New Stay at home Mom needs help! - Page 2

swishina · 05-29-2008, 11:10 AM

I clean one thing per day and my toddler follows me around while I do it.

My simplest tips for saving money are:

1. don't go out to eat - how much more groceries could you buy with the $10 you'd spend at a fast food restaurant?
2. Stick to your list - no impulse buys
3. Don't buy any treats or "convenience" foods. Rather than spending money on cookies and stuff at the store I make it at home for less $$ and I can make healthier things.

SandraK · 05-30-2008, 05:32 PM

Here is my rough schedule for the week:

Mondays/Wed/Fridays:
7am kids get up and DH gets them breakfast and dressed
830am I get up and DH gets ready for work
830-9am I check my email, get dressed and ready for the day
9-1030am run a quick errand with the two kids or playtime
1030am-12noon DD takes her nap while I play with DS, wash dishes, run a load of laundry all at the same time.
12-1pm lunch with the two kids
130pm-330pm DS naps while I play with DD and eat lunch with her, fold laundry, pay bills
330pm-5pm DD takes her second nap, while I play with DS, get dinner ready
530pm-6pm dinner with the kids
630pm DH comes home from work
7pm DD goes to bed
730-8pm DH gives DS a bath and puts him to bed
8-10pm adult time, catch up on chores, etc.

Tuesdays and Thursdays:

DS goes to school from 830amto 12noon
Then the same afternoon routine

We kind of let the routine slide a bit on the weekends with a skipped nap or two.

I try to limit the chores and other adult activities to when the kids are napping or asleep for the night. Otherwise I can't concentrate on what I am doing with the two kids at my feet. And then I get frustrated and start yelling and the kids fight for my attention even more. So my house is always cluttered and usually there is only one clean room in my house each day, but eventually it all gets cleaned up and I get good quality time with my kids. Now on the days that they both fight their naps, Mommy goes a bit crazy!

And this schedule is my guideline, with two young kids I have to leave room for flexibility in the schedule each day.

BTW: I have a 3yo very active son and a 1yo daughter that keep me busy all day long :D.

Welcome to the wonderful and crazy world of being a SAHM! It will be frustrating at times but also very fun and rewarding.

Sandra

ArielDawn · 05-30-2008, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET2005

Hi there,

I've been a member of the site for several years but have only posted a couple of times - and now I really need help

In the past 2 weeks I've become a Stay at Home Mom which means major changes for everyone but particularly me. It's been a bit of a holiday so far but now I know I need to a) get into some sort of routine and b) need to cut back on spending
Problem is that I don't know where to start with either

I'm a bit all over the place when it comes to getting the house in shape and feel I could spend my entire day cleaning - there's ALWAYS something more to do. I want to spend more time with the kids doing fun and inexpensive activities but I get distracted by housework etc.. Can anyone tell me what their daily routine is like so I can make the most of my time?

My second issue is where to start with the 'spending less' part. I've only recently taken over the grocery shopping as my husband always did it (he really enjoys it honestly)

I'm looking for suggestions on where to start cutting back or what areas of spending to focus on. Where are the obvious household overspends (not just in grocery)?

All help appreciated - I think you'll be seeing alot more posts from me in the coming weeks

I was layed off from my job of 20 years today and am becoming a SAHM as well. My kids wil be daycare for 2 more weeks.....4.5 y/o DD has her preschool graduation from the daycare she has attended since she was 7 months old so that will be both kids last day (1.5 y/o DS as well)

I have a semi clue as I've had two 6+ month maternity leaves with both kids but am rather anxious as well. So I'll be checking out any suggestions you get as well as being there for moral support!

Lancelotacres · 05-31-2008, 06:01 AM

Wow, I don't have much to add to all the great responses here, so I thought I'd just post my daily routines...I love to see routines and perk mine up with other's ideas...

Right now (during school):

M-F

6AM - 18 month old DD wakes and we nurse then she goes back to sleep while I get ready for the day...shower, dressed, hair...then I start a load of laundry and unload the dishwasher if I have time.

