How to be a Stay at Home Mom- Part 1
Can We Afford for Me to Stay Home? 3 Steps to Start the Journey
In deciding how to be a Stay at Home Mom, one of my first thoughts about staying home with my baby was simple:
Can we afford it?
Everything seemed so expensive, and the thought of losing one income felt overwhelming. But once I sat down, prayed about it, and actually crunched the numbers, I realized something surprising — sometimes, working costs more than you think.
If you’re wondering whether you can afford to stay home too, I want to share some real-life experiences and ideas that helped my family make it work.
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.
A Swing and a Prayer
I still remember peering into the windows of a 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. That moment broke something in me — and it led my husband to say something I’ll never forget:
“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?
3 Steps Before Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom
1. Do the Math
What does working really cost you — in time, money, and peace?
2. Be a Better Steward
There are creative ways to cut expenses, adjust your lifestyle, and stretch your dollars.
3. Pray About It
This decision isn’t just financial — it’s deeply spiritual. Ask God to lead you with peace and wisdom.
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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