How to save money when you stay at home with the kids.
It's been long established that most households need to bring in two incomes just to survive economically. It doesn't even matter how much money you make. At the end of the year, even the wealthy have to settle all of their expenses and manage their budgets only to come out with a few extra dollars. However, there are some expenses we naturally take for granted. Should you decide to become a stay-at-home parent, there are some areas of savings that could beat out the level of income you pull in.
Here are six of the most significant ways to save money by staying home:
- Child care
- Home maintenance
- Commute
- Meals out
- Clothes
- Deals and promos
Keep reading for the details…
Child Care
Many Stay at home parents won't go to work, because to do so they would have to pay for childcare, which can obliterate your paycheck or leave you with only a marginal advantage. Daycare or a nanny can cost between $1,000 and $3,000. That alone can give one pause if they are already looking to bring in some extra money. There are so many different ways to earn money from home that you can add to your savings account just by avoiding the price you pay for having somebody else watch your kids.
Home Maintenance
One of those things we pay others to do because we don't have the time is home maintenance. Everything from gardening to housekeeping is a responsibility that is all too easy to delegate to others for a portion of your paycheck. It might seem worth it to pay a chunk of your salary to keep your home looking fresh and clean, but if you look at your budget, you might be surprised to find how much it devalues the hours you put into your job. As a stay at home parent, you can use nap time to clean up your house and keep up the yard work. Anything you would have paid somebody else to handle while you were at work can now be a DIY project.
Commute
Cutting the commute out of your schedule amounts to a huge savings of time and money. You avoid excessive wear on your car and lower your insurance costs. You also save a bundle on gas. Commutes can be excruciating and suck more than two hours out of your day. That's on top of a workday that already takes 8-10 hours of your time. When you drive too far to and from work, it eats into your earnings and diminishes the value of your job. If you aren't making enough for the sacrifice to be worth it. Consider a life free of commutes altogether.
Meals Out
When you stay at home, you have more opportunities to cook meals at home and stop spending money on dining. Fast food pickups during the drive home from work are a common way to rack up your monthly credit card bill. Going out for drinks after work and eating out for lunch are two more ways that you can increase your dining expenses. On the other hand. When you stay at home, it is less convenient to go out and much less expensive to eat what you have at home. It's easy to save money by staying home when you buy groceries instead of prepared meals at restaurants. When you follow a meal plan, it gets even easier.
Clothes
You can even save money by staying home and cutting back the cost of clothes. There's no need to buy clothes that look professional or follow company guidelines. You don't need to buy any new clothes. When you are at home, it doesn't matter what you wear. Clothes are a commonly added expense for anyone in the workforce. You need to look presentable, and in some cases, you even need to buy a uniform or pay for higher-priced dress clothes to keep up the appearance of a successful business person. The amount of savings in this category can vary, but regularly updating your wardrobe is not cheap.
Deals and Promotions
In addition to cutting out a lot of expenses that are mandatory when you go to work, there is another way to save money by staying home with your kids. Staying home means more opportunity to price match and bargain hunt. Unless your job has loose guidelines about shopping the Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual Sale online, you don't have much opportunity to search for deals and promotions on things you need. Bargain shopping and using promo codes, coupons, etc. add up to a significant amount when you do it regularly. It's an impressive saving over paying full retail price every time you hurry to the store to pick something up between work and home.
Do you enjoy the ability to save money by staying home, or are you considering the switch to becoming a stay-at-home parent? Share your thoughts in the comments below. And, if you enjoyed this post, we'd be so thankful if you shared it with your friends!