SAHMs help me out

[hollyxann]

I really do not want to return to work when my maternity leave is up but I am going to have to have an income of some sort. So here's my question(s)...

Does anyone work from home? If so what do you?
Anyone know of any ways to work from home?

I just already know that I am going to have a really hard time leaving her when I am due to go back to work and if I can figure out a way to make money from home then I may not have to go back.

[KristinCB]

what do you do for work? is there any way you could find away to make it a stay at home job?

[scrapperjade]

I'm not entirely sure either, lol! I was a SAHM for 1.5 years before I went back to work, and now am planning on being a SAHM for as long as possible! I need to find a way to make some extra $$ too.

One thing that can help is learning to budget well. It doesn't make you extra money, but it sure does help save money! Things like learning to cut back on groceries, making meal plans (this can slash groceries by a LOT), actually eating your leftovers, buying less lean cuts of meat, etc, can help reduce the amount of money you spend. Try to put aside what you "saved" and put it in an account of some sort and don't dip into it. Then when it's time that your mat leave is up, you might have a little egg of money that will help you stay home for a little longer.

[jessica31876]

If you find a way let me know. The only thing I could ever do from home that made me real money (not just a little here and there) was babysitting. The problem with that is the people would come up short at the end of the week and Id tell them no problem catch me up next week and it would just go on and on until they just found a new babysitter. Probably did the samne thing with the new one. So if I did it again (and I really just do not have the patience anymore) I would make them pay up front a week and sign a contract stating every detail of what I expect and what they can expect from me so it would not be an option to treat me like I was before. (I was just to nice to really make it work for me. At the time though I was making pretty good money doing what I would have been doing anyhow I made about 180 a week)

[mummytothree]

Unless you are employed in a field that let's you work from home or have training as say a web designer, medical transcriptionist, graphics designer I don't think there are a lot of options out there other then say babysitting, house cleaning (if they wouldn't mind you bring the baby along).

I'd do some of the things Jae offered...start looking at where you spend your money now and slash it!! Cancel cable, cancel cell phones or home phone, make menu's, cut out money sucking junk food/pop, incorporate "meatless" meal into your rotation. Walk or take the bus if you can (heck if you can spare living on one car do that) ect.

[Joana1n]

I have a friend who does medical transcription at home and also crochets play food and has an etsy shop for it.

Give a long, hard look at the true cost of what you're earning vs. staying at home. You may find, as I did, that with all of your work expenses (fuel, childcare cost, and other incidentals - dry cleaning and meals if you don't pack your lunch), that you're only making a couple of bucks an hour once it's all said and done. Also consider whether the loss of your income will move you to a lower tax bracket.

Some articles:
http://www.mymommybiz.com/adviceandresources/momsincome.html
http://www.suite101.com/content/going-back-to-work-vs-stayathome-mom-sahm-a154721
http://life.familyeducation.com/calculator/stay-at-home-cost/55187.html
http://www.babycenter.com/0_staying-at-home-can-you-afford-it_6026.bc?page=2

Some of my friends are consultants for various home party businesses: Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Stampin Up! - stuff like that.

[mummytothree]

Also think about maybe your hubby (partner) getting a second job for a while. If it's really important to both of you that you stay home to raise your baby then it's something to discuss. Make a plan about how much the extra job will bring in and commit to stowing that money away (so that it's just a short term fix) or commit to spending that income on paying off debt. It might not be the an ideal situation but as long as you all go into it committed to your plan and know that it's only "temporary" then I'm sure you all could make it work.

[heathergw]

I agree with Elizabeth and Joana... I made a pretty decent salary but when I sat down and calculated the cost of working outside the home I found that I was pretty much breaking even and with sacrificing a few things like cell phone plans and cable, it made it easy for me to stay home... well, I won't say it's "easy" since I miss some of the luxuries I had but I still wouldn't trade them for being able to stay home.

[nanienamou]

Here is what we do:
-clear all credit card debt
-we don't have cable
-we don't have cell phones ( we have a home phone)
-we only have one car (2001 Caravan - paid)
-I had a contract with a PI firm and I did their transcripts and reports ( but the company was bought and merged..) so now I design templates for extra cash
-cut down on restaurant, make everything from scratch (even bread and yogurt)
-buy slightly used clothes for the kids. I have three boys, so I can pass the clothes down.
-we live about 4 minutes away from DH's workplace so he can easily walk and he always takes a lunch of leftovers with him.
-buy bigger cuts of meats and bulk. For example, in the summer, we grill alot, so when the chicken breasts or thighs are on sale, I stock up, seperate into family portion size and freeze them in a marinade I make. So I always have some ready in the freezer. We do that with beef too when we buy a whole filet (which is really cheaper than individual pieces)

Basically, we live well with DH's salary, my extra income serves for some luxury items and vacations

[scrapperjade]

I agree with the others. Look closely at the cost of going back to work. Most don't think of the added costs, they just assume they will be making money if they go back.

