SAHM ... What do you do?

SAHM's - What do you do for income? How are you able to stay at home with your LO's?

I currently work full-time and my hubby is back to work, YAH! I may be able to go parttime after his probabtionary period is up but I would much rather stay home with my boys. I've been racking my brains trying to figure out something I could do to help bring in some income. I understand if you do not want to share.

Take care - TIA

 

We were doing fine for a while but seems like the last couple of months have been hard. Nothing big has changed but just has seemed harder. I wish I could give you some great advice of how we do it but some months I wonder if we are making it work. I just try to find ways to stretch out money, I rarely go anywhere that costs something. The park is great and we only live about a mile from it. But most days we just stay at home. We just didn't have any other choice. 3 kids in daycare was just way too expensive. I have only been doing it for 10 mths so maybe a more experienced sahm can give better advice.

 

We mostly stay home, too. Until recently DH and I shared a vehicle so I didn't have much choice!
We met and married when we were grad students, so we're used to living on a tight budget. We have cheap rent, no car payment or debts other than my grad school student loan, and just live frugally. We don't have cable or spend a lot on entertainment, etc.; mostly just food, utilities, baby stuff--the basics. And I clip coupons!

 

I have been a SAHM for 7 yrs, I worked very very part time (about 6-10 hrs a week) for less than a year, but it just wasn't worth it.

Things are tight, we live paycheck to paycheck and usually only have dollars left in our account when dh gets paid each week. We buy in bulk, clip coupons, rarely go out furthur than the local pizza place, and that's only because we have a buy one/get one free buffet card for there.

I agree things are much much tighter the last year than they ever have been. The price of gas and food have both risen, but dh hasn't gotten a raise. You just make it work....and now I have no choice because there's no way we could do daycare for 3 kids plus my ds after school, we live in a crappy county where there are no jobs over minimum wage available. South Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates.

 

QUOTE(Danibell @ May 9 2009, 10:39 PM) [snapback]1307371[/snapback]
You just make it work....and now I have no choice because there's no way we could do daycare for 3 kids plus my ds after school, we live in a crappy county where there are no jobs over minimum wage available. South Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates.


Oh yeah, I forgot you also live in SC! The job market here really does suck. Trying to find a FT job that would pay enough for daycare for two infants is pretty pointless for me! Maybe I should go to medical school ...

 

QUOTE(SC_Amy @ May 9 2009, 10:45 PM) [snapback]1307378[/snapback]
Oh yeah, I forgot you also live in SC! The job market here really does suck. Trying to find a FT job that would pay enough for daycare for two infants is pretty pointless for me! Maybe I should go to medical school ...


Don't go to be a paramedic, they don't make squat either <_< David wanted to try for that until he saw their pay scale was lower than he makes as an electrician at the plant. He already commutes 40 mins one way for work.

 

Doing without is my biggest advice--and being willing to do without.
--Seriously look into REAL couponing--there are ways to get free food and major deals if you check it out and get a large sunday paper (a friend actually goes and buys 10 to get multiples of coupons). DealSeekingMom.com, among others were the first sites I found to help with the saving money thing. I get samples in the mail along with coupons by signing up with various companies. This has really helped, although buying 8 shampoos and conditioners at once seems like a ton, they will be used within a year and I won't pay for toothpaste anymore--i can always find a free deal for it (or less than $.50) and then I get several tubes!
--Cooking from scratch is something I'm learning
--Growing our own produce is something we're looking into (we will have to build beds on our concrete drive cause we do not have any sunny yard).
--wearing hand-me-downs is a blessing. Not everyone is blessed by this like we are, but we also have a clothing closet at our church which is free--another blessing! We are parts of several groups that have various swaps--if we can't get it free, it comes from birthdays or garage sales (occasionnally the sale racks). Our country is SO spoiled and we really should realize that it is OK to not have 10 pairs of jeans!!
--SIMPLIFY--what can you live without--cable? cell phones? dsl?
--look into gov. programs like WIC and food stamps if you are willing (my dh opts to not, although we are on medicaid at this time because of no insurance)

I tried to be a WAHM for several years, but we also homeschool and God wanted me to be a full-time SAHM (I tended to neglect the cooking dinner and cleaning stuff). Although working from home is great for some, I think it must be something you enjoy and if you are selling stuff (I sold Tupperware), you must believe in and use the product. It can be VERY lucrative--no matter what part of the states you live in, but it does take effort and self-motivation.

