Be a Stay At Home Mom With a Small Income

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Are you a stay at home mom?

Are you looking for ways to make staying home with your children a reality? Do you want to be a stay at home mom but you’re not sure how it’s possible?

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I’ve been there too, momma. The desire to stay home with your children, so strong in your heart.

But you’re torn.

The cost of living keeps going up. The stack of bills keeps getting taller. If you allow yourself to think about it for too long, the possibility of being a stay at home mom seems ridiculous. Impossible even.

There is no way you staying home and living on a limited income could work. You may as well throw this dream into the fire with the rest of your dreams.

Don’t.

Becoming and staying a stay at home mom is NOT easy. It takes quite a bit of dedication and hard work.

Someone may look at your decision and think, hmmm you stay home and do nothing all day. I wish I could do that.

I actually have had people say that to me before. (Yes, I know they’re clueless to what being a stay-at-home mommy really is, let me tell ya!)

I’ll be honest, sometimes I question our decision.

Not because I don’t want to be a stay at home mom. But because there are so many aspects that are downright difficult about BEING A STAY AT HOME MOM.

Aspects that go far beyond raising well-rounded children, home school, and housework.

Deeper issues like making ends meet for starters, on a limited income.

Preparing meals that stay under your budget but your family still wants to eat.

Being with your children every day all day.

Trying to make sure your house is clean even though you have other things on your plate as well.

Mom guilt.

Feeling like you are not contributing to your finances like you should.

Judgment from others.

Related Read: You’re failing as a mommy, and other lies we tell ourselves.

There’s very little, if anything, that is easy about being a stay-at-home mom.

But it is possible for us because we make it possible.

If your dream is to be a stay at home mom, you can make it possible too, with a little bit of hard work and creative thinking!

My husband and I were married in 2010.

I didn’t work outside of our home even before we had children. I knew when we had children I wanted to be able to stay home with them. So I did the one thing I was confident in doing, I started babysitting in my home.

Our oldest daughter joined us at the tail end of 2012 and then a couple years later our youngest daughter joined our family. I haven’t worked outside of the home in the last 9 years, I will continue to search for ways that make it possible for me to stay home with my girls because I feel THAT strongly about staying home and homeschooling them.

During these last 9 years, I have learned quite a bit about finding ways to be a stay-at-home mom. These tips are tried and true and will help you achieve your dream of being a stay-at-home mom. Even if money is tight and you do not think it’s a possibility. It can be!

First, you need to cut out unnecessary expenses.

Sit down with your spouse and take a long hard look at what is necessary for your budget and what is not.

Do you have any extras that you can cut out of your budget (for now!) to help loosen your wallet a bit?

For example, my husband and I cut out cable for a little bit. Doing this helped during a time that was extremely tight for us (I wasn’t working at all.) There are so many cheaper options out there right now if you choose to get rid of cable.

• Hulu
• Netflix
• Amazon Prime
• I even hear they are coming out with a Disney+ streaming service (I know! Do a Happy Dance!)

Or you could kick it old school and not have any cable or t.v. I actually have dabbled with this idea. I am convinced I was born in the wrong century sometimes. Seriously, how much more would I get done if I didn’t have t.v. to distract me? I guess we’ll never know because my husband is not on board.

There are so many other ways you can cut corners as well. Downgrade your cell phone, or get rid of it altogether. (I know this sounds almost unfathomable, but we have to do what we have to do!)

Get rid of unnecessary gym memberships that you don’t use!

Whatever the extra expenses may be, sit down with your spouse and trim that fat!

Shop Aldi

I don’t know your personal feelings on the grocery store Aldi, maybe you already shop there, but I will tell you this. It took me a long time to get on the bandwagon of Aldi. We have one little grocery store in our town, Kroger.

We used to have a Save-a-Lot, which to be honest, I wish was still in town. Our Aldi is a town over. But the drive is worth it! By my second time shopping there, I was a believer.

Yes, there are a few things you must get used to when you first start shopping at Aldi. First of all, don’t forget your quarter (or let your husband take your Aldi quarter out of your car!)

Bring bags or extra change to buy bags!

You can read more tips about shopping at Aldi here.

When we started shopping at Aldi, I saw a significant difference in our grocery budget. I was able to cut our grocery bill in half. (win!)

Now I can consistently keep our grocery bill around $100 (give or take depending on if we need any household essentials that week. Or if my daughter randomly throws the most expensive bag of noodles in our cart, unbeknownst to me. Yes that’s a true story.)

Related Reads

• My $49.35 Six-Day Dinner Meal Plan
• My $53.91 Five-Day Dinner Meal Plan

Shopping at Aldi can help loosen up your budget and give you and your spouse some breathing room if you are living on one income.

You can also use cashback apps to save on groceries and at other retailers. The ones I use are Ibotta and Ebates!

Invest in a Regular Coffee Pot

Okay, I know this one sounds a tad bit silly. But hear me out. Many moons ago my husband and I were introduced to the Keurig. As a self-diagnosed coffee fanatic, I instantly fell in love. Think of the many cups of coffee I can make!

And man, make those cups of coffee I did. Until it became too expensive to keep up with my 4+ cups of coffee a day habit with a Keurig.

I know myself. I believe it is really important to know who you are momma! And I know without a shadow of a doubt I can not kick my coffee addiction. I don’t even want to try. But I knew something had to give.

