Stay at home moms

bridetobe9132013

I am desperate to be able to stay home with my baby but I'm looking for ways to still earn money. Anyone have ideas?

JerseyGirl129

I'm not a stay at home mom yet but I'll be leaving my job the end of March and that'll be it for me. My husband covers pretty much everything as it is so for us it really won't be much of a difference financially. I am a teacher's aide and do it for the love of the job - def not the cash it brings in. Lol I do a lot of crochet crafts and have been stocking up to sell on Etsy after the baby comes. I also have been using and plan to continue selling on eBay - it's not an income or anything but definitely allows for some guilt free bonus shopping! Last year I paid for a bonus last minute Disney vacation just from eBay that we might not have taken otherwise. So it can add up! Good luck!

sweetky_06

If you are going to have some kind of childcare, like a nanny who comes in a few days a week or a few hours a day - you can do virtual assistant work, call-center rep, or even other jobs that aren't exclusively work from home - like project coordinator or technical writer. Lots of people offer part time opportunities, though it can be easier to go part time once you're already working for them full-time.

If you aren't going to have some kind of child care, please do not kid yourself into believing you can get a lot of work done with a baby at your side. Things you can do when you are able versus on a schedule, like crafting and having an Etsy shop, selling things on eBay, freelance grant writing, medical transcription don't need to be done within certain hours - but if you're doing the work for someone else you will have deadlines to meet.

That+One+Girl

Furring collage I would cook meals for people. Sometimes bring it over all cooked other times get it all assemble as a freezer meal. It was fun plus I made enough to cover my own groceries and half of rent. Sadly we have moved and that no longer is an option for us.
You can also look into cleaning houses. Or even once your little one is a bit older babysitting a few days a week. If you like animals you can offer to pet-sit
If your crafty maybe you can look into selling on etsy or another online site.
Some companies also let you work from home (stuffing envelopes, typing letters) that you can work around your schedule.
If you have the time many bloggers are able I make money off their blogs.

When I was out of work early this year I learned a lot of ways to save money, cut grocery bill almost in half, cut electric and water way down too.

Good luck

Empireceo

Babysitting is probably your best bet, unless you're interested in Mary Kay or a company set up similarly. But keep in mind that can be very tiime consuming as well. I run my own real estate development/property management business out of my home but it can be really hard to find time to get things done, especially now that DS is becoming more mobile. Good luck to you! ETA: maybe finding part-time employment could be a good compromise?

busterbeagle

I agree with PPs who suggested part time work. I work 2 days a week and stay home with my DD the rest of the time. I get almost all of the perks of being a SAHM but I get adult interaction and I make enough money that we can afford everything we need plus some little extras.

runningyogimama

I work part time a couple of evenings a week. That way, we don't pay childcare costs, have a little extra spending money, and I get to be around adults.

asparagus95

See how much you can trim your current expenses first, and really think about what you absolutely need. If you can't even get close to a balanced budget that way, there isn't an at home job I can think of that would help. Currently we break even, but I know in a few years I will go back to work so in the meantime we are just extra frugal until we can make it up later. Just be real about what you spend and see if it's all necessary. Good luck!

mrspopsicle

I agree with part time work. I work one day per week and it really is the best of both worlds. I absolutely feel like a stay at home mom, but I love the day away from the house and the chance for adult interaction.

julesf817

What do you ladies who work part time do for work?

I currently work in finance at a pretty high stress job. been here 8 years. i leave my house at 7am and get home at 7pm. when the baby comes, i'm not coming back here after. i know i'll have to find some kind of part time work eventually so we aren't too tight on cash, and i want to find something low stress that i don't hate, like i do this job. 

i just haven't even begun to think about what i'd want to do.  

whitehousem

When DD was 6mo old I started watching a little boy FT (3mo older than DD). All I did was post an add on Craigslist. I make $1,000-$1200 a month. It's a ton of work but I have the kids on the same nap schedule, so I have about four hours of personal time (aka. housework, working out, etc.). It's enough money for us to be comfortable. We also went down to one car, which is tough but DH works from home quite a bit so we make it work. I will stop watching the boy at the end of the year, so it's scary to lose that money. I would love to hear more about work from home options. I probably would have waited tables a couple evenings a week if I didn't get into this child care situation.

mibarra93

I would babysit every now and then during the summer but also cleaned flower beds which pays Great! You get to work at your own pace. But when baby gets here I plan to take a few months off then get back to it. I highly recommend it if you enjoy working outside, being your own boss, flexible schedule, and making good money.

busterbeagle

Jules51814 said:

What do you ladies who work part time do for work?