For me, I don't have secondary education, but I worked as an office manager. Unfortunately, my wage was under $10/hour. Child-care costs for full-time are very expensive. When I calculated out how much I made (after taxes, CPP, EI, etc, was taken off my cheque) vs gas money & day care, I was shocked to find that we would actually be PAYING for me to go back to work. I wouldn't even be bringing home a wage. I would be working 40 hours a week to have someone else raise my child for me.

That made the decision to stay at home a very easy decision!!

[hollyxann]

Right now I'm just a server so I couldn't make it a SAH situation. Unfortunately.
My mom wants to open an etsy store for polymer clay stuff that her and I do together but that's so touch and go so I don't know if that would be enough to just help out but I think we might give it a try.

And I'll have to look into our expenses and budgetting. My SO is a pain in the butt when it comes to me working so I'm definitely going to have to have an income some how. (He can be a butt sometimes) I'm just trying to figure out a way to avoid going back to work as much as possible. But I'm also going to look into a different job just incase because my work schedule with serving is a pain. I have to work every holiday and every weekend. So I will definitely have to find something different regardless.

[nun69]

I don't have any ideas but I ditto what the girls said about the grocery shopping and meal plan thing. Just check out the Krazy Coupon lady! I came to the conclusion, for now, that paying $525 for daycare was not in my budget every month now that I am retired~

[adrianka]

Holly, being a non-American and non-mother, I have no advice for you, I just want to wish you luck so that you can stay with your baby as long as you feel you want to.

[mummytothree]

My SO is a pain in the butt when it comes to me working so I'm definitely going to have to have an income some how. (He can be a butt sometimes)

That's really unfortunate!! :(

[jessica31876]

Holly do you have any friends who have kids who need someone to babysit? Could you supplement with photography for friends with young kids? (you taking pictures for them). Check into some of those selling parties like Pampered Chef. Maybe try selling Avon? Oh and as for those polymer things you could also do farmers markets or craft shows if you have those in your area

[mdb21]

A while back Hyatt listed some work from home jobs. I don't know if they're still looking for any positions like that now, but here's the link if you want to check it out.

Hyatt (https://hyatt.taleo.net/careersection/10780/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en&alt=1)

[MissKim]

I did day care for a year after my oldest was born. I had calculated exactly what we needed to make ends meet, and that's all the kids I took in. You don't have to have the state max. It's your business. So I took 2 other infants, which put me at the max for infants, but gave me a steady income (at the time, 17 years ago, I charged $100/infant/week). I had a standard nap time for all 3 and it gave me some alone time every afternoon for an hour or so. I consider myself a working mom, but I was fortunate in that I was with my kids for their first year of life or so. Day care with my son, in grad school with my older daughter and by the time I had my youngest, I was teaching in a private preschool and was able to take her to school with me. She was in the nursery, but I spent an hour or more a day with her (lunch and breaks). I understand wanting to be with your infant. Hope you find a way to make it work.

[MamaBee]

Same as the others... I had a darn good paying job, making more money than my hubby who is an engineer... we made the decision for me to stay home because we didn't want our child in day care. So, we have learned to take out things we don't need... cable, big vacations (we now do road trips and use hotel points that my hubby gets from his business travels), eating out, etc. My hubby has three jobs... his full time one... then he works as a DJ for a radio station on the weekends and nights once in a while... and he also has a pretty successful network business that is done on the web with social networking. I use to scrap for others - but it's a hard business to get into and ended up spending more money trying to market my service than what I was bringing in... so that is on hold.

[kristijoy]

Another wild idea...my DH has a cousin that is a firefighter. He worked 24 hour days. Then he had a couple days off. On his 'off' days he stayed home with their 2 kids while she worked. Then when he was 'on' she was home. In-other-words...maybe some creative hours could lessen childcare costs.

[eranslow]

I was a SAHM until about a year and a half ago. We decided that I needed to go back to work to get a little extra money. I told dh that I would not put ds into daycare so we looked only for jobs that would be in the evening. I ended up finding a temp job at a large bank for 20 hrs a week - I work from 5-10 which works out perfectly because then I am home with Blake during the day and dh gets to spend the evening with him. It's something I don't want to do forever but it works for now! So like Kristi suggested - try to figure out some creative way to work the childcare :) Good luck!

