How Can I Afford to be a Stay at Home Mom? (part 1- intro)
If you are here you are wondering how to afford being a stay at home mom. Here is the beginning of a 4 part series in my story of being an “I can do it all mom” to becoming “a stay at home mom”.
A Swing and a Prayer!
I still remember peering into the windows of the YMCA daycare facility and seeing a row of what seemed like 20 baby swings. My heart sank.
My baby hated swings.
We had received a beautiful baby swing as a shower gift, and I was so excited for him to enjoy it — like everyone else’s babies seemed to. But every time I put him in it, he cried. Every single time.
Envisioning my baby spending hours in one of those swings while I worked made me cry. My husband stared at me strangely saying:
“You don’t have to leave him. You can stay home with him. We’ll figure it out.”
Read more about our story here.
I was stunned. My very first thought was: “Could we actually afford that?“
Being a Stay at Home Mom Was Never Part of My Plan
I always knew I wanted to get married and have kids, but I assumed I would keep working. That’s what we’re told from a young age, right? Women can do anything! And it’s true — we can.
But no one talks about the reality that we can’t do everything at once without something losing something. Choosing to step away from a career means we may lose out on extra income, adult interaction, and the sense of accomplishment that comes with a job. But choosing to stay in a career often means losing precious time with our children, missing milestones, and running ourselves ragged trying to juggle it all.
When you step back and consider the 24 hours in each day, and the limited years we’re given, you realize — you have to choose how to spend them.
3 Steps in Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom Affordably
Here are 3 things to do in order to have this make sense.
1. Do the Math
What does working really cost you — in time, money, and peace? Here is where I will share some things I looked at, maybe you will be inspired! Click here to read more on Step 1!
2. Cut! Cut! Cut!
Being better stewards with the resources we have is one of the top ways this can work! There are creative ways to cut expenses, adjust your lifestyle, and stretch your dollars. In this article, I share ways that I was able to get creative and cut back in order to financially afford to be a stay at home mom. Click here to read more on Step 2!
3. Pray About It
This is the part where my heart met logic. I did not have a great faith practice back then, I barely went to church. I had an understanding of God though, and trusted him. In this article I will attempt to share how I let God help me with this life-changing decision. Where ever you are in your understanding of God, maybe something here will resonate! Click here to read more on Step 3.
In my next post, I’ll walk you through exactly how we did the math — and how we discovered that staying home might actually save more than it costs.
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