 

Great Thread.

DH works full time and he works overtime every week ;( I still work part-time 16 hours a week, but we are able to minimize childcare by me mainly working during DHs off time.
When this baby arrives I will most likely quit all together and stay home.
DH and I sat down together and trimmed expenses. While we still have some luxuries we downscaled the type of cable/initernet/phone we had. We downgraded our cell phone plan and try to do most talking on the nights/weekends. We cancelled our gym membership and do more activities outside with the kids. We tried to set "guidelines" for things we spend on like beer, coffee, dining out (some of our previous indulgances). Garage sales are a hit for kids clothes etc. I shop alot of clearance and store things away. Oh we also refinanced some things for lower interest rates.

Im sure we will be looking for more as the time nears for me to have this baby but for now those are some of the things we are doing.

 

Luckily b/c DH is in the Air Force we have job security, which is such a relief. Before the boys were born, we really started cutting back. We used to eat out once a week, now it's once a month. If we do eat out more than that, we go to lunch b/c it's usually cheaper than dinner prices. We started a budget in Excel just to watch where our money goes. Mainly it goes to food and diapers. Not too much you can do to cut back on that, but we do buy a lot of fresh produce which gets pricey. I used to cut coupons, but there aren't many coupons for fresh items so I will hunt for deals in the flyers. I don't buy anything unless I have exhausted all the places where I can get it and then get it at the cheapest place (for things like kids toys/diapers/shoes/clothes). We use the library instead of buying books. We go out every day, but it's usually to the park or the aquarium (MIL gave us a year pass). Buy things on Craiglist or baby consignment shops or better yet, hit the garage sales! I got the boys a play kitchen for $10 and it's perfect! My biggest advice is to get your car(s) paid off. That helped us immensely. We used our tax refunds to get control of it and then were able to get it paid off easier.

If you need to, go without cable and internet. Make sure everything is unplugged that doesn't need to be. When we go on vacation, I turn off the water heater. It saves a lot of money.

I hope that helps! It's just like learning to feed twinfants...you have to get creative!

 

I have done a lot of things to earn extra money. I have sold Pampered Chef, tutored, taken in sewing, and worked for my mom (she is a caterer). We have struggled, but we are comfortable and can afford some luxuries.

My best advise, is to decide what you are good at, and go from there. Good luck!

 

It would not be cost effective for me to work and pay a daycare plus afterschool care for the girls. Like a previous poster we live paycheck to paycheck and have little left when the next paycheck arrives. I plan menus in advance to cut down on the grocery bill. We shop at thrift stores and garage sales and rarely buy new. If we do buy new we have researched prices well to get it as cheap as possible or we wait until it is on sale. We have cut way down on how much we eat out. I get child support for my older two girls so that really helps.
One way we make extra money is by purchasing things at garage sales/thrift stores and sometimes SO will need to fix them or clean them up first but we will resale them on eBay. Many times we have bought something for a few dollars and resold it for $30 or $40. In good months we can make several hundred dollars.

 

THe first thing I would do is start writing down every penny you spend. Sit down and review and the end of the week/month - it can be an eye-opener!! Decide what you can cut out altogether and what you can scale down. I fyou are stck in a cell phone contract you may have to wait it out but maybe you can cancel you landline. Planning meals for the week and cooking from scratch will make a big dent n your grocery budget.

Look around for free entertainment for the kids. Here we have several churches that offer free playtimes for the kids - one has several large climbing structures and the other has a huge room full of toys. The kids get to play something new and I get to chat with some Mom friends. Parks - we go almost everyday after naptime in the summer if it's not raining. If you have a membership anywhere make sure you are really getting your money's worth. We have went to the zoo several times in one week before, we can really only see about 1/3 of it in any one trip anyway. Playdates, moms club activities (not all are free but they have a lot), library - mine love to just go to the library and there are also storytimes for the kids. Check out the local paper for things going on -some places that have expensive kids activities will have open houses, free introductory clases etc., some places that charge admission will have free entry on certain days or if you are there by a certain time of day. Pack your lunch, snacks and drinks so you aren't stuck somewhere with hungry kids with overpriced junk as your only option.