I sat down with my husband one day and said, hey what did we ever use before we had a Keurig?

Back in the 1900’s?

What was that thing called?

Oh, a coffee maker?

Do they still make those?

How do they work?

You mean we can make more than one cup of coffee at a time? Will it be cheaper?

Yes? Well, let’s ditch the Keurig and get an old school coffee pot baby!

I would say that I probably drink more coffee now that we have one of those old school coffee pots. And I spend LESS money on the coffee :). I’d say that’s a win, wouldn’t you?

Take lunch/eat leftovers/don’t eat out.

As long as I have known my husband, he has always taken his lunch to work. Doing this saves so much money.

Yes, it can get a bit boring, I’m sure (I wouldn’t know I am stuck eating mac n cheese and chicken nuggets during the day.

) If you need ideas for your spouse or yourself, look on Pinterest! Seriously what would we do without it?

Eat leftovers. I was never a leftover person. Until I had to be. If you have leftovers from last night’s dinner, eat it for lunch. Or eat it for the next night’s dinner as well.

No, it’s not fancy and maybe it doesn’t sound appetizing. But your wallet will thank you. And it’s one less meal you have to prepare!

Speaking of not preparing meals. Try to resist the urge to eat out often. It may not be easy, but it’ll be worth it.

Find free activities.

Free activities. They are a mother’s favorite kind of activity.

Take your kids to the park. Look for free activities from your local library. Do you have any museums or centers in your town offering free activities for children?

For a child to have fun, the activity DOES NOT have to be expensive. I have found that my children have the most fun when we are doing something free or low cost. The park, the library, free movies during the summer, 99 cent ice cream cones. Those are their favorite days.

Work From Home.

Some may argue that this defeats the purpose of staying at home, but my motto has always been “You gotta do what you gotta do.” If I want my dream of staying home and homeschooling my children to come true, there has to be a way I can do it.

Last year it became apparent to us that I could no longer not work. Something had to give. I didn’t want to get an outside job. The thought of sending my children to public school made me physically sick.

I was prepared to do it if our situation warranted it. But I knew I could continue to stay home with my kids with just a little bit of dedication and hard work.

So I went back to babysitting.

I also did some transcription work on the side for a while.

Then I started a blog.

Related: Start a blog in 4 easy steps.

There are so many ways you can make money from home! Check out Pinterest for some great ideas.

Shop garage sales and use hand me downs.

Kids grow out of their clothes so fast! I know that television shows paint hand me downs as a bad thing. But honestly, they are wrong.

We have five girls in our family. Miss B is the oldest, her clothes have made their way down to the youngest in the family. You wouldn’t even be able to tell these clothes weren’t bought new for the current owner.

Save your money and don’t buy brand new clothes for your growing child(ren) every three months. Kids can’t tell the difference between what is new and what isn’t, and even if they can, does it honestly matter in the long run?

I shop for new clothes twice a year for my kids. When I do, I set a budget and try to stick with it. The rest of the time we shop garage sales, consignment shops, or use hand me down.

If you don’t have any family members with older children who could pass their clothes along, ask a friend. I’m sure they would love to pass their clothes along to you and get those totes out of their garage! 🙂

Save special treats and toys for birthdays and holidays.

I will admit, this one was a struggle for me at first. You see Miss B is a rainbow baby. She was born a year after her older brother David died.

When she was born, I had a desire to shower her with EVERYTHING. If she wanted a new toy, I bought her a new toy. A piece of candy, I bought it for her. If she wanted a new cup, she got a new cup.

We knew this was not a healthy habit to instill in ourselves or our daughter. So we set a rule. We save special treats and big toys for birthdays and holidays.

Yes, it can be difficult. But our children have learned that there is so much more to life than a shiny new toy and we aren’t spending money on something they will throw down a few minutes later.

This teaches patience and gratefulness.

It’s 100% worth it.

Set Priorities.

What are your priorities? What is most important to you?

Write it down.

When you set your priorities and write them down, it’s easier to remain focused on what your ultimate goals are for your family.

Remember Your Why.

Why do you want to be a stay at home mom? Do you want to home school your children? Maybe you want to spend more quality time with them. Do you think spending money on a babysitter is silly? Whatever your why is, write it down.

After you write it down stick it somewhere you can see.

This way, on the days you are stuck in the muck, questioning all your decisions, you can remember why. On the days your bills are piling up and you’re struggling to make ends meet, you can look at your priorities and your why and remember.

Remembering will give you the motivation to DO IT. Whatever it may be. Maybe it is trimming your unnecessary costs or cutting your budget down. Or it could possibly be looking for a work from home job.

Whatever IT is, remembering your why will give you motivation.

Becoming and staying a stay at home mom may seem like a far fetched dream at this point.

But your dream can become a reality. I’m not telling you it will be easy. No, becoming and staying a stay at home mom is downright difficult. It’s a type of difficulty many people don’t understand.

Do you know that saying, money isn’t everything? It’s true. Money is not everything. But I always say, try living without it. Without the money you need to make a living, life can be difficult.

There are ways to make your dreams a reality though. Remember your why and then go out and do whatever you have to so you can stay home with your kiddos.

You’ve got this momma!

Related Read: 12 ways to be a peaceful mom.

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