How do you make it work as a SAHM?

Re: How do you make it work as a SAHM?

• F15Wife member

  November 2011

  Is it possible for you to teach online at a college level?

  What about opening a home daycare.

   

  I have always been a SAHM so I really dont know any differently.

  I guess my only suggestion would be that you're going to have to adjust whatever you do with the money you make. If you shop alot with your money you'll have to cut that out, if you go out to eat alot you'll have to start cooking more ect....

  Maybe think about working for another X amount of months to put some money away for those situations that do arise so that when they do you won't be so strapped for cash.

  Good luck

  

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• MilMom2B

  November 2011

  I agree with PP about working toward building some savings first so that you're covered if (when) something comes up. After that it's just all about evaluating your lifestyle and income and budgeting accordingly.

  For us, we don't really have to do much. We've moved so many times in our 7 years of marriage that I'm often out of work while I look for something new. Now that we have a LO I'm stay at home for good. I just keep a close eye on our incoming finances figure out where all the money is going.

  Paycheck comes in. I pay all the bills due that cycle. My DH gets a cash allowance as do I. We leave some in checking for the known necessities like fuel and diapers/groceries. Some goes toward any CC debt accrued (most of the time we're able to keep the CC balances at or near zero) and some toward savings. Anything leftover can be spent in addition to our cash, however if it isn't spent then it, too goes toward savings. Any cash not spent before the next paycheck just means less is taken out for that cycle's "allowance" which means a smidge more for savings or whatever.

  It works for us. We live comfortably, keep our debts low, slowly build our savings, and have some leftover for fun stuff. But, we were diligent with those first couple of deployments and saved all our extra pay so we started with a cushion. If we didn't already have a comfortable amount in savings I'd be focusing on building it a bit more quickly by cutting out some of the non necessities.

  
  

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• Ilumine member

  November 2011

  My biggest suggestion is to work for one full year and NOT TOUCH any part of that income.  This does two things:

  1) creates a really really good savings account for those unexpecteds.  And being in the military, you always have these unexpecteds that come out of pocket and then get reimbursed 3 months later...like PCSing.

  2) It will help you create a real working budget (to include putting money aside for savings) on that ONE salary while you have a safety net - JUST IN CASE.

  DH and I did that when we first got married.  We both knew that we were going to PCS, more than likely overseas. 

  file:///Users/Ilumine/Desktop/Family%20Portrait%20for%20gift.jpg

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• MilMom2B

  November 2011

  Ilumine:

  My biggest suggestion is to work for one full year and NOT TOUCH any part of that income.  This does two things:

  1) creates a really really good savings account for those unexpecteds.  And being in the military, you always have these unexpecteds that come out of pocket and then get reimbursed 3 months later...like PCSing.

  2) It will help you create a real working budget (to include putting money aside for savings) on that ONE salary while you have a safety net - JUST IN CASE.

  DH and I did that when we first got married.  We both knew that we were going to PCS, more than likely overseas. 

  I like this idea. Don't touch that money!!! Makes you see how much you really need to budget and how much you can really spend without your income. But, with the benefit of still being able to build a savings. Awesome idea!!! 

  
  

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• pesci12

  November 2011

  Ilumine:

  My biggest suggestion is to work for one full year and NOT TOUCH any part of that income.  This does two things:

  1) creates a really really good savings account for those unexpecteds.  And being in the military, you always have these unexpecteds that come out of pocket and then get reimbursed 3 months later...like PCSing.

  2) It will help you create a real working budget (to include putting money aside for savings) on that ONE salary while you have a safety net - JUST IN CASE.

  DH and I did that when we first got married.  We both knew that we were going to PCS, more than likely overseas. 

  I couldn't agree with this more.  My DH and I have been married for almost 8 years, and the last 5 years we lived solely on his income.  I was active duty and then a DoD contractor, and my entire paycheck those years went into our savings.  Last month I quit my job to stay home with my DD.

  

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• chrystal.ward

  November 2011

  My husband and I started off marriage as poor college students, both working part-time, so I guess it's all we've ever known. Once we had our daughter, I stayed home full-time. Of course, we're both really thrifty people and we do things to save money, like use cloth diapers, make my own pureed baby food, I have a garden, I've recently started making my own laundry detergent (a little extreme, but I'm a bit of a hippie, and it's SO much cheaper and doesn't have as many chemicals in it), and I sew a lot of stuff. They're pretty little things, but they add up. And, to me it's worth a little more effort on my part to be able to stay home with our daughter.
  

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