I don’t know how to break the habit. In the end it may be used instead of brand new. They’re only tiny once. I am all for Moms being able to stay home with their babies if they can do so. How To Afford Being A Stay At Home Mom: The 6 Steps You Need to Take. But I hope that after reading this article you’ll see that it’s attainable by discussing and planning it out with your partner and being careful of your household spending habits. For stay at home moms, a resume objective should be written vis-a-vis a resume summary as you have employment gaps. Thank you for such a helpful blog. 15 signs your spouse is thinking of divorce—and what to do about it No need to delve into arguments about personal choice or what is good for children or families. Hi Jordyn, congratulations on the new baby! The way I look at it – the worst they can say is no. (being careful not to double-count anything else on this list) and enter here. Please help me figure out how to do this. When I was pregnant with my daughter I thought I couldn’t afford to be a stay at home mom. But we just weren’t in a position to make it happen yet. I started exploring your site and well, I am grateful for the discovery. When I quit working, it was because I wanted it soooo bad it hurt. We painted the carpet and the dash to make it look brand new with this cheap paint. Joyful Savings recently posted this article you might enjoy: Hacks You’ll Absolutely Love! Then when I wentto work full time I was still able to go to sporting events with them and school programs. Maybe it’s the pregnancy hormones, but I teared up when I read your comment! So it was with my journey toward becoming a stay-at-home mom. I know that Big Lots is probably the last place you think of when you consider grocery shopping, but trust me, it’s worth it. Can you babysit? I wish more people would, at least, respect our decision to be home with our children. … I know everyone I talk to say to cut out the non essentials (ie cable) but how do you cut out services like that if you’re in contract with them and not be forced to pay a high cancellation fee? My husband worked very hard for me to be able to stay home. You have a lot of solid advice here – especially “want it the most” and “don’t fool yourself into thinking you will get a lot of work done from home with kids around!” SO TRUE! My name is Jamie and I am so excited to share my journey with you! Thank you for your support! ), and renegotiating our cell phone plan. That would be a dream come true to me Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet compliment. If you’d like some extra help with saving money, be sure to sign up for my newsletter! I used to get so wrapped up in saving money that I didn’t do anything or even leave the house. Tips to Maximize Living on One Income. Any parent will tell you being a stay-at-home IS a job – it’s just not a paid job. Mine is quite similar with a few exceptions. Thank you for the encouragement also – I really appreciate it! How to Afford Being a Stay-at-Home-Mom I’ve been asked a few times what changes we are making as a family to afford my taking a step away from the workforce to be home more. With the costs of daycare nowadays, I feel like it costs MORE to work than be a stay at home parent, personally. Still, I was determined to make my dream of becoming a stay-at-home mom a reality. I shutter to think where we’d be without nurses. If you are determined enough to make it happen, you can almost definitely find a way to cut your bills and spending down to a point that makes being a stay at home mom possible. 26.4K Shares View On One Page ADVERTISEMENT () … I always say to myself “watch your pennies and your dollars will watch themselves.” Seemingly stupid things like adjusting the thermostat to a warmer temp in the summer and a colder one in the winter make a huge difference. For us, this has been cable. Hi Lindsay – your words mean so much to me! “Want It The Most” – this is so true. Great tips Jamie! Today. Unfortunately, that’s how they “get you.” You can always call and tell them you’d like to negotiate a way out of your contract. It sounds basic, but I am constantly surprised by how frequently people make purchases that they can’t really afford. Call your credit card companies and see if they can work with you to lower your payment. While it might seem a bit like a pipe dream, I promise you it isn’t. My husband is a surveyor as well, and we both work full time but can’t seem to catch a break with all of our bills and every day to day expenses. I’ve been both a working mom and now stay at home/entrepreneur mom. As a stay-at-home mom, you will have to write an objective that includes your experience as … But I worked through it and just did it. I shop at aldi and troll sale papers for best deals. Join the #brightsaver 30 Day Money Saving Challenge. Seriously, being a stay at home mom is hard and it’s a ton of work, but being with my kids all day is totally worth it! Try this with all of your debtors – it can’t hurt to ask. The sacrifices are well worth the blessings you get by being a stay at home mom. I don’t know any mom who doesn’t want to be at home with her kids, at least for a while. If you do your calculations and find that you’re still coming up a little short, try to make up the difference with a work at home job. So if you’ve gotten to the point where you’re constantly stressed about bills (been there) and trying to figure out every possible way to make extra money (yep, been there, too), just remember, a little bit of debt is a little bit of debt, but your baby is only little once . Some people don’t want to afford it. I have so much respect for you all. Promise! Hands down. Expenses like these can cut your income dramatically: Before you give up your second income, practice doing without it now. After we had our third, my husband begged me to quit my job and stay home, and I reluctantly agreed. Stay out of the store and order your food for pickup. After all, we will soon be living off of less than half of our annual income. Sometimes