Back to Work or Staying Home?

ebd08 · August 2011

This may have already been done, but I'm interested to know since I am trying to decide myself. Even though I have a master's degree, I work in the non-profit industry and only make minimum wage. Unless I find a full-time job that pays decent money and comes with benefits, I hardly think my measly little paycheck is going to cover the cost of daycare. At the same time, I feel like I busted my butt for this degree and I want to use it, dang it! I hate to take myself out of the game now - what if it's harder to get back into the field when the kids get older because I'm out of the loop?

Have you decided? What prompted your decision?

[Poll]

DarthNBJenni · August 2011

I went back to work 7 weeks after having my twins (after being on bed rest for almost 5 months). I was itching to go back. I'll go back to work about 6 or 7 weeks after this baby - all depending on when he is born in relation to our Christmas break.

mrsfowler1016 · August 2011

Back to work but bringing her with me

Boss said I can keep a pack n play in my office until she starts getting loud and playful. Then she'll be in Daycare 3 days a week. DH is off 2 days a week.

partyg1rl · August 2011

I'm a full-time working mom now, but when LO arrives it will be too expensive to have two children in daycare so I'm going to stay at home and possibly run an in-home daycare

Muffin0 · August 2011

I'm already a SAHM.

McSquishy · August 2011

Undecided, but leaning towards staying home. Three in daycare is just too expensive. If I do quit, it's going to be quite the culture shock for us all!

MrsT2008 · August 2011

I'll be going back to work

alexvause · August 2011

As of right now I plan on going back but I am hoping to be able to go back 3-4 days instead of 5. My mom will be watching DD

EveryNameIWantIsTaken · August 2011

I currently stay home now. I also attend school full time but 1/2 is online and the other 1/2 is on campus but when dh is not working so it all works out. I worked until ds was 10.5 months old and both kids will eventually end up in some sort of care once I am done with school. This just works now and I love it.

alieb82 · August 2011

I would love to be a SAHM, but financially I will need to work for the next 5 years. DH and I both make very good salaries, but I have about $40k left in student loans that need to be paid off. If DH had to support us alone I just wouldn't feel right putting that burden on him.

haleymay18 · August 2011

I enjoy working so I am going back after 8 weeks.. It give me some adult time. I can go to the bathroom alone and heat up a meal without worry. I like contributing financially to my household, etc.

kwcw · August 2011

ruby soho:
As of right now I plan on going back but I am hoping to be able to go back 3-4 days instead of 5. My mom will be watching DD

Exactly this!

SiannaBees · August 2011

I already stay at home to be able to go to school full time. I will be staying home after the baby is born. DH and I both grew up where our mom's stayed at home until we were old enough to go to school. So as long as we are able to keep affording to do it I will be staying at home.

mintyblue02 · August 2011

I decided to stay home because out of the options that I have for childcare, I don't think there is anyone better qualified to raise my child than me. Though I love my job, I plan on enjoying the next few years being a mom and then I will go back to work when I'm ready. It may be harder to get a new job right away, but I'm sure I will get one, lots of moms go back to work with a break in their resume and I think its a legitimate reason to have been out of work.

SaraTF · August 2011

I am currently in grad school and am very seriously considering quitting at the end of the semester (leaving with my masters instead of my phd) and then starting to job hunt after baby is born. Being able to stay home with an infant will save us money on childcare until I am able to find a good (at least decent) job. I haven't made any decisions yet, but this path would make me very happy.

TheBrowns · August 2011

I have been a sahm for almost 4 years and will continue. I love staying home with my kids and taking care of my household. Don't really plan on ever going back at this point.

chrlyr · August 2011

Definitely going back to work. I'm the breadwinner in our household, so I don't really have a choice.

Also, I love my job and have put too much time and money into my career to give up on it. My mom is watching the baby for us, so at least I can feel confident that LO will be well cared for if I can't be there. Luckily, my job affords me the option to work from home some days, so that gives a bit more flexibility if I want to spend more time with LO.

iluvmylab · August 2011

I'm taking 12 weeks then heading back to work. I'm a high school teacher and soccer coach and I really love what I do. I think my life would be missing something without my job. Not that I won't love my baby dearly and miss him while I'm at work, but I know my personality and I think going back to work is going to be good for me. I'm not one of those people who think daycares are evil though. I get a lot of time off with my job and my DH has flexible hours, so it will all work out.

l_herron · August 2011

I will SAH. I work a lame job that pays a little above minimum wage so daycare costs would probably be more than my paycheck...so I am saving money by quitting. Plus my mom stayed at home with my sister and I and I really want that for my kids.

Kelly1109 · August 2011

I'm going back. I think we could have definitely gotten by without me going back BUT we are buying a cabin now instead

We have decided that we want to be able to afford our current lifestyle and with that we need my paycheck.

I really wish I could be a SAHM most days though!

indomesticbliss · August 2011

We moved across the country when I was 20 weeks with #1 so I stayed home until he ws 16 weeks and I went back to work part-time. I decided to go back to staying home about 3 weeks ago and it's perfect for us. We decided 2u2 was right for us since I am home all the time and we wanted to go through the "baby" stage once.

After this one is born we will be working on developing DH's private consulting business, which means I will be working from home. Right now I still do the books for another family business f my IL's and do freelance small business budget consulting, so I guess I am a WAHM, but it's so infrequent that I don't really consider myself one. Ideally, I will get back into writing and cooking after this one is born, but right now, I'm just enjoying being home with LO #1 and doing landscaping and renovations to our home.

nilly5 · August 2011

I would love to be a SAHM again, but we're running on low as it is. I'm lucky that I signed up for the christmas fund at work. I'll be getting about $900 around thanksgiving so that will help.

If I can find a better job that I like then I'll do that, but I'll be going back to work...boo

kylayton · August 2011

I am going back for financial reasons. I am trying to tell myself it will be good to go back and won't be too hard. I'm really nervous though!

zoeyandsummersmom · August 2011

Going back to work - hoping to keep CNBC or Bloomberg on while I am at home so I am not completely out of the loop.

runner1410 · August 2011

I wish we could afford for me to stay home :-(

erinjrunde · August 2011

I will be going back to work. I would love to stay at home but financially it isn't doable. I am lucky that my Mom will be taking care of our LO, which will help out a lot! I am scrambling like crazy to find a new job closer to home and pays better before the baby comes because I currently work 4 ten hour days in a different state then what I live....takes about 35 minutes one way to work and with the road construction going on now it is more like 45 minutes. It is getting to be to long of days working 10 hours and having about an hour and a half driving time! I do love my three day weekends though!

emd2887 · August 2011

SaraTF:
I am currently in grad school and am very seriously considering quitting at the end of the semester (leaving with my masters instead of my phd) and then starting to job hunt after baby is born. Being able to stay home with an infant will save us money on childcare until I am able to find a good (at least decent) job. I haven't made any decisions yet, but this path would make me very happy.

This is pretty much my situation. I'm pretty sure I'm going to leave my program in December with a MA instead of going on for the PhD. DH's job situation is a little up in the air (he's a post-doc and looking for tenure-track positions) so we will most likely be moving in the near future. I also would end up spending basically all of my graduate stipend on daycare, so financially it makes more sense for me to SAH.

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