Anyone trying to be a stay at home mom?

When considering staying at home with your children there are a lot of ways to not only cut corners, but also make some extra money. As far as cutting corners, or your expenses, YOu may be looking at your budget and think, we can't cut anything else out, well, look again.. If you HAD to, what are some things you could do without? Do you use a landline phone? DO you have to have high speed internet? Can you get a better insurance rate? Do you have Digital Cable? If so, you could downgrade here and there. You'd be surprised what 20 dollars here and there adds up to by the end of the month. Also, Subtract all of the money you are spending in order to work, gas, money for food at work etc. a cell phone (if you can get out of your contract) etc. When the hubby and I decided it was best for me to stay at home, it took some getting used to, doing without certain things in our lives, but now with two children, the cost of daycare would be too high to justify me working. And if you want a large family, your costs will be much higher than mine! As far as finding extra income, there are a couple of things you can do besides online income. YOu can watch other people's children. It's a great way to earn some extra money, and it's built in play mates for your children. Check with your local DHS (Child's services) to see how many children you can watch without having to obtain a liscence. Another option to make a little money, is to go garage saling, and then turn around and sell those items to a consingment shop. YOu can make a little extra money this way, but not enough to supplement an income. Good luck to you and your growing family and congrats on the new baby!

I have two girls. One is 6 1/2 and the other is 3 1/2. I have stayed at home with them since the youngest was born. Recently, I actually found a way to work at home AND my bring my husband home so now we are BOTH at home which is exciting. However, if you like working out of the home, I would say do what your heart tells you.

try and find something you can do at home. There are a lot of at home jobs you can do. Or you could take up a part time job during the week. Working full time, taking care of your kids, and trying make everyting in order by the time your husband get home ontop working a ful time job can make you feel drained and you wont feel like you any life. So get something part time to just help out with the fincances bu that wont wear you out by the end of the day either.

You don't say what you currently do; that might give us some ideas for pointers. Is any of it something you could do from home? Clearly you have a computer and an internet connection (and you're computer literate!). That opens up a lot of options right there. Another poster here on mylot has a new forum for work at home ideas: http://designinglife.proboards77.com/index.cgi Although it's new, it looks very promising. I also very much agree with the poster who said to look at your actual work expenses. Going to work can be very expensive! Think of ways you could save money: homecooked meals can be cheaper--and better for you. Savings on gasoline, daycare, work clothing etc. can really add up. Good luck with what you decide. You're at an exciting time of your life with those little ones.

Try to work out a realistic budget, you may be able to make some savings tht you hadn't thougth of but which could mean you can manage if you stay at home. could you maybe work from home, ebay or home business or even childminding, a friend of mine had 4 children of her own and she was a registered child minder and she made loads of money that way. Or could you maybe work part time after the 2nd child arrives at this could be better than always being exhausted. It maybe that you are used to an income that is higher than you need to live on and if you learned to make savings might be able to manage fine.

Why don't you take a short leave of absence from your job. This way you can try out being a stay at home mom and if you decide you don't like it, you still have your job. If you take in another child to watch, it will bring i a little income and also give your 14 month old someone to play with while your attention is on the new born.

I have been home since November now with my 3-year-old and about to have my 6 1/2 and 8 year-old home with me for Spring Break and soon the summer. We are also in the process of building a home so I need to be around for the builders. If you have a bachelor's degree, you might consider some teaching online for technical colleges. Some schools pay pretty big money to their instructors. I've also gotten involved with a company that was created with stay-at-home moms in mind. It is partnered with a company called Melalueca. I've not gotten into it full blown yet, but am looking forward to getting started and earning some income. Also, medical transcription. If you need the certificate, it takes less than a year to get it and you can get it online from home. Some medical offices don't require formal education. It's worth checking into. Hope this helps.

I know the feeling,i have a 1 year old,a 9 year old and a 13 year old and another one on the way and at the moment i work part time for a very small wage but its still money and when the new baby comes along I wont be able to work and I am stressing big time!I have tried every home business out there and honestly there is nothing that can replace a wage espeically if you are on a decent wage.Its tough being a working parent because our work is never done and when you you do have a minute there is always something else that needs to be done.if you find something decent on the internet that doesnt take a day to make $5 then let me know.best of luck!

i think that if your husband is able to get enough money to support your family, to raise your children,you should stay at home to take care of your children.or you can find a part time job.

hi countrylady.Congrates on been pregnant.Your husband wants that you should stay home so please stay because he is one of the most caring and loving husband.I Know that you get good benifit at job,but it is not good for the baby which is there with you.You know that its very touch for you to make your baby girl ready early morning,but it is not impossible you can do it.I think that in this world only the mother can do anything for her child.So best of luck and be the good mother.

