Have you ever said to a friend, “I want to be a stay at home mom but we can’t afford it”? Or wondered how to be a stay at home mom on low income? In this blog, I will share with you how I became a full time homemaker on a small budget years ago. Back then, our mortgage payment was around $900 a month, our grocery budget was about $50 a week, and we made it work. If your heart’s desire is to be home with your children but you’re not sure how to make the finances work, these tips are for you.
How To Afford Being A Stay At Home Mom
Downsize to a home with a smaller rent or mortgage payment
Our first home was small, inconvenient, and unattractive. It was something out of yesteryear that I would never have gotten likes on social media for.
There was an awful color tile on the wall and flooring from the seventies. The bedrooms were small and there weren’t as many as I would have liked to have had. We made do and closed up the back porch to maximize it as an extra room.
There was one microscopic bathroom that my husband had to rig in order to fit his tall self on the toilet. We lost or bedroom closet in the renovation process as he transformed that tiny space into something we could actually breathe in. I remember the blessing of a family member giving us a $200 Home Depot gift card back in those days.
I could go on and on about the woes of our first home, but at the end of the day, I loved that space. The mortgage was around $900 a month. That fixer upper enabled me to be a full time stay at home mom to our growing little family on a low income.
The backyard was large and lush (though swampy in many spots). I pushed my babies on a used swing set there that we probably picked up for free. I took them on walks up and down the sidewalk to pass the time of the “long days” that make up “short years” as a stay at home mom.
I made my family meals from scratch on a $50 a week grocery budget when we had just two kids under two years old. Those were the days! I wouldn’t trade the simplicity of that time for the world.
If you long to be a fully present homemaker and your husband wants to bring you home from your job, consider downsizing your home to something inconvenient that you can afford on one income.
Trim your grocery budget
Like I mentioned above, there was a time when I aimed to spend fifty to sixty dollars a week on groceries. I actually loved that time in our life. My grocery budget was like an exciting challenge. It caused me to get creative in the kitchen, work with my hands, and make healthy meals from scratch.
One way to afford being a stay at home mom is to cut processed food, junk food, prepackaged food, soda, juice, and candy from your budget.
Try doing a “no snack summer” and feeding your family three hearty meals a day made from scratch. No snacks, no store bought desserts, no fast food, and no drinks beside water.
This will give you a taste of what it’s like to grocery shop on a smaller budget. Put aside the money you save in a savings account as you work toward your goal of becoming a stay at home mom.
Say no to expensive technology
Homes today are filled with expensive and unnecessary devices that no only steal our time and joy, but zap our bank accounts. Consider the cost of the device, the upkeep, and sometimes the monthly payments and often it will be a no brainer to get rid of it.
My husband and I currently pay between fifty and sixty dollars a month for our cellphone service payment. We don’t owe money on any of the devices we own. We don’t buy the latest and greatest. I use a dumbphone and he currently has a smartphone that makes the most sense of his job. But our monthly payment is very low and reasonable compared to the average today which is around $140 a month.
Here are somethings you can get rid of to cut costs and afford being a stay at home mom:
- Expensive monthly cellphone payments that include data plans
- Brand new individual smartphones for each member of your family
- Flat screen or smart TV’s with monthly streaming services
- Video game consoles and video games
- Extra laptops and other devices
- Online shopping monthly memberships
Ditch car payments
My husband and I have not had car payments in a very long time and the only time we did ever have a car payment, it was for less than a year. We buy used vehicles, we make repairs along the way, and we drive for as long as possible (maybe even longer.)
Many car payments today are averaging between five and seven hundred dollars. Imagine what you could do with that kind of money! You could be a stay at home mom in no time.
Start buying used
One last way that our family has been able to save money and keep me as a stay at home mom is by buying used wherever possible. Our bookshelves are lined with beautiful picture books and chapter books. As a SAHM and homeschooling mom, I enjoy reading to my children daily. Sometimes we use the library, but I really wanted to nurture a reading environment and get my kids excited about books. Since we operate as a low-tech family and don’t pay for a lot of expensive technology, I wanted books to be available for the kids to grab and peruse all day long.
My secret to building such a lovely collection of stories is that I bought most of it secondhand. I would venture to say that eighty percent of our books have been purchased lightly used in excellent condition for about one to four dollars each.
There are so many things you can buy gently used—cars, clothes for your kids, appliances, furniture, school supplies, playhouses, swings, etc. Many of these things can even be found for free. If you long to be a stay at home mom, consider selling some of your nicer things and opting for cheaper used versions or doing without altogether. Develop an eye for a good deal, self-control to say no to clutter, and a habit of thriftiness. This will serve your family for years to come.