 

I'm a SAHM and wouldn't have it any other way no matter how much money we don't or do have. DH works as much overtime as he can. We always makes lists before going grocery shopping (saves a TON of $$$). We share a car so we save money on gas, insurance. We buy a lot of the big toys for the girls second hand at a consignment shop or craigslist. Oh and I sell the girls clothes that they have outgrown on ebay. We just try to be as frugal as possible. We really don't drive much on the weekends unless we are grocery shopping. We usually take the girls on walks around the neighborhood or to the lake to feed the ducks.

 

My dh is a graduate student but luckily he is given a decent living allowance. I unfortunately lost my mom and my grandmother in the same year but was fortunately left some inheritance which we do use a little bit of but try not to use much. Even if I were working full time (I worked in mental health where the pay is way less than it should be) we would just be able to afford daycare, so it just wasnt worth it.
Anyway....

start clipping coupons! Coupons.com afullcup.com hotcouponworld.com mommysavers.com there are tons of coupon websites! Also, if you have a CVS or Walgreens close by they have programs that basically pay you back...a lot of times if you do it right you can stock up on lots of free stuff!

Dont buy name brand anything, buy stuff only on sale.

Cook from scratch

Check into government programs-WIC or Healthy Start Healthy Families (my LO's get their health insurance through HSHF so we only have to pay for mine-get it through dh grad school where he gets his)

 

Last year, as we were planning for our babies birth, my husband lost his excellent job of 11 years which would have provided for our family without any worry of me returning to work. In the meantime, he has found a new job but it involves a lot of travel, four long days a week, and less pay. With this new situation, we now have to look for ways to cut costs and it may involve me bringing in a small income. Cutting costs is, in my opinion, the best way to determine how little you may need to make as a second income. The lower you cut your costs, the less you have to make. Since I am on mat leave until October, we are trying to live on my husband's income and bank my mat leave until then. So to make ends meet, we have cut all costs. We are down to our bare minimum of expenses. We live below our means and don't compare ourselves to what others have. We have no extras but also no debt. Our entertainment involves going to the park for a picnic, watching movies with friends, and going to a family owned cottage. We own our vehicles and my husband commutes in a ten year old Honda. We buy in bulk when things we need are on sale. We buy our meat from a farmer. I bake and cook everything from scratch. We cut coupons for everything we usually buy and then buy those items only when they are on sale to maximize savings. We rarely drive my van except when necessary. We hang our clothes on the line. Basically, we have brought our expenses down as low as they can go so that if I do have to work it will be minimal. To make some extra income, I will likely type transcripts from home for court reporters. I am not sure if this is an option where you are, but it is a nice way to make money from home without much overhead. I hope it goes well for you and you can figure something out that works for your family.

 

QUOTE
Don't go to be a paramedic, they don't make squat either


Did he go the Fire Department route? I can tell you Im a dual certified firefighter/paramedic, I work for the Fire Department here and make good money with EXCELLENT medical benefits and retirement. I was able to get a full year off on paid disablilty when I got pregnant. Not to mention in this economy its a secure job!! I work 24 hours shifts with 48 hours off in between and every third week I have 5 days off. I end up working about 7 days a month. Im not sure where you live or if he considered FD but its a GREAT job!!

 

I dabble with ideas all the time on how to sell my crafts, but have yet to put a plan in action... this pregnancy has me wiped out anyway and I don't feel much like making anything just now. I have been making some jewelry here and there and designing a series of blank cards, but the motivation is just not there right now.

I quit working when we realized I was barely bringing home enough money to even put our daughter in a daycare. We were planning on trying to get to me stay home anyway, but that sealed the deal for us. And now with 2 more on the way there's no way my $9 an hour salary would have cut it.

We do our best on my husband's income, but one of these days when life takes on some sense of normalcy (is that possible with twins?..lol) I'd like to get things rolling with my business.