part time job..does anyone else feel like this?

nicole08709 · October 2014

So I've always always had a job and staying at home with my 6mo old has been an adjustment but it's working out for us. I know this is a full time round the clock job I guess because I'm not getting paid it feels like I need to do something on the side. With winter coming maybe I'll be regretting this but I just like to have some "play money" on the side for things I enjoy. So tell me...who out there is a sahm and works part time? Was it a good decision? It would have to be at night and or weekends because my husband works first shift. In a way it might be more added stress but good for my mental health a few hours a night..I wish there was a work at home job where you could work as many or as little hours as you wanted. Not a demanding must hit 20 hrs a week ..ect.. end of my ramble! Just looking to see if there are others in a similar situation. I'm not sure if there are any legit work from home jobs out there, they all seem like they have some kind of catch. Thanks ladies for listening! !

fintin · October 2014

Unless you are selling something (ie Mary Kay, scentsy, jewlery) or they started out as an out of home job then turned into work from home. They are more than likely scams. I do hear good things about premier design. I think you get 50% of what you sell and that would give you away time from home when you do parties for people. Other than that I have no help.

Edited because I can't make sense of words today.

PaisleyRuth · October 2014

I work PT (15 hrs a week), but it is just a piece of my old job, not a new one I got after SAH. I go in to the office while my kids are at preschool. I have to say, it is nice to get a break from them though.

It was NOT fun when I tried to work from home on nights & weekends.

notkateanymore · October 2014

Can you afford to stay home? If so, why do you need to work? No, I don't feel like I need to bring home extra money. I am bored and not fulfilled though, so I am thinking about starting a small business to entertain myself though.

alli2672 · October 2014

I have some friends who knit and crochet custom hats and scarves for play money. They more or less seem to work as much as they want unless they have a bunch of orders that they need to get done at once.

I have only had one work from home job, and I found it more demanding than my normal job. I often only had a day or two of notice that something needed to be done, and conference calls would be scheduled at random times during the day. My mom does it, and it works for her because her days are very flexible. On the surface, it looked like it would work for me too, but I found out quickly that it didn't. The days something needed to be done always coincided with those days the kids didn't take a nap, H had to stay late at work, etc.

spring_time · October 2014

I work a few hours a week because it gives us some padding in our budget. Not everyone is able to maintain the lifestyle they want on only one salary, but are willing to give up a few things to have a SAHP for a few years. I work because it allows us to add in a few of those extras.

Do you have any marketable skills? I tutor in the afternoons when DD is napping, or in the evenings when DH is home. Sometimes when there is something fun we want to do that isn't in the budget, I will substitute teach a few days to bring in some extra money. It isn't much, though.

Make sure your DH is on board. I think the hardest part for us is that there are days that he walks in from working and I throw kids at him and rush out the door. I have adjusted the hours to make it easier on him.

ETA: I would avoid WAH. I don't see how people accomplish it without childcare. I had to make some materials for a student yesterday while my children were both awake. It took me twice as long with a whole lot of yelling.

LoriLee14 · October 2014

I work part time. (maybe 10 hours a week). I just do it during his preschool hours

penguingrrl · October 2014

I am incredibly fortunate in that after 7 years of SAH f/t I managed to get a p/t legit WFH gig this year. I work while my son naps, at night, on weekends and sometimes in the afternoon while my oldest kind of wrangles her brother. It's very stressful trying to WFH and I always feel torn like I should be doing something else no matter what I'm doing (if I'm playing with the kids I feel like I should be working, but then I feel guilty for ignoring the kids to work and my housework is way behind).

But, my new job is giving me a lot of intellectual fulfillment that I haven't felt in a long time and is helping me feel like a more well-rounded person. It may develop into f/t WOH work, which would also be fantastic as H and I have always planned that I would eventually return to the workforce.

That said, I got this gig through volunteering first then finding out there was an opening. Had I not spent a few months volunteering a lot and showing that I'm reliable there's no way they would have hired me, especially to WFH in a job that normally would require that I be in the office.

raraavis28 · October 2014

Last year, I had quite a bit of work commissioned w/ a company that trains teachers to teach reading better. It was the ideal "can set my own hours" schedule, so I would normally work after the boys went to bed (around 7) w/ a couple meetings or conferences that I had to travel to, and some Skype meetings during naptime. However, that seems to be drying up lately and I have much less to do, so I'm thinking of going the tutoring route. To be totally honest, though, I almost feel like I don't have the time for it, esp. now that the boys are down to one nap a day. By the time they're in bed, I'm pretty fried, plus I'd pretty much never see DH, and I'd probably have to give up my volunteer work at church. If we really needed the money, it would be a no-brainer, but just for some extra "fun" money....not super motivated at the moment.