I think you should find a helper.... Is that expensive in your country?? Coz i really discourage pregnant women from working.. It affects the baby....

After reading your discussion, I remember my days when I had to left my job for my son who is now 4 years old. I won't say I had a big career that time, I was a teacher. My husband was earning well, he told me to left the job, And I left it. We lived in a nuclear family, nobody was there in my house to take care of my baby. Now I always think why i left my job, it is difficult now to start all over again. I should think some other option. I know its a tough decision but think about some other option, like you can ask your child grandparents if they are free they can stay at your home, or any other relative whom you can trust. put some maid for you child. think about something else expect leaving the job.

I have a friend in the USA who moved back after living in the UK for a bit with her husband. After moving home to the states she realised her hubby isn't really making enough for her to stay home but the cost of childcare is too high - do it doesn't warrant her going back to work. She took on other people's kids during the day which helped to make money, her daughter loved the company & she liked being able to watch her daughter with them while making some extra money. Definitely give it a try if you think you can manage more kids in your care! Good luck to you :)

Sometimes you have to sacrifice things in order to stay at home with your kids. Im not saying you dont, but there is always a way to manage it. I just had our second baby in Dec. and while it is hard, it is well worth it. My husband does work 2 jobs but soon he is cutting down to just the 1 job but will work 55 hours a week.

i am a stay at home mom and i guess we have it kinda easy cause my husband has 2 jobs and his best friend with 2 jobs is moving in with us when we move to a bigger house. so i get the benfit of being a stay at home mom.

i dont have anything bad perception about stay at home mom. i am single now but when i am trying to imagine what would be my future or my married life i also imagine to be a stay at home mom. heres are my plan if i have two babies i would prefer to be a stay at home mom but if its only onei would also go to work and take care of my baby.i have my mother to take care of my baby when i am at work. i know thats its much better that i will be the one to take care of my baby but i need to settle first my baby's future and our financial stability.i will help also my husband in paying bills.and if we have enough money and have more savings then thats the time i will become a stay at home mom.

If you look at the cost of child care for two children added to all you other work related expenses, such as gas and food and snacks and clothes. Really in the long run it might be better to stay at home. You could find ways to make income. Maybe watch someone else child or sell on Ebay. Baby clothes sell really well. if you have a Goodwill bin store . You can buy named brand clothes and sell them on ebay for a lot more than you paid. You can cut back on some expenses. If you go to a search engine and put in the words "Frugal living" You can find many ways to make it work on one income and still give your children the love of their mother. Of course if you really don't want to stay home it wont work for you.

hello there, i believe i can relate to your situation. i have 2 boys, one is 5 and one is turning 2 this june. and my husband's job doesnt pay much. now we only survive because we live in our parents home temporarily, i was to work abroad but it didnt work out. and when i reviewed our finances just this week, i dont think we can survive if i dont work. my eldest son will go start going to school again this june. and we have pending debts, so i dont think i can afford to be a home mom or a housewife forever. Goodluck to us sis!

I am a stay at home mother, I don't have any outside income except for my husbands. He is in the air force, and we've never really had a need for another income. I too have a small child, almost two. I don't think I could handle getting a job if I had two, it would be too much for me to handle. They're are several ways for you to make money at home, there's a website called keysforcash.com. At this site you can do data entry for free, no sign up or anything. It's very simple, and you don't have to do much. Unfortunately you lose benifits like med, dent and other tings. Just keep faith, and keep your options open. SilentRose

I am a single mother of a six year old daughter. I'd love to work exclusively at home but right now have not found the proper position to do so. I've figured it out: gas, wear and tear on vehicle, extra luncheon things for a sack lunch, clothing allowance, additional makeup and hair supplies (come on, at home I just wear a ponytail and a bit of lip gloss), time spent to and from work, time spent at work, scurrying about whenever there is a school holiday or a half day either looking for day care or asking for time off (which they don't like)-all of this adds up. If I could find a couple of permanent part time positions at home I'd save money. Good luck to you. I really am beginning to believe that work at home is the best thing for most parents.