Trying to figure out a way to be able to stay at home with my kids.
05-11-2011, 07:16 PM
#82
Super Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 1,415
I stay home with my girls. It's been tough but we make it work, somehow. The way I look at it, the money I would've made at my job would just go to sitters, work clothes, extra gas to and from work and a secondary vehicle and insurance. When I did that, I realized that after paying all those expenses then there was only about $50-75 per month left out of what I brought home. So, I stayed home after our first was born, we homeschool (buying our curriculum when the taxes come in for the following school year), I save money on sitters by swapping sitter services with another stay at home mom just around the block and I don't need to set extra money aside for work clothes. DH and I share a van and since he works about 10 minutes from home, I can just take him to work when I know I need the van and on days where there's an unforseen need, he brings the van to me. There's an awesome book, "Miserly Moms", and I recommend reading that. She takes some things to extremes but there are some other useful tips that come in handy.
05-11-2011, 07:19 PM
#83
Super Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 1,415
Originally Posted by hopetoquilt
99% of coupons I see are for junk food/processed food. I "eat clean" (no flour, sugar, processed foods, alcohol, or caffeine and very limited dairy). Cooking at home is much cheaper than eating out. Plan meals ahead of time. I make a calendar of 28 days worth of meals and I follow it every 28 days. This makes creating a grocery list so much easier. I assume eating the same thing about 12 times/year is not horrible. Keep meals very healthy by limiting beverages to skim milk and water (juice is very expensive liquid sugar).
I feel the people that walk out of the grocery store with $200 of groceries and pay only like $10 are just making groceries more expensive for the rest of us. Grocery stores can't survive selling to everyone that cheaply...
I feel the people that walk out of the grocery store with $200 of groceries and pay only like $10 are just making groceries more expensive for the rest of us. Grocery stores can't survive selling to everyone that cheaply...
05-11-2011, 07:33 PM
#84
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Federal Way, Washington
Posts: 1,460
At one time, I made huge vegetable salads for a lady at my church. They worked and were busy, but they loved my salad. I used napa cabbage instead of lettuce so that it would last for several days. It was chock full of vegies, which she hated cutting up. I made one every other week. She paid for the groceries and then gave me money for doing it. You could adapt that idea for whatever you make for your family and whoever you have the agreement with. It doesn't take much more time to double or triple your recipes.
Good luck. I stayed home and homeschooled our daughters. We have sacrificed a lot, but it was so worth it. They are amazing, godly young women!
Good luck. I stayed home and homeschooled our daughters. We have sacrificed a lot, but it was so worth it. They are amazing, godly young women!
05-11-2011, 08:21 PM
#85
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Ohio, USA
Posts: 604
[/quote]
Have you considered any of the virtual academies for homeschooling? Many fall under public education so they don't cost anything. k12 is very good.My son is a very advanced learner. Our local schools are spending more and more time and money on anyone BUT the fast learners so we school at home ourselves . If you truly want to keep your kids home, check it out.[/quote]
I totally agree with this. For the past three years, 3 of my grandchildren have been in K12 (Ohio Virtual Academy) and they provide everything you need and it's FREE, including the computer, books, science lab materials etc and they pay a portion of the monthly internet costs. There are teachers for each class and you are the learning coach. It still requires your attention and time to keep them on track, but not as time consuming as doing the curriculum yourself. I am their learning coach and love it. This public school is huge in Ohio. And yes, they do have a lot of opportunity for socializing at school sponsored gatherings. If you want to know more you can go to www.k12.com or PM me. Two of my grandchildren are 11th graders and are going on to college. The other one is a 5th grader, and will also go to college eventually.
As for watching the budget, you are on the right track. We are budget watchers as well. We heat with an outdoor wood furnace and have paid zero for heat for the past 5 years. We do not have a satelite tv (as of the tornado of last June) and don't miss it. Actually we have no tv. Cell phone is downgraded to a cheap, not so smart phone and I sure don't miss that data plan cost! I am a couponer and have saved a boat load just by careful buying. We do not eat junk food (which is expensive) and rarely eat out.
And my personal experience is that having your own children all day in school at home will probably be all you'll want to do. I can't imagine tutoring more children at the end of my day. I love my grandchildren but I love my sanity too. :D
The idea of additional work might be expecting more than you want to handle. It will be a full time job to teach them to cook and clean and do outdoor chores, besides homeschooling. I do think that freelance writing (as was already mentioned) is a very good idea. It sounds as though it appeals to you, so it's worth giving it a try. I never thought I could do that, but I did. And I published 5 books with an agent. Remember... NOTHING is impossible!
