How to Become a Stay at Home Mom

The choice to stay home with your children can be the most rewarding decision you can make. Though friends and family may look at you cross-eyed when you tell them that you quit your lucrative job in order to be a stay at home mom, the fact of the matter is that you may actually be saving money by staying home. Well, not saving exactly, but it may not cost you as much as you think to stay home. How can this be? The average cost to send one child to child care is about $300 a month. Plus, if you stayed home, you could save money on gas to get to and from work, occasional lunches out, work clothes, and more. Time and time, you hear it again. "It's too expensive to stay home in California" (or New York, or Washington, or Florida, etc.). Most of the time, the women who say this either have not seriously looked at the financial possibility, do not want to give up some of their luxuries, or truly do not want to be home in the first place. It certainly is possible, though it is never easy. Americans are so used to dual income households (and lifestyles!) that it seems impossible that it could be any other way.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Perseverance
• Desire to be at home with your kids
• Budget software

1. 1) Pray for God to continue to provide for your family and ask Him to open up the possibility for you to stay home
   "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26).
2. 2) Talk to other stay at home moms and ask them what they are doing to be able to stay home. They are an invaluable resource. There are many forums out there that are geared toward support for work/stay at home moms.
3. 3) Create a budget and decide what expenses are unnecessary. Start cutting back immediately. Pay off as much debt as possible, and start saving if you do not.
4. 4) There is nothing wrong with working at home. If you decide you still need more income, research opportunities to work out of your home. These can include telecommuting jobs, freelance writers/editors, direct sales, and so much more. Just be careful of scams. Remember you're trying to save money, so do not spend it in haste.
5. 5) Ask for your husband to support your decision. Ask him to go to his employer and ask for a raise, look for side jobs that the whole family can do, or that your husband can do on the side.
6. 6) Research ways to save money on groceries, gifts, transportation, and utilities. This can include growing your own garden, making gifts, giving up a car, and taking efforts to conserve energy.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't give up! It's a reality. Make it one for you too.
• It will be difficult, but not impossible. Make the necessary sacrifices.