6:45 - 6 yr old DD gets up and ready for her school day (dressed, hair, breakfast, etc). 18 month old DD usually wakes sometime before 7:30, or

7:30 - I wake 18moDD and get her changed and ready to go.

7:40ish - I take DD6 to school.

8:15ish - 18moDD and I return home and eat breakfast

8:45ish - DD watches a cartoon while I start or switch laundry, unload the dishwasher, do any stray dishes, and start supper (if it's in the crockpot).

9:15ish - DD and I go outside and do farm chores and play

9:45ish - we come in and switch or put away laundry and I straighten the kitchen, living room and computer room while she plays with me and helps

10 - 10:30ish - we have a snack and often lay down for a nap at this time.

10:30ish-1:30ish - naptime - I either nap with her, get on the computer, or fold and put away laundry from the morning. I try to do quiet things as our house is set so that any noise wakes her up.

1:30ish - DD wakes and has a snack, then we play outside if it's nice

2:40ish - we go get older DD from school

3:30ish - we return home and the girls have a snack and play outside. Older DD does her 'chores' at that time (she feeds/waters the chicks and gathers the eggs).

5:30ish - we have supper

6ish - usually inside play, reading or TV time while I straighten the kitchen

7ish - bath time for the girls

7:30ish - story time

8ish - bedtime for the girls and I try to finish anything I didn't get completed during the day.

This schedule will change after next week, as DD will be out of school for the summer. That's great that some of you ladies can go someplace everyday, we aren't able to do that. We have a park and library that is 3 1/2 miles away that we visit once a week, but everything else is at least 15 miles away, and most things are 30 miles or more.

We find plenty to do here at home. We have a farm, so we keep busy with the animals. We also have the garden, and the girls have the trampoline, swingset, sprinkler, wading pool, sandbox and bicycles to keep them busy. Older DD hasn't really ever complained of being bored here at home, so that's good

As for spending less money at the store...I agree with previous posters about staying away from the stores. I do one big shopping trip per month, and then two smaller ones to buy fresh veggies and fruit and misc that I might be out of. The more often I hit the stores, the more money I buy.

I do shop the sale flyers and use coupons too.

ET2005 · 06-02-2008, 09:01 AM

Wow..thanks everyone for your great tips and advice

I've been away with no PC for a couple of days so only getting a chance to catch up now .

The trick definitely seems to be keeping busy but out of the stores and also getting out of the house to keep it tidy

prices

i'm starting something of a routine this week and for the first time I'm really paying close attention to grocery prices in different stores!! The local library is a revalation to me and the kids

If anyone can suggest some good threads on the forum I'd appreciate it - I found one on meals for less than $5 which is a great help.

Thanks again,
ET2005

P.S. ArielDawn - congrats on your SAHM status too. It won't be long until we both get sorted!

writermommy4 · 06-02-2008, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthernMama

Firstly, Congrats on being a new SAHM.

Secondly, My routine in the morning is to get my day started earlier than my kids. This way I have my own time to wake up slowly and enjoy my coffee before I am on mom duty. Once my dd's wake up it's off to making them their breakfast..whether it be cereal and juice or eggs and bacon...Once I get them settled into the morning I begin my routine.

I begin with making my "to do today" list while enjoying my cup of coffee. Then I begin with throwing in a load of laundry, doing any dishes that didn't get done the night before and opening up the curtains.

I then make my way to tidy'ing the rooms. Making sure to tell my girls that they need to keep their toys to a minimum. Making sure to pick up toys they aren't playing with. This helps me to keep my sanity. I make sure they can help or contribute to keeping the house tidy. Once they begin to get a little out of sorts with toys and mess I then tackle the duty with them. It gets done faster and happier that way.

Once I'm done with my morning chores. I'll make my way outside to weed the flower garden while my dd's run in the sprinkler. We enjoy a nice cup of lemonade and eat a simple lunch. Once we're done outside we'll come in. Take a shower/bath and ly down for some resting time. While my dd's are resting I'll begin prepping dinner in the crockpot or starting a loaf of bread in the breadmaker. All the while I'm switching out laundry and what not through-out my day. However my last load of laundry goes into the washer at 3pm. This way it's not unrealistic to expect it to be folded and put away before dinner.