something as simple as adding channels to your cable subscription or even downgrading your account can start the timer all over again. I can honestly say that decision we made a year ago was the BEST decision we have ever made for our family and our marriage. Keep up the blog it is awesome. A totally free printable daily schedule that you can customize to meet your family's needs. For now, I want you to promise me you’ll be willing to give up whatever it takes to make becoming a stay at home mom happen. Thank you so much! Learn how to afford being a stay at home mom. But your tips are all wonderful, Jamie. I Want to be a Stay at Home Mom I hate that position. Coffee at Starbucks? When we went from two incomes to one, it cut our income literally in half. (Obviously you can’t use all of it, because there are expenses associated with going to work. My youngest is now 23 and every day I regret all I missed. That magical nap time isn’t a guarantee. You can work whenever you can fit it into your schedule. You need to make sure that you can afford to be a stay-at-home mom before walking away from your job. It was the most rewarding thing I could do for the girls. And that brings me to…). We overdraw our bank account every other week. Plus, I prefer water anyway. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Make a budget. Hi Holly, I’m so sorry to hear you’re struggling. If you click a link, we could earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I have chickens, which are about 8 months old. Hey, I saw a post you made in the EBA forum and your blog name caught my eye. I’m currently a teacher and just have such a burden to be with my children rather than everyone else’s. My husband has two jobs and he works long hours. I’m so happy you were able to stay home with your girls! I appreciate any help you can provide. Negotiate with whatever companies you can – this will usually be cable/cell/internet providers. My company matched a part of it so that was a nice bonus. But, oh how we became very suddenly frugal by necessity (and have continued live a frugal lifestyle we love)! It takes me 5 minutes from start to finish and is crazy easy with toddlers. You'll love the #brightsaver money saving challenge (free for subscribers!). We moved 7 hours from our hometown for a job that paid a few cents LESS per hour. It’s just a means to an end and if what a person is looking for is just more stuff or a bigger place to live or whatever, they really miss out on the good stuff like not getting to watch kids take their first steps. We finally figured out why our meal plan kept failing and I believe this system will work for you too! Where there is a will, there is often a way. The only difference is now we actually enjoy it! I left my great job as a nurse when our son was 18 months to stay home. but my service can be sketchy because of where we live in SC. It definitely takes sacrifice to find a way to stay home, especially when you’re used to a two income household, but there is really no where I’d rather be. Walmart actually offers this service and it has saved us a TON in impulse buys. We use it to watch all of our favorite shows on Netflix, plus we can watch tons of other shows with Amazon Prime. To get to a better climate and away from negative family influences for our little one, it was so worth it. It was one of the worst situations to be bringing a baby into. Use as much as you can to pay down debt. Stop eating out on a whim. We also have enough money left to pursue a second adoption. Any ideas? Pretty sweet deal! Believe me when I tell you that with a ton of commitment and financial strategy, being a stay at home mom IS POSSIBLE. Step #1: Kick debt to the curb. This just means that if you make a purchase from a link you find here, I may earn a small commission at NO additional charge to you. I had to be content with a long summer off from my teaching job with my boys instead. It was at these sales that we stock up on canned goods and dried items like pastas. But do you know how much? You’ve worked it out and have a plan for staying home. It’s ok to want to be with your children, and these budgeting tips will help you make it a reality! This provides an unrealistic expectation for how much money it takes to stay home, and for what a stay at home lifestyle looks like. Keep an eye out for festivals in your area. There are SO many ways around having cable that there is really no reason to keep forking out so much of your hard earned cash each month. I think if doing your best to live off one if you plan to stay home is such a good idea, it can be a much bigger change than you think! Start with your monthly expenses. It’s true you have to make sacrifices if you want to stay at home with the kids. There is also a free outdoor movie night just one city over where we can go and watch old favorites, like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Having cars that are paid in full has dramatically reduced our car insurance payments (by around $250 a month) and we’re now down over $700 in car payments. When you see this, if you have the freezer space – stock up! Is there any way you could move to a smaller/more affordable home in order to get some of your bills under control? I have been a SAHM for the last 6 years. I’ve always liked to work, but I must admit that my kids benefit greatly from having me at home, and that’s the greatest reward there is. Do whatever it takes to be home with them if that’s your goal. A stay-at-home mom (SAHM) is someone who stays at home to raise her children and manage the house. May 27, 2018 by Denise Stirk. There is no way we could pay our rent without my salary, though. We just had a little girl about 8 weeks ago. We waited 13 years for our son and I love every minute of every day I’m with him. It was tough work to put him through college while we both worked full-time jobs and raised our son, but it paid off! I proudly watched as my Hubby crossed the stage wearing his cap and gown. 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