Do you stay at home, work part-time, or full-time??

Question

I'm trying to figure out what the best option is for me with a 1 and a half year old daughter. I don't like the idea of day-care, it really freaks me out but I need to bring some money into the house. What works for you??

Answer 1

I've been an at home mom from day one. My husband works of course, but we agreed before having kids we wanted to have me home.

Edit* How we were able to work it out is by moving from Vegas to Tennessee when I was 4 and a half months pregnant with our first. We'd been wanting to leave, didn't want to raise a family there. So we had been researching places. Made a list of 6 states each, reasearched each of them economically, crime, and schools. Limited it down to 2, and jumped on a plane to come check it out lol. We drove all through both states, and just fell in love with the town we now live in. moved here 2 weeks after flying back home to Vegas. We had spent years researching the realestate market, and bought our home on an acre of land 2 miles off the lake for 99,900 (It had been reduced by 15k about an hour before our walk through. Again fell in love with it and closed 2 weeks later). We moved here when I was 17, bought our house when I was 19.  I'm 21 now, and my husbands making 700-800/wk, that pays all of our bills with plenty left over. We are fairly modest with spending, don't blow money never have. We're quite comfortable overall with only him working. If I do get a job, it'll be to pay for private school for the kids if we decided to go that route. Otherwise it'll just be savings. House will be paid off in 8 years...so everything worked great for us.

I'd consider moving to a more affordable area, it's the best thing we ever could have done. Rent on a 3br2ba runs 400.mo, for a home on land it runs about 600/mo for rent. Very affordable to live here. We love it. In all of our research there are hundreds even thousands of towns like this that are good, and stable. East coast Tn, and Nc are holding values pretty well. Not having any of the economic problems like other places, employments still there, wages are good for the cost of living, and the cost of living is very affordable. Biggest thing is just the humidity...it gets hot here. (or anywhere in the south). Anyhow, enough rambling...but you don't have to be making a ton of money to live nice, it's all in where you live, and what you get for your money there. As well as how you spend your money, thats an even more relevant factor.

Answer 2

I work full time and so does my husband.  My two younger children attend an in home daycare that I love. My oldest son attended daycare in a center and I prefer in-home over a center.

Answer 3

I stay home with my children, but money is always tight.  If you are needing to bring in some money, depending on how much you are short, you could try doing something from home.  If you are good in a school subject, you could tutor.  I have heard of people who make money buying nice things from garage sales and E-baying them.  You could try getting part-time work on an opposite shift of your husband so someone is always with her.  Or you could work part-time and find another part-timer who would be willing to swap babysitting with you--you take her kids on her work days, and she take yours on your work days.  There are lots of options--just think about what you need to accomplish then find a way.  You can do it.  Good luck.

Answer 4

Well I am lucky enough that we are ok....although it would be nice to have that extra money to pay off bills and actually have a vacation but right now I stay home with the kids, ages 4 and 2 and I go to school Full Time...

Answer 5

I love how all the people who work get thumbs down.  Some people have to work in order to live.  I dont understand why people are against working mothers.  Theres no law or rules that say we HAVE to stay home and be a house wife.  Anyways I do stay home, but Im going to school full time.  My classes are mostly online, and the ones at the campus are at night so my husband can watch our daughter.  I know working a different **** then your husband would work great if you need to work.  Or as im sure other people have suggested you can do in home day care.  That way you can make a few extra hundred a week and not worry about working.

Answer 6

i work full time and am currently pregnant with my first child. however i don't work monday - friday 8-5, i work shift work so i am off two or three days during the week. i have found a stay at home mom who watches one baby and when ours is born she'll wach him/her as well. it will be usually 1-3 days per week, depending on my and my husband's work schedule. we wouldn't be able to afford to just live on my husband's income, i did the math and since we have insurance thru my job he would actually have to get a second job that would take up just as much time as his regular job and that would just make it seem as tho i were a single parent, which i definitely don't want to do.

good luck!

Answer 7

What works for us is working on opposite shifts.  I work a 30-hour week (considered full-time for insurance/benefits purposes) on first shift.  I've been with the company for 17 years, now, so they're pretty flexible with me on working from home as needed, too.

My husband works 3rd shift (and has since his daughter was little, before I started dating him), so that he can spend more daytime hours with the kids.  

We've only needed daycare sporadically throughout the kids lives so far.  They've been home with mom or dad.

Answer 8

I stayed home until my youngest was in first grade (it was just last school year) and then I started to work as an EA at the school district so I work the same hours they do. I thought of daycare as well but my husband was not to keen on the idea. It was very tight financially at times but it was well worth it. I did do some backup babysitting for a friend. But it was hit and miss and never any money we could count on.

Answer 9

Me and my b/f both work full time jobs. He works till 4pm and I work till 5pm if he has to work late I get her but that means she'll be at daycare pretty much ALL day, which I hate. I would love to stay at home but for one I'd probably loose my mind and two you can't pay bills with no money. I worked in the daycare she attends and know most of the employees on a good level so I trust them which makes her father feel much better.