I currently work in finance at a pretty high stress job. been here 8 years. i leave my house at 7am and get home at 7pm. when the baby comes, i'm not coming back here after. i know i'll have to find some kind of part time work eventually so we aren't too tight on cash, and i want to find something low stress that i don't hate, like i do this job. 

i just haven't even begun to think about what i'd want to do.  

I work in a doctor's office. I'm at a computer for 95% of my day, it has nothing to do with my degree, and it's boring as hell. But the people are nice, they work around my childcare schedule, and I make more than I would doing something like retail in the evenings/weekends. I imagine there are a lot of PT positions like mine now that everything medical is going electronic.

deanna1313

I recently left my job and found that I have been saving so much money in gas alone. It's crazy. Other than that, I would go out to lunch more often while working and I was always stopping at target and other stores on lunch break. I am saving so much money. Of course, I'm not saving as much as I made, but it goes to show how much you can save by cutting back.

Also, I'm not a crazy couponer, but I started using them and we cut back in some other areas, too. It's shocking, but I don't even miss my spending.

Etsy is a great idea if you are crafty. The today show also did a segment on legit work from home jobs that you can google and find an article on. Premier designs jewelry selling has a great percentage for reps, too.
Good luck!

mrspopsicle

Jules51814 said:

What do you ladies who work part time do for work?

I'm a nurse so that's probably not very helpful to you!

My job is also very high stress (I work in a peds ICU). On the days I work I leave the house by 6:15am. Drop DD off at my moms and don't pick her up until after 8pm. I will probably look into finding something different when baby number 2 arrives.

It's hard though. In the hospital I am making close to $20K/year working one day per week. If I went somewhere lower stress (like a clinic) I'd take a pay cut plus have to work more days to get the same amount of hours.

dragossoul84

I would suggest baby sitting or part time work if you still need to make an income. I am a stay at home and I had a work from home job before I could not watch DS and work. We have made some sacrifices for me to be a stay at home but if you can make a budget early and stick to it, its such a great privilege to have.

sammy.k

I nanny for a friend from my home 3 days a week and will watch other kids when parents ask/are desperate for a sitter. I'm also starting an after school program from my home watching 1st-5th graders from 3-6pm. It's been great so far and I love being at home with my son!

hatrats

I am in the same situation as you OP.  I would love to stay home, but I don't see how we'll financially be able to do it.  I am strongly considering quitting this job (which I hate anyway) after the baby is born and working part time.  I would need to make at least a couple hundred a week for us to make ends meet.  We are fortunate that our parents live in town, and MIL is retired.  My mom said she is probably going to cut down to 30 hours a week by next summer.  I know not everyone is so fortunate, but if they would each watch the baby one day a week, I might be able to pull it off.  I am praying it will work out for all of us in this position!

runningyogimama

I work part time in retail at the store I used to be a manager at--so I make a fairly decent amount for part time work. I usually work one or two evenings and Saturdays. I would go crazy never getting to have that kind of adult time, but that's just me.

julesf817

JmeJme said:

I work part time in retail at the store I used to be a manager at--so I make a fairly decent amount for part time work. I usually work one or two evenings and Saturdays. I would go crazy never getting to have that kind of adult time, but that's just me.

i think i'm going to feel the same way. right now the idea of being home all the time sounds heavenly because i'm never home, but i think it'll get old eventually and i'll need some kind of time out of the house.  

 

momo214

If you are into beauty products, I know some ladies that have quit their current jobs to strictly sell Rodan and Fields (same company that owns Proactive). You can also try Mary Kay. You can be your own boss, set your own schedule and get some income!

bridetobe9132013

Thanks for all the ideas!