In one of my recent menu plan posts, I mentioned that I am expecting my first child. The pregnancy is going well except for occasional sickness and aches and pains, so I have been very blessed! The thing I have recently started being concerned about, is what to do after the baby arrives. Should I stay home, work part time, or continue working my full time job and pay for daycare? My dream is to stay home, but the reality is that we may need a little more income to be able to eat and make the mortgage payment! I'm not opposed to working, I just want to do what is best for our family. I've been brainstorming some ideas on ways to cut back so that I could at least go part time (considering daycare would take half of my full time paycheck) and work somewhere with an onsite daycare. So, here are some of my frugal ideas:
- Run the dryer less (I'm going to look into buying a collapsable drying rack or some type of clothsline that isn't permanent)
- Be diligent about planning menus (We have been eating out more since I have a harder time cooking when I'm nauseous, but if I would plan and have easy meals on hand, I could do a better job of eating at home)
- Clip coupons (I started this, but it is almost a second job to search the sale papers and coupons to come up with good deals. I am going to try to dedicate more time to doing this to save us money on groceries)
- Utilize CVS (I started this as well, but lost interest when I was really sick)
- Stockpile (I am making a list of what I use regularly (laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, etc.) and am going to try to have a 6 month supply on hand when the baby arrives. I'm hoping this will help cut down on some grocery spending at the beginning, and give me time to find good deals on the brands I use)
Any other frugal ideas would be greatly appreciated! I'm hoping to start using these ideas next week to try and get in the habit before December!! Head over to Biblical Womanhood for more Frugal Friday ideas!
4 comments:
I am first off not against mothers working outside the home, if they desire this..but if you want to be home don't get discouraged. You probably make less than you realize. When you stay home you not only save on daycare, but a multitude of other things you may not realize...just to name a few. You need likely less dressy clothes, you save on gas, eating out(dont just count the occasional dinner, you most likely spend a lot on lunches too or lattes or those other minor things you are munching on at work), taxes (this one is hard to figure out, but when you minus these expenses then take off the taxes you pay on your extra income you might be surprised at how little you may be making) I highly recommend you read a few articles in the books The Tightwad Gazette...she breaks down even more expenses that I am not thinking of and she gives you tips on how to "calculate the second income" I once lived with 2 kids as a stay at home mom when my husband made less than $20,000.00 a year. So it can be done, it is more of a matter of how badly you desire it and what you are willing to give up to do it.
I liked your idea to cut coupons. It can get overwhelming. I use moneysavingmom.com to help me with my gorcery lists and coupon match ups so it is less work. Just save the inserts and use her lists! You'll be set!
I agree with Donna. You should really put everything down on paper. You will be shocked at what it COSTS you to work. We went from two incomes to one (and my income was the bigger one!) when we had children, because we were determined that our children would be raised by me. I've never regretted it for a minute, and you know what? It's strange, but it seems that we have MORE money now. I'd love to talk with you more about this. It truly can be done!
I agree with Donna. You should really put everything down on paper. You will be shocked at what it COSTS you to work. We went from two incomes to one (and my income was the bigger one!) when we had children, because we were determined that our children would be raised by me. I've never regretted it for a minute, and you know what? It's strange, but it seems that we have MORE money now. I'd love to talk with you more about this. It truly can be done!
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