[hmlentz]

Scrap for hire? I use to do websites. I do/did it for things I wanted so like I would swap them the website for something but you could also just charge. Photographer? Are you good at taking photos? Are you crafty? You could make and sell cards or some other item on Etsy...

Good luck!

[jovi_girl]

Like everyone else, we've cut back alot. We now have one car, which does mean I'm stuck at home a bit cos my dh has to drive to work most days, but there's always public transport if I'm dying to get out. My dh picked up a weekend job, which means he works 7 days most weeks but it's important to us both that our son doesn't have to go to daycare (until he's old enough to enjoy it anyway). I babysit my niece 2 days a week for a little extra cash. And we've cleaned out out our spare room so we can rent it out to my sister who needs a place to live while they build a house.

None of this stuff is very fun, but it's the sacrifices we've made so I can be home while our kids are babies.

Try not to worry too much if you do have to go back to work. I know it doesn't seem that way, but it does get a little easier to leave them as they get older, especially if you know they're being well cared for and having fun. Good luck!

[Kara]

I was working full-time up until June, and I made a little over half our income. Before I quit entirely, I negotiated working from home one afternoon a week, but that became more difficult as my daughter got older and more active. (The boys were in daycare.)

There are few jobs that offer part-time hours yet pay enough to cover daycare expenses for three children. I would actually prefer to work part-time, but it's just not realistic.

Now that I'm home, we've really reduced our spending. There's little room in our budget for extras like swimming lessons and museum memberships, so I donate plasma a few times a month to help pay for these things. They have a supervised playroom on site, the kids like it, and the place is very clean and professional. (Some facilities are not, but I've been very pleased with where I go.) You can only go 2x a week, and it takes about an hour a time. I get paid $20 the first time in a week, and $35 the second time. I can cancel my appointment in case the kids are sick or I just don't feel like going. Couldn't do that with a job! And, I can read or scrap while there. So for me, it's worked well. It doesn't pay tons, and certainly wouldn't replace the income from a "real" job - but it's nice spending money.

[newfiemountiewife]

We try to work around DH's schedule, which is hard since he's a cop, and works weird shift work. I coach figure skating 2x a week, for around 7 hours a week.

I also got a part time job, which was to be during the day when my kids were at school, but they have scheduled me for so many evenings, I'm at the point where I am soon going to quit. I need to be home with Rachael to help her with her school work (she is autistic) and also because whatever I make, I will have to pay a sitter...so what's the point?

The other thing we've done in the past is, CUT BACK. We cut back on so many things, it was very lean until my kids all went to school and I was able to go back to work, but I was willing to make the sacrifice.

Good luck!

[jessica31876]

oh yes that is another thing I should have mentioned. If you have a plasma donation center (not like the blood bank). They will pay for your plasma. Where I live they pay up to 75 dollars per donation depending on your blood type (the rarer blood types get alot more and then there are certain instances where if you had certain conditions they would pay more for it as well) and you can donate I think twice a week. My husband was doing it for awhile when he was out of work and made like 400 dollars a month doing it. It is a great way to supplement your income and like previous poster said you can read/scrap while doing it.

[Kara]

My SO is a pain in the butt when it comes to me working so I'm definitely going to have to have an income some how.

My DH was the same way. But with both of us working full-time with three children ages 4, 2, and newborn quickly became totally unmanageable and unrealistic. I figured that out right away, but it took him 8 months to get used to the idea.

[Milmomma]

We started it by cutting back, taking out the cable, going out to movies, eating out so much, extra junk food. As my husband got promoted we slowly added in extra's. I also do photography on the side to help make little extra to cover kids activities and such. We don't do present for each other but once a year at tax return. I rarely spend money on any scrap supplies anymore. We only have one car which my husband takes each day, and I walk. Its great exercise too. :) We budget it every month and try to live only in what he makes and still save. I always suggest, seeing how much you spend every month, see how much you make, and see how much is necessary to spend. You'd be amazed at all the extras.