Keeptruckin · October 2014

I work on a very part time basis. I am an organizer who specializes in hoarding tendencies. If I take on a new client it can be anywhere from 5 to 30 hours and usually they are flexible on when those hours take place. In two weeks I have a "maintenance" job that will be about 10 hours on the weekend. It's hard work but I am am able to charge a heavy premium because it's a hard job physically and mentally. For my 10 hours of work I will get 1000 so that will help with Christmas, etc.

yanakimou · October 2014

I work 1 day a week now and will be transitioning to 2 as soon as my MIL can help us an extra day. One the one hand it is nice to get out of the house and use a different part of my brain and wear jewelry, but one of the days I work is on the weekend so we really only get 1 day a week together as a family. It is nice right now, as you said, to have some extra money especially with the Holidays coming up, but I can see if we have another child that it might get to be too much to work a weekend day. I have student loans, so it also makes me feel good to know that I am paying off my education myself and not having MH do it. He would without a problem, but it bothers me. I also have the advantage of picking my own availability, so I can avoid weekends or days when MH is traveling or we have family events.

vlagrl29 · October 2014

I'm in the minority here, but I own my own business and work part time. Teaching music lessons in the evenings and playing gigs on the weekends. It's my passion and I really enjoy it. The money is pretty awesome too because I pay myself much more than if I was working a part time job at the mall or wherever. If we didn't have kids I would be doing it full time.

jillyjill1026sr · October 2014

I work 10-12 hours a week for the dentist I left after having DD. I handle all the ordering and all the OSHA for the office and assist when needed. I really love getting up and out of the house two days per week and being my "adult" self vs. my "mommy" self. The extra money is nice, too.

catycate · October 2014

I work pt with early intervention and the hardest part for me was getting part time child care. I would not work opposite hours as my husband. That sounds like too much sacrifice.

Katie829 · October 2014

I work 2 days a week and I enjoy it for the social interaction with my friends. I waitress so it's fun and quick. It's not for the money but more for a break.

kcisthebombdotcom · October 2014

I waitress. I work two nights a week in the busier months (April-October) and cut back to one night for the remaining months. Initially when I started it was more of a necessity unless we didn't want fun spending money; in the past three years dh has gotten a significant pay raise but I still continue to work because its fun, quick easy money on a schedule that's convenient for me, I've made great friendships and it breaks up talking to kids all week long. I feel like the big benefit of working is getting our of the house for adult interaction so working at home holds no appeal to me.

Hollylb3 · October 2014

Ditto KC. I wait tables, but I do it 4 nights a week. 2 weeknights, where I'm generally home by 9, and then 5-10ish on Saturday and Sunday. I make double what I would working retail, and I actually really enjoy it. I've also made some decent friendships and enjoy the interaction. I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like working with the public though.

That being said, I get very few cranky customers.

raraavis28 · October 2014

@Keeptruckin‌: I would so hire you to help us organize our basement....I swear DH is a borderline hoarder.:..so much stuff to sort through :P

Lemonlaura · October 2014

I have watched my mom for over a year with her stay at home business, and I love the results she's seeing so I just started my business today. It's selling a weight loss product, it is still very new to the market and lots of people are interested. It's quickly growing. ***EDITED BY MOD***

Notes: no links/referrals of any kind are allowed on The Bump. You can vaguely discuss what you do for work and have people PM you and you may PM others who are searching for your product or a way you can help. General rule of The Bump: no one should be able to guess what you do for a living or the product you make/sell. When it doubt, just ask!

&orchid& · October 2014

I serve at a bar a couple times a month. It's nice to get out and talk to adults. However, I still dread going to work the day before my shift. It's not fun money for me though. It's, make it slightly less tight money. For the most part, once I get there, I have a good time. Talking to people who are getting good beer and food for decent prices makes for happy customers, which, in turn, makes it fun to be there.

Serving is the best for being able to just go in a few hours and make 100+. They typically want you to work evenings and weekends so it was a big deal for me to only work every other weekend so I'd get to spend time with my family unit. I get to see my son all day, but my husband and I only get a few hours each night, and then, you know how the daily grind is.

soexcited317 · October 2014

Lurker here... I definitely know how you feel. I never planned to stay home prior to kids. All the way through graduate school I just assumed I would be a full time working mom. I went back to work full time after DS1 and lasted about 9 months before going part time. Since that time I have bounced back and forth between working part time in my field (20 hours per week or less) or strictly staying at home. I tend to get bored and have a bit of an impulsive streak

I start thinking about what I miss about working and that the extra money would be nice. But then I really miss my kids and regret going back to work. Honestly, I think working part time is a hard balance. I know it works really well for some, but for me I felt a real lack of stability for my self and my family. Because every day was something different in terms of child care, down to what time they had to be out of bed. I don't know, maybe I didn't give working part time enough of a chance. But for now, I am happy being home full time and am making a point of spending my free time reading, enjoying interesting hobbies, and having fun with my kids.

Good luck!

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