Answer 10

I'm preggers with #2 and I work full time.  We live in a high cost area so it's virtually a necessity. (Not to mention we have a lot of debt.)

Try getting an evening job so hubby can keep your child while your bring in some extra $$$.

Answer 11

depends how much money you need to bring in, you could always babysit, you have everything you need anyway. thats about 400+ dollars a month, or get a telemarketing work from home job. even selling mary kay or avon is a good way to bring in a little extra cash. when i was pregnant i got a short paper route, it motivated me to get out walking every day and i ended up making about 200-250 dollars a month, its not much but it only took me half an hour

im a stay at home 9 month preggers woman, and my honey works shift work at a casino

Answer 12

both my husband and I work full time.

We have twins who have gone to daycare since they were 1 yr old.

We found an "in home" daycare. It works out well becuase she just has them and her own child. They get the attention they deserve and it's safe in her house. Less kids mean less germs and less colds circulating too.

I feel at ease knowing they are being taken care of so well.

Answer 13

I work full time.  My son attends daycare at a local church.  He loves it there.

If I had the option to stay home, of course I would take it.  I'm the sole provider for my son at the moment, so I don't have a choice.

However..... Situation being what it is right now, it works out really well for us.  He's happy at daycare and that makes my day easier.

Answer 14

I am a stay at home mom. i watch a little 2 yr old boy to bring in some income plus i am an Independant Mary Kay consaultant for some more extra income. I love staying home with my 10 month old daughter, i havn't missed anything. but your best bet is to take in a couple of children and watch them for other parents that need to work but also don't like the idea of daycare.

Answer 15

Well, I am starting college within the next year. :) And I plan on working when I move in with my fiance. He's in the army. So, he'll be working the same hours as me. (Usually). His brother is going to be living with us though...But idk if he'll be able to babysit. I worked ever since my son was born...and I was 14...We had to have money.

Answer 16

I work part time.  Right now I just can't find a job that pays decent enough money for full time to make sense with daycare costs.  My partner works full time.  Our son is 13 months old and I went back to work (part time) when he was 3 months old.

Answer 17

I'm a stay at home mom, and a student.  My husband and I waited 5 years to have kids...until we were financially able for me to stay home.  

Yes, it's still hard, but we make sacrifices so I can be home with our children.  We don't go out to eat very often, and we live in a modest home.  We don't drive luxury cars.  I don't get manicures, pedicures, massages, etc.  We don't wear designer clothes.

If you really sit down and figure it all out, it might actually be better for you to stay home, or you really don't stand to gain as much as you'd think.  

First, figure out how much money you would make with your child in daycare.  Then subtract the daycare costs.  Then subtract the gas (at over $4 a gallon!) that you'll use driving to and from the daycare each day.  Then subtract the gas you'll use driving to and from work each day.  Also subtract dry cleaning bills (if applicable), lunch out, and any other expenses you would incur if you worked.

Then you have a figure of how much money you realistically have to gain.  Then think about if it's worth it to you to be away from your daughter for that amount of money.  

If you decide it's not worth it, or it's actually cheaper to stay home, there are some things you can do to make a little money.  

Ebay is a great way.  I'm sure there's tons of stuff in your house you could sell and not miss.  Sell it on ebay or have a garage sale.

Or you could babysit someone else's kid(s).

If you really need to work, think about working a very short schedule so that you can work when your husband is home, but still have time to be with him as well.

Say your husband works 8-4:30 Monday through Friday.  You could pick up an evening shift twice a week and then work either Saturday or Sunday.  

Doing something like that, you could realistically get 20 hours of work in per week and you'd have no daycare costs.  Plus you wouldn't be freaking out wondering if you daughter is okay and if she's being looked after properly.

Answer 18

I stay at home with my little boy. My husband works full time and I watch a little girl a few days a week to make extra money.

Answer 19

ask a family member 2 watch ur child while u work.

Answer 20

We both work full time.  We were sharing a nanny with another family up until a couple months ago then decided our kids needed to get out of the house and have more social interaction.  They both love it.

In regards to stay at home moms, it's great for those who can make it work.  I will say this....in the past, I've seen some couples in this situation break it off, something will happen unexpectedly and they get divorced.  Although the stay at home mom does get child support, they also now find themselves in the position of having to get a job.  They may have a college degree, but if they're out of the work force for an extended amount of time, they find it hard to locate a well paying job within the field they were trained to be in.  Granted this doesn't happen to everyone, but it does happen.

Answer 21

I've pretty much always been a stay at home mom, but am finding the need to go back to work sice money is tight. I homeschool, so I can only work nights and weekends and fortunately, my kids no longer need a sitter.

I would suggest a small daycare or possibly an in-home sitter for your children. Also, if it's possible, maybe you can work opposite hours from your husband. My brother and his wife did that and it worked out really well and they saved tons of money on daycare.