[Stacey42]

I've been a SAHM for 8 years & have done a variety of things for extra money. My old job was data analyst for a call center so I was able to get a part time job taking sales & customer service calls at home with my computer. I worked random hours but it becamme too hard to schedule when my second child was born.
I've worked online for ChaCha and kgb answering questions but with all the other stuff I have to do wiht the kids activities & DH's hours I'm not making a whole lot there.
For a while I did online test grading & tutorials but the work was erratic for my areas of interest.
A friend of my waas a mystery shopper for a couple years. Didn't make much money but was often reimbursed for meals or stuff purchased while shopping that she would have bought anyway.
We both are notaries and in this state we can close mortage loans. You take all the papers to the buyer, get them to sign it all, notarize it & mail it back to the mortgage company & get paid $75-150 for it. You can take a baby along while doing it. But the hours are really weird & sometimes you are meeting strangers in isolated locations & that got to both of us over time & then the housing bubble burst so the work dried up.
I'm now thinking of returning to a regular job part time but it has to be an overnight job. Like stocking at Wal Mart or Target, I had a lead on a job with UPS for overnight manager but lack managerial experince though the paperwork & the rest were well within my ablities. DH works long hours & pretty much 9pm to 7am is the only time I can be fairly certain he'll actually be home. Plus with overnights if school is cancelled I don't have to worry about childcare. And I have insomnia so I'm already awake.

[Leah]

I made the decision to leave my full time, well-paying job at the hospital after Livia was born. I was going to open my own daycare. The first year was tough. DH was in school, I was just starting out...

But we did it. It's been almost 8 years. And I wouldn't change a thing! It took a lot of thought and soul-searching to decide whether or not I could care for other people's children, as a primary source of income. Sure, occasionally was find. But full time?

I love it. I love working for myself. I love being at home. I loved having the opportunity to be with my children. And I love my other kids too. :)

This opportunity opened my eyes, to, what I believe, is my true calling in this life. I'm taking my early childhood education (through distance while I can) and I'm going to own/teach my own preschool once Ethan is in school full time.

I know things are different here. I couldn't imagine leaving my infant in the care of someone else. We got 12mos. maternity leave. Cost for daycare is different, I think. What do you pay for child care per day? Per month?

For us, it wasn't worth paying full time child care for two children. It was a lot of money. But for my income, it's nice. Plus, you have the expenses (for income tax purposes) as well.

It's not for everyone, but I'm so glad that it's for me.

Good luck Holly. Whatever you decide, enjoy that little girl. <3

[Kara]

What do you pay for child care per day? Per month?

Our 3 kids (at the time, 4, 2 and baby) were in daycare half-time 3 days a week and we paid $1000/month. They were in an excellent facility on the grounds of the college where I worked, but I hated being away from them all day. (They were with DH and my in-laws the rest of the time.)

[Leah]

The average rates for care around here, in our small city, are around $28 - $35 per day, per child. Myself, my rates are $640.00 per child, monthly (x4).

[nun69]

I am another one that thinks if you can handle watching other people's children, having your own daycare is the way to go. It is very good money, trust me I have been paying it for over 8 years {sine my 2 littelest are still in it}...I was paying $472 every 2 weeks for a 4 and 3 y/o and she was on a military base home daycare. They get gov't subsidy {to make up the difference we don't have to pay}, so I am not sure how it works out in the civilian world. I lucked out and she is the BEST provider I have ever had. And if you get licensed through the state there are alot of things you can claim on your taxes {since your daycare is your business} such as toys, groceries, and I even think you can claim part of your utilities {I think}. Here in WA it takes about 6-8 months for you to get fully licensed since you have to do alot of paperwork, make sure you are in good health, have your house inspected, etc. But, it is a good way to stay home and make money :) If you look into this I HIGHLY recommend you do it as a busniess so people will not STIFF you and you get paid what you are owed!

[MommaTrish]

I'll tell you my hubs was always a pain about me staying home too. He was always pushing me to get a job of some sort, and since I'm still a year's worth of credits aways from being able to graduate college, and living in the middle of nowhere my job choices were slim. Especially since I have close to no real work experience. (I've had one job)

So what I did was make up a spread sheet showing how much I would make working full-time on minimum wage then subtracted the cost of just gas and childcare alone and it left it at with like $10. The cost of childcare for a toddler and after/before school care for two kids is a lot. Working only part-time wouldn't even cover the cost of just Belly's childcare and gas. Maybe you could try something like that?

[Leah]

If you look into this I HIGHLY recommend you do it as a busniess so people will not STIFF you and you get paid what you are owed!

I could always help you with your "contract", parent/provider agreement and policies, if this is something you're considering. I know regulations may be different, but most policies would probably be the same. I haven't been "stiffed" once in 7.5 years and for the most part, I've had some really awesome families too. But I run my business so that it's difficult for them to take advantage of me and my family - some always find a way, but most are really good.