Once a week I do make time to wash bedding and clean the bathrooms. Instead of going outside and working in the flower garden I will do my bathrooms and strip beds. My girls help make the stripping beds a game for us all though.

We all make our beds in the morning and dust. It's a very nice start to our mornings.

I do make the cleaning house a FAMILY event with my children. They do everything from helping me mop, to make beds, to putting laundry into the dryer to putting dishes away and they are 3 and 5 yrs old. They don't make more mess for me when helping and this is only because they began helping me with housework when they were old enough to spray a water bottle at the floor

Make it an enjoyable family lifestyle. It will seem more worth it and not leaving you so exhausted of the idea of cleaning another room. I do have my days where I do NOTHING on my regular routine or schedule and I pay for it BIG time the next few days playing catch up.

As for shopping. I personally limit my outings due to overspending due to boredom or moodiness. I am a member of menus4moms and they send me my weekly menu with grocery list and recipes. It works out great for our family. I'm very frugal on my shopping bills so we as a family can enjoy doing something more with our time and money we've saved.

I got our family grocery bill from $500/month to $300/month just by REFUSING to buy convience foods, impulse buys and packaged meals. I bake all my bread, make all my cookies, cakes, brownies..ect and I make full course meals so we'll have plenty for everyone to get full and have leftovers for the following day's lunch.

When it comes to spending time with my daughters. I do all day. I spend quality time with them being a stay at home mom. They are involved in 90% of the housework I do. They enjoy it and sometimes they prefer to bring their baby dolls into the bathroom as I scrub the tub and not help me clean. To me this is wonderful and helpful as I feel I'm doing 2 jobs at once and everyone is happy. When I say they help me do all my housework, that simply means they are near me, beside me or singing to me as I do it.

We do sit down and read stories, cuddle and watch tv and we do act like goofy girls together too. It's just somedays they know it's deep cleaning day and our playtime doesn't come until later in the day.

Enjoy.

I want to be like you!

ArielDawn · 06-03-2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET2005

Wow..thanks everyone for your great tips and advice

I've been away with no PC for a couple of days so only getting a chance to catch up now .

The trick definitely seems to be keeping busy but out of the stores and also getting out of the house to keep it tidy

prices

i'm starting something of a routine this week and for the first time I'm really paying close attention to grocery prices in different stores!! The local library is a revalation to me and the kids

If anyone can suggest some good threads on the forum I'd appreciate it - I found one on meals for less than $5 which is a great help.

Thanks again,
ET2005

P.S. ArielDawn - congrats on your SAHM status too. It won't be long until we both get sorted!

I'm on day 2 of being home...but not with the kids yet. I'm trying to get things organized before they get out of daycare the end of next week but am waaayyy overwhelmed already.

I've shopped Aldi a few times, am back into CVSing (love CVS!!) and have put two loads of clothes on the line today instead of the dryer. I'm saving my grocery store receipts too to try and put together a price book. I've used the Grocery Game before but I think I can do it myself if I keep track of things.

I also love our local library...esp for renting dvds and videos...although make sure you get things back on time as the late fees (esp on dvd's) can take a big bite out of the cost savings.

And I agree that the advice you got was great!!

brittlynn44 · **Congrats**

Congrats on getting to stay at home! A couple of ways we have cut back is buying more off brand items, and using coupons when the items are on sale. I also discovered if you simply e-mail most manufacturers with your mailing address asking for coupons, they will happily send them to you (for objects you already buy!)

Jeweled · 06-04-2008, 12:56 PM

Congratulations!
It seems that housework is never finished. I work on one area each day. It helps me to have a written routine. I also try to have all the housework chores done by lunchtime. If your kids are able, let them help you. Most of the time that means the task will take at least twice as long and you'll probably have to re-do it anyway, but you get to spend time with the kids and they'll be learning how to keep their own homes clean.