Stay at Home Moms
pastalady
member
I think being a SAHM would save my family money
pastalady
member
I am really trying to sell my business right now to be a SAHM but with the economy sucking big time it may not happen soon. Do you ever feel like you save money by being a SAHM. Not just on things like gas, clothing and lunches out. For example, right now with both of us working if our car conks out we just take it in to whatever is most convenient. If I could take the time to research better deals on things like this, it could save us a lot of money. I feel our life would be so much more organized and therefor we could budget better. Of course I know I will be giving up an income, but I honestly think we could come out ahead (I also don't make much money as it is lol!) I hope to join you on this board soon!
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Re: I think being a SAHM would save my family money
That's EXACTLY why I SAH too!
I'm definitely of the camp that you are only going to get OUT what you put IN to SAH full-time and if saving is what you need to do, work hard at it and see what you can come up with!
Good luck and welcome to the board (stick around!!!).
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11
I'm not exactly sure if I save a ton of money by being home because it seems like there are a lot of 'new' expenses. I take the kids to children's museums, indoor play places, mc donalds, the indoor water park, the pool, mommy/me classes etc... and since I'm home more, there's more electricity, heat and water to pay for to name a few.
So... in the end I'm not sure if it's saving us money from when I worked, but I feel that I'm spending my money more wisely since I'm spending it WITH my kids instead of spending the money for someone else to be with my kids. When your child is little you probably wont do all the things I mentioned above, but all those things kinda snuck up on me and I realized that they do add up.
Depending on your cost of daycare vs how much you bring home with your job, sometimes it is cheaper to just be a sahm. It's all a juggling act when it comes to money.
Best wishes!!
i think yes we do! like you said much less dining out going on-or lunches/suppers on the run. i have filled my car up twice since new years-granted a new baby is also helping that one, but really i was not filling up much prior to baby. fewer oil changes and less wear and tear equals fewer trips to the shop, longer use of tires etc. plus since i am "laid off" i collect a small amount of unemployment. the past two weeks i have put that into our savings account. and prior to that i was putting in some at least every other week. i think we spend about the same on groceries as we are more mindful of what we are buying and how it works into and with the items we already have. plus i shop around more for groceries now--like i buy milk at wamart or target because it is cheaper than at the grocery store-ditto things like hamburger buns or cereal! (and fyi there!)
good luck with your choice. it is a mind shift and the best advice i have on that came from some friends who stay at home and they said attack staying at home just as you would any job-keep that mind set that you are going to work every single day-just not out of the house.
When I was working almost full time (4 full days a week) I would spend a ton of money on me but also my DD since I felt guilty she was in daycare. I'd go to Target 4x/week to buy her little toys, clothes, etc.
She has a closet full of stuff already and tons of fun toys. Staying at home is giving her the best gift--my time with her.
I TOTALLY agree with this. I'm saving LESS money, since we lost my salary (which was just going into the bank and not being spent), and if I were back at work, I could cover 3 kids in daycare and still have extra money. BUT, it's worth it to us to have me stay at home.
It's all relative to your lifestyle, your salary that you would give up, cost of living, etc.
I really don't think it saves us money at all. I made a pretty good salary before SAH (even as a teacher), and DD and I find ways to spend money during the week. I do save some money when I'm into couponing, but I don't always have the motivation and/or desire to do it. Sometimes I just want to go to Whole Foods and buy really good food, and that isn't a coupon type of place!
And with a baby/almost toddler, I don't have a lot of extra time anymore (not like I did when she was only a few months old and sleeping constantly), so researching ways to save money doesn't really happen either. Also, I had a tiny little commute (like 10 minutes) when I worked, and I think we actually drive more now that I SAH. Everything is fairly close to home, but we still manage to put more miles on the car as we tend to be out and about almost daily.
Besides what everyone else said - I know we save a *ton* on our taxes. Not having my income makes us eligible for a lot of deductions that would have been phased out before.
It's kind of sad that the government penalizes us for our choices, but at the same time I'm glad it allowed me to stay home!