Well, this is very long :shock: Sorry about that. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Melody
Have you considered any of the virtual academies for homeschooling? Many fall under public education so they don't cost anything. k12 is very good.My son is a very advanced learner. Our local schools are spending more and more time and money on anyone BUT the fast learners so we school at home ourselves . If you truly want to keep your kids home, check it out.[/quote]
I totally agree with this. For the past three years, 3 of my grandchildren have been in K12 (Ohio Virtual Academy) and they provide everything you need and it's FREE, including the computer, books, science lab materials etc and they pay a portion of the monthly internet costs. There are teachers for each class and you are the learning coach. It still requires your attention and time to keep them on track, but not as time consuming as doing the curriculum yourself. I am their learning coach and love it. This public school is huge in Ohio. And yes, they do have a lot of opportunity for socializing at school sponsored gatherings. If you want to know more you can go to www.k12.com or PM me. Two of my grandchildren are 11th graders and are going on to college. The other one is a 5th grader, and will also go to college eventually.
As for watching the budget, you are on the right track. We are budget watchers as well. We heat with an outdoor wood furnace and have paid zero for heat for the past 5 years. We do not have a satelite tv (as of the tornado of last June) and don't miss it. Actually we have no tv. Cell phone is downgraded to a cheap, not so smart phone and I sure don't miss that data plan cost! I am a couponer and have saved a boat load just by careful buying. We do not eat junk food (which is expensive) and rarely eat out.
And my personal experience is that having your own children all day in school at home will probably be all you'll want to do. I can't imagine tutoring more children at the end of my day. I love my grandchildren but I love my sanity too. :D
The idea of additional work might be expecting more than you want to handle. It will be a full time job to teach them to cook and clean and do outdoor chores, besides homeschooling. I do think that freelance writing (as was already mentioned) is a very good idea. It sounds as though it appeals to you, so it's worth giving it a try. I never thought I could do that, but I did. And I published 5 books with an agent. Remember... NOTHING is impossible!
Well, this is very long :shock: Sorry about that. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Melody
05-11-2011, 08:34 PM
#86
Super Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Merced, CA
Posts: 4,188
I'd strongly suggest you log onto Flylady.com. She gives small work jobs all over the house, 7 minutes to 15 minutes at a time, children included. That way no spring cleaning is needed because it's more or less clean all the time.
And it's easier to do things on schedule than to do a massive amount of cleaning at one time and then burn out!!! She's also a huge fan of de-cluttering all over the house. And she does NOT approve of yard sales, too much work for too little money, and when you donate stuff you can sometimes get a tax write off. Plus, it's a lot easier to keep houses clean when they don't have so much just plain STUFF in them.
I may be old fashioned, but I firmly believe that having a parent at home most of the time is what makes a strong home life for children. Thank you for raising decent kids.
And it's easier to do things on schedule than to do a massive amount of cleaning at one time and then burn out!!! She's also a huge fan of de-cluttering all over the house. And she does NOT approve of yard sales, too much work for too little money, and when you donate stuff you can sometimes get a tax write off. Plus, it's a lot easier to keep houses clean when they don't have so much just plain STUFF in them.
I may be old fashioned, but I firmly believe that having a parent at home most of the time is what makes a strong home life for children. Thank you for raising decent kids.
05-11-2011, 10:16 PM
#87
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 467
Angie S......I too wanted to be home when the kids got home from school so I taught myself to sew and kept working on it until I was proficient at it. This turned into a tremendous business which allowed me to be at home for the kids. Then I inherited 2 grandkids that I raised from birth and was able to be home for them too. You can do it!!!! I retired from sewing for the public a few year ago after more than 40 years . My old clients still find me every now and then and I do a wedding or whatever is needed but those year of working at home were priceless!
05-11-2011, 11:10 PM
#88
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 13,120
Angie, I was a stay at home Mom too. The sacrifices were enormous, but the outcome tremendous! You will never, ever regret making this decision to stay at home with your kids. I've always thought that a job was only a paycheck. Your real career is with those 5 kids. I will be praying for you to find a way to accomplish this. Lean on the Lord!
05-12-2011, 04:13 AM
#89
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,523
Don't skimp on the quality of your flooring. I'm not saying to get the most expensive stuff available on the planet. I AM saying to get decent quallty stuff that is expected to last at least 15 years.
It's way too much bother (and expense) to do it again in a few years.
There are some things that it doesn't matter on - $30 jeans vs $150 jeans - as far as wear, etc. go.
It's way too much bother (and expense) to do it again in a few years.
There are some things that it doesn't matter on - $30 jeans vs $150 jeans - as far as wear, etc. go.
05-12-2011, 06:39 AM
#90
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Western Kentucky
Posts: 3,209
Thank you all for your help. I really appreciate it. I love flylady but have steered away because of working - I've just got plain lazy and just don't know where to jump back in to get it all under control. I've worked for over 2 years now and our house has just gotten too full. So, I'm scrambling now to unload it all. Monday DH took off an entire truckload of stuff, that's not counting what we put out by the trash and people picked up. I took 2 bags to church w/me last night and got rid of them, then I still have 2 huge bags in the back of the van for my brother, plus a large shelf that you hang on the wall.
Its going slow but I want to get back to the basics and keep it clean. With so many people in the house I just need order in order to stay sane.
:) I soooo love reading everything that you all have put. You all are such a big help. Thank you
Its going slow but I want to get back to the basics and keep it clean. With so many people in the house I just need order in order to stay sane.
:) I soooo love reading everything that you all have put. You all are such a big help. Thank you
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