Deciding Dirty Diapers, and Dishes were for me

Planning to be a stay at home mother for me was a four to five year process. When my oldest child was a year I quit my lumber mill job to be a stay at home momma. Honey and I both worked nights, and that wasn't working out. First attempt was a sad one.  We couldn't make it, and I couldn't stand it! I also felt I had to ask Honey for money. We were newly weds then. Ask me now about how I feel about spending OUR money... If you wanted a real honest answer ask my Honey.

                                                        In the Beginning
1. Give yourself enough time. Don't decide that within 2 months I am going to be a stay at home mom, and expect to have an unreasonable amount of things accomplished in that time. Be generous. If you don't have children yet, plan them. If you already have a child/children accept that it will take some sacrifice and hard work to get there.

2. Set your financial goals ( buy a home, car, boat, computer, etc.)
 Make sure you either save up for it and pay in full, or set out a plan to have it paid off by the time of your transition. Get the toys now. This way they will be paid for when your income is cut in half.

3. Don't ever pay interest. There are zero percent financing on almost everything these days. (unfortunately mortgages haven't jumped onto this boat just yet) If you have any balances transfer them to a zero percent card. You will be amazed as of how fast a debt gets paid off when you don't pay interest.
Weigh out the difference of buying used or new with no interest. Sometimes the new item will be less in the long run. However buying used is always the best deal when paying cash. A used vehicle is almost always ten grand less than the new one! Also if paying cash look at buying it in Oregon. NO TAX! This is an easy way of saving hundreds of dollars.

4. Refinance. Keep an eye on interest rates. A 30 yr. mortgage on 120,000.00 home at 5.875 percent interest has a monthly payment of 709.00, while a 30 yr. mortgage on a 120,000.00 home at 4.875 percent interest has a monthly payment of 635.00. A savings of 74.00 a month. That is enough to pay for a utility bill. Maybe your bi-monthly water bill, your cellphone??? And 74.00 a month savings at the end of a 30 yr. mortgage would save you 26,640.00.

5. What you buy be happy with it. You just can't keep upgrading things. When you buy it plan on keeping it. You will also have to learn to be okay with the idea of "not being able to afford it." Decide what you can live without, or look for it used, find a place that charges less, or try trading services. For example if you spend every three months 85.00 getting a haircut and highlights, decide if this is something you could live without. Even if you decide you still want to be a hot momma, a kit costs around 20.00 and a friend could do the highlights. Another option is to check into beauty schools. Some do haircuts for as little as 8.00.

These are a few ideas that I found useful. Cutting your income in half is pretty scary! But the reality of it is that it only affects your material life.


"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
~Henry David Thoreau