Let me start by saying, there is no “better” way to parent your child or children. Some families find that it makes more financial sense for both parents to work full time. Others may decide to have one parent stay at home and raise the children. You may or may not even have the choice to decide. Every family and situation is different and I want to say that regardless of your occupation status you are doing a phenomenal job!
This post was created to simply try and give helpful tips as to what my family did so I could be able to stay at home and raise our babies. Hopefully, I can give some helpful suggestions to a family who needs the advice!
Personally, I love being a stay at home mom. It’s the best job I have ever had! However, there are quite a few financial sacrifices my husband and I needed to make in order to afford this. Our lifestyle had to change quite a bit, but we don’t regret making this decision for our family!
Keep a simple hair routine
Yikes, okay this one hurt. I was addicted to coloring my hair for so long. There’s just something so exciting about trying out a new hair color, but the cost really starts to add up when you think of the necessary retouches or adding highlights/lowlights.
As much as I loved it, our wallets did not. So, I simplified my haircare and I’m back to my natural color. I do still get a professional haircut once every few months, but that’s one thing I’m not willing to part with!
I also really don’t trust my husband to cut my hair at home. I think he would agree with me on that!
I do cut my husband’s and son’s hair at home too.
If you see my husband’s or son’s hair looking a mess… keep it to yourself haha!
Cut nail appointments
Pun intended… Ugh, another sacrifice I had to make that hurt. I used to get acrylic fills religiously back when I was still in the workforce. As much as I loved having my nails done (and loved having the color last longer than just a day), I enjoy saving that $40 charge for every refill even more.
I paint my nails at home now the old school way, with a bottle of nail polish and a bottle of nail polish remover on stand by.
I am kind of the worst at painting my nails, but it doesn’t stop me from trying!
I still very occasionally go with my friends to get a pedicure, but I keep that to a bare minimum.
Shop for clothes less and buy second hand
Shopping for clothes was always my guilty pleasure. Since I now have a rambunctious toddler on my hands, I really don’t have the time to mindlessly browse clothes in a store anymore. Breaking this habit was thankfully a lot easier than I had anticipated.
When I do absolutely need something new I typically buy from Target or Amazon.
No fancy stores for this mama!
When it comes to shopping for my little one, I always look at Facebook marketplace first. I try to not buy my children’s clothing brand new unless I cannot find any hand me downs or secondhand outfits first.
Stop grocery shopping at just one store… shop around for good deals
I always used to think it was so crazy for people to bounce around from store to store just to spend a little less money on a grocery item. I can now say…. I get it! The amount of money you can save by looking at grocery store ads, clipping coupons, and comparing prices is kind of insane.
It does take up more time, but some days I am just looking for a way to get out of the house with my son! I guess it’s also kind of a win win. It’s a cheap activity we can do together during the day that gets us out and about.
Rarely go out to eat or get takeout
I know, it’s so much easier to grab take out for dinner or eat at a restaurant instead of cooking a homemade meal (that your kids may or may not eat anyways!) Instead we aim to cook bigger meals where we can have leftovers.
Making your own meals at home saves more money than you think, and it can definitely be quite a bit more healthy too!
Cut down on vacations
We very rarely go on vacations. As much as we love to travel, it just isn’t in the budget at this point. Instead we focus on going to different places in our local area. We especially enjoy doing activities that are outdoors with our son.
It helps that he loves to be outside!
In the end, isn’t the main point of a family vacation to spend time together and create special memories? You can easily still make great memories without spending much money!
Buy used vehicles
There have been so many times my husband and I have wanted to buy brand new vehicles. After all, who doesn’t want a newer vehicle? In the end, we decided we can stick with our older used vehicles until it’s absolutely necessary to buy a different one. And even then, we will not be buying it brand new.
It helps to think that kids wouldn’t really take good care of a newer car anyways. So it causes less stress if something is spilled or scratched in one of our older models.
Rethink big purchases
I like to think my husband and I work well together when it comes to making bigger purchases. We always discuss the future purchase with one another and take time to think it over before deciding if we really need it.
We had to really change our way of thinking when buying items. Of course, it was much easier when we had two incomes to decide on whether or not to make a big purchase. Now, we just try to be a lot more cautious about what we’re spending.
I’m no financial expert, but I really think it is important to be on the same page as your significant other when it comes to the amount of money you spend. I would highly recommend sitting down and discussing your finances together to come up with a game plan if becoming a stay at home parent is something you really want to do.
It helps to know that this is all only temporary. One day we will (hopefully) be able to afford more than we can now. This just isn’t our time to spend money freely. In the meantime, I’ll be making the most out of my badly painted nails, second hand clothes, and older model van.
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