[Jengerbread88]

Kyle and I have been talking about what I'm going to do, job-wise, after school/the baby.

First off, we have looked at our situation, and realized any income I'm able to make will probably JUST pay for daycare, nothing else. Meaning, my income goes out the window anyway. Research daycare prices in your area if you were planning on going the daycare route, and show your SO what your income is vs. what it would cost to put her in daycare... it might shock him.

Secondly, for me, coupon clipping and savings are a full time job. I save us enough each month that it makes it worth it for me not to work. But that's just us. It doesn't work for everyone, nor should it.

Finally, have you looked into a job with flexibility? My fiance is a member of a retail marketing firm... every day he checks the website, and it lists jobs available in the area, plus what days/times it has to be completed, and how much they'll pay you. Some of them you have to be able to use a ladder, or lift x amount of pounds, but some of them it's just going and sticking a coupon thing on a shelf... You apply for the one-time jobs you want, and skip the ones you don't. If you aren't available on Monday, then just don't apply for stuff that happens on Monday. Or whatever... if you find you're doing okay financially, you can only work 1 or 2 jobs a week. If you find out you're a little tight on money, you can bump it up to doing several jobs in a day! It just depends on what you're comfortable with, what you qualify for, and how often you want to work. It's also really crazy because one day he will be putting new items on a display at petsmart and taking the old items down, and the very next day, he will be driving to walgreens to put coupons up, and the next day he'll be in a grocery store helping them put baby food where the paper towels were and paper towels where the baby food was! So it is ALWAYS changing...

That's just a tip. It's not stay at home, but it's VERY flexible...

[rachaelsscraps]

I quit my "day job" 2 1/2 years ago when I became pregnant with my daughter. I had my own digi-shop selling CU for about 6 months at that point (after selling in other shops for a couple years). We sat down and realized I was making 5x more a week online than at my job IRL so I just quit. No regrets or looking back since and I've been very lucky to be a work-at-home-mom of 2 :)

[kscwgirl]

What do you pay for child care per day? Per month?

I pay $30 a day per kid and I've paid that since they were born... Abby's only there when she's out of school.. and I only have a few more months of paying for JJ. They only go to daycare Monday - Thursday, my dad has kept them on Fridays since Abby was born. It's totally worth it for us for me to work, not necc. for the salary but for all the bonuses and extra bonuses I get from my job.

Holly, I hope you figure something out!! It may not be worth you going back.. what are daycare rates like in your area for infants?

[TeriBeary]

I was a SAHM after I was laid off after my 1st child. We had moved and things were a little different financially after the 2nd. But we both agreed that I should stay home with the kids. I did go back to work at 5 months out but because I worked in retail then, I could work when the dad was home. So, I would check into part-time jobs that you could do when your husband is home. They don't pay too well, but it was a big help for us.

[Jengerbread88]

My mom did daycare forEVER, and if it were something you were interested in, I would be happy to ask her for information on her policies and pricing.

Additionally, currently she is an international coordinator for a foreign exchange organization. There are a few organizations that pay you anywhere from $100-$400 per student you place (your job is to supervise them, make sure they follow the rules, and help with things like culture shock). It's not much money at all, but it is something...

AND, if you wanted to go into direct selling, there's always mark. (www.meetmark.com). It's only $20 to start, you can sign up on the website, and it's a catalog/party thing. But they don't have any requirements in terms of how much you have to order per selling period, how much you have to sell, how many parties you have to have, etc. It's all VERY laid back. It's makeup, and some clothing and accessories. Plus, for every $100 you sell, you earn $10 in rewards points that you can use on plane tickets, cruises, Tiffany jewelry, and about 500 other things... And, sometimes they have trips for top sellers. Right now, anyone who sells $2000 in two catalogs gets a free trip to NYC. Last year, the top 6 sellers nationwide got a trip for 2 to the Sundance Film Festival... top 5 in sales during the summer got a trip to Rio. I personally haven't gotten a trip with them, but I honestly haven't been pushing myself to sell. It's all about how much time you're willing to put into it, but it might be worth looking into. You make a 30% commission on most items (the 30% is the MINIMUM- some items you make MORE-- 35-50%). Just a thought!

[hollyxann]

Well the good thing is I don't have to worry about daycare since my parents live right next door and my mother has already offered to watch her while I go to work. My thing is I just know I won't want to leave her to go back to work regardless because I'll constantly be thinking about all things I'm missing out on. So if I could figure out a way to have an income of some sort and stay at home with her it would make me happy.