Make friends with other sahm's!!! All the other advice on this thread so far is fantastic and most of it we have done. We lived on dh's paycheck since we were married (7 years) and saved the mine, except during a few rough months where we were in career changing modes. That savings turned into the down payment on our house, and now we have a home for our family and we are SO THRILLED that it's worked out that way! We currently have one car but are getting another half in Sept. (i say half because it's a smart car and only takes up half the space... and the price isn't so bad, either!)

I actually believe that it is a complete and total LUXURY to be a sahm, and am grateful every single day that I have this time with ds. I go back to work half-time in September and while I am excited to get back to my role as a teacher and earn some money, I'll miss all the time and flexibility of my sahm life. We'll see how it goes in the next school year and decide how to proceed after that.

Keep all options open for as long as possible. I am home this year because I have leave from my employer. My job is safe, I don't have to worry about making a decision about if/when to return full time for another 2 years. If your employer is willing to give you leave for a year, take it. Re-evaluate at the end. I think that was one of Cookie2's best statements. Re-evaluate your situation regularly.

My only addition to the list is to make sure you have some good friends who are also sahm's. If not, go out and make some new ones. My friends here are my sanity some days! And some days, I am theirs. We meet every Wednesday afternoon and the babies play on the floor and we eat cake and drink coffee and talk. And on other random days I can call and say "I need to get out. Can we come over?" and that's just fine. A change of scenery, a change of toys, some fresh faces... they can make a HUGE difference on a tough day!

And yes I agree with the others - becoming a sahm is a huge adjustment. It took me the first 5 months after ds was born to be able to enjoy it. And i went through some depression, some anxious job-seeking, etc. Now I do occasional tutoring to earn some extra cash for bigger purchases, and otherwise fully enjoy my life at home.

Good luck!

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~ mama abroad

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I have been trying a year to become a SAHM and financially it just wasn't working. My DH and I finally sat down after me crying everyday when I left DD at daycare. I pitched the idea to him of starting my own small daycare. He went along with it and two weeks later, I have three kids to watch. This will work great because I will be making money, saving on paying daycare, and saving on gas (I drive 60 miles round trip).

That is great! I am going to be leaving my job at the end of the year and I'm not sure how I am going to add to our income. I would like to do babysitting and I am going to start putting the word out soon. I think that would be ideal for us.

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Stock up on food, cookbooks, paper products, and juices. The money that would normally be spent for the groceries, bank for an emergency fund. The only thing that you should need is milk and fresh fruit and veggies for 6 months.

Save your paycheck for the last 3 months.

Find other SAHM's and form a club. This can be used for clothing swaps, make ahead meals, shopping buddies for the grocery store (so we are not tempted to buy what is not on the list), babysitting (is alternated between paired couples so we all get a break).

Another advantage to the "club " is that you can get group discounts if you choose to go on vacation together or attend amusement parks as families.

Start a menu plan ahead of time and start cooking from that. One night each week consists of a beef item, chicken item, fish item, pasta item, pizza, pork item, and leftover night. Lunches that hubby takes to work consist of leftovers. I actually buy the styrofoam containers so others think that he purchased it.

Look on the net as to where the free or low cost days/nights are for local attractions. We have free zoos not too far away.

I've gotten more replies to my childcare ad on craigslist.org than the $45 ad in the free local paper!! I highly recommend it. I even posted for my boss and she got more replies from that than her $450 careerbuilder ad!!

Hello! I am a mother of one and have worked since I was 16. I am now at the point in my life where I would love to stay at home so I can be there to pick my daughter up when school lets out and/or go on field trips. Ya know just do the things that you are unable to do when you have to stay at the office til 5. However I have to have some sort of income in order to help my family. I have recently started looking into different stay at home jobs but they just don't look trustworthy. Anyone have anything they can suggest or vouch for?
Thanks Amber

I think its a litte simpler than that. Just set aside an amount you can pay, which is more then what you owe. In the end, that's always good.

We started doing just that, about 3 years ago, and are financially free, and loving it.

I'm sure its different for everyone, but, thats my advice.

Neesie.

For me the hardest part was being out of the "outside world". I was off of work from January to May with my children and then went back to work thinking that would be best. I was having a hard time not spending time with other adults or being my own person, so to speak. After being back at work for 2 months I am giving my notice of resignation. I have also decided to take a class so I still have that grown up time but it will only take up an hour of my time 3 days a week. I just keep thinking that we can always make more money, buy a bigger house, have more clothes but the kids are only this age for such a short time. In no time at all they will not want me to drop them off at school or chaperone so I have decided to eat it up while I can.

Being a SAHM is more than a full-time job! I love having the flexibility of when I get this done in during my day and I love having my little one by my side. Plus the bond I have with her is wonderful!

It's not easy and money is tight. I work part-time and sometimes I think it would be nice to work full-time and have more money....but then I realize it's not worth it! I mean the money I would spend on babysitters...plus the time away from my girl...it just doesn't add up!

So I found another way to supplement our income. See I'm a mom of 1, so what I do, while my little one is sleeping or playing, is exactly what I'm doing now, at 10pm while she is asleep! I'm HERE....on Mommysavers!

I check the online bargains like twice a day...when I can!! Because of the tip on babyfood at Target....my daughter now has babyfood and gerber graduates to last her the next 5-6 months! Plus, thanx to the Children's Place Monster Sale and the coupon codes....I pretty much have her clothing through next summer! Yes...it does take alot of time! It took me like 6-7 trips to target with 30 printed coupons to get all of that food. Plus I had to create a wish-list on the Children's Place site so I could match up outfits and search for sale items in the right sizes (some were sold out in the sizes I needed). Even though it took awhile..I could so those things with my baby by my side (or on my lap =). If I worked full-time I wouldn't have the time and I would just have to settle for regular sale prices and I wouldn't have the time to plan ahead like I do.

See...that's your job as a SAHM....you find ways to keep your family afloat so that it's almost like you work full-time! My husband's income pays for all of our monthly bills...and my part-time income pays for pretty much everything else! I do things like clip coupons...then keep track of the grocery store ads and match them up with my coupons. Sometimes I get colgate toothpaste for 50 cents each! That's just one example!!

My whole point is that there are plenty of things that you can do to cut costs, yet keep your standard of living to where you want to be. I have a HUGE pantry in my basement...took me a year to build....but it's there...I don't have to buy: laundry soap, pasta, cleaning supplies, baking products, canned fruit, cereal, and a few other things for 6 months! I just spent maybe $20 extra every time I went to the store, buying dry goods that I know we eat all the time...and then slowly built it up...and I'm still working on it as we use the food I buy.

Plus there are creative things you can do as a family that cost little or nothing..look in your local area! Even for date nights...my husband and I will get take-out from Chili's. One of their yummy salads and boneless chicken wings...cost about $15 to-go....we bring our own drinks and have a picnic and just talk! Just take advantage of the area you live in.

Farmer's Markets are another great thing! Cheap and yummy produce!! The possibilities of saving your family alot of money thus keeping your standard of living high enough that you don't even feel like you are going "without," are endless!!

I just want to say thank you to those of you who have chosen to stay at home with your kids. I have been in education for the last fourteen years and have seen the effects of the choices we make on kids. I am hoping to start a family soon and I am also thinking about staying at home. I have worked in preschools and have seen children cry themselves to sleep saying mommy over and over again after seeing picture of their mommies (and these were not new children to the preschool and it was a very good preschool). I have worked in elementary schools and have seen the difference between a child who feels secure and another one who doesn't know who will pick them up that day. Thank you for being brave enough to stay at home. Your are benefitting not only your own family, but society as a whole.