Let me just start by saying, that if I had my choice, I would NOT be working. But my family needs my income to survive (like so many other families out there!) so alas- I hold the title "Working Mom". Ha! As if that's somehow different from "Mom". Right?
This is not a debate about Stay at Home Moms versus Working Moms. I have been both and I can tell you from personal experience that they are both difficult jobs. So lets just cut the bullshit and support each other in regards to this, ok?
Whew! Glad we got that out of the way. Let's move on to what this post is really all about. How in the world do you Homeschool AND Work?!?
My son was 18 months old when I decided to quit my full time Monday through Friday job. I made a pretty decent salary and this job brought in roughly half of our yearly income. Yikes! So how exactly do you replace half of your income and stay at home?
The most obvious answer to this is to factor in all the expenses you'll no longer have. Daycare of course being #1. However, we were lucky to have family and friends watching our son and so my monthly daycare expenses were just $250. Hmm....not much of a savings right there.
The next cost you'll save on is transportation. Since I was commuting an hour each way to work, this was a big money and time saver! Yay!
Work clothes, shoes, coffee, lunches out with co-workers, shoes, dry cleaning, office birthdays & parties, shoes....Did I mention shoes? You'll most likely not be spending money on these items, so consider these a savings too!
Ok- so you've figured out that you'll be saving a little bit of money not going to work everyday. But how about actually earning some money? Here's some things that I have done to personally earn money.
- Babysitting. Super easy, fun and you can take your child with you. If you begin doing this on a regular basis, look into opening your own in-home daycare.
- Start your own business. Do you have a useful skill? How about a craft you could make and sell? Etsy and Facebook are excellent places to start your own business.
- Find a part time job in your field with flexible hours. Now this is all about luck. You are literally searching for the needle in the haystack here but perseverance will pay off! I was lucky enough to work in Human Resources, 15 hours per week and could occasionally bring my son with me. My boss allowed me to move my schedule around to accommodate my son's homeschool classes as well- awesome!
- Work for a church. Why? Well- they are usually much more flexible and understanding of your commitments to your family. And many times, they will allow you to bring your child with you.
- Provide child care for MOPS. If you've been living under a rock- MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. The time commitment is small, usually 2-4 hours per week and you can bring your child with you.
- Work evenings or weekends. Listen, this is a hard one if you have very young children. I do not recommend working nights if this is the case. However, with older children, this schedule can work out quite nicely. My favorite weekend/evening job that I ever had was as a hotel front desk employee. The hours were decent, the pay was good and I got a sweet discount on hotel rooms!
- Telecommute. This is what I am currently doing. I provide customer service support from a phone line connected to my internet. I also provide live online chats and will soon be blogging for the company. If you are currently working for a company- ask them if telecommuting is possible.
- Reduce your hours at your current job. This falls in line with the telecommuting. Consider asking your boss for a reduction in work hours. Perhaps even splitting the job with another person. You'll never know until you ask!
There's a few other small things that I personally do to save money and earn a little money. Here's my tips:
- Coupon! My family jokes that I have a coupon for everything. And for the most part- that's true! I don't ever pay full price for anything and most times I double up with a good sale AND a coupon. This adds up to a great savings! My advice is to subscribe to the Sunday only paper for coupons, check with your local library as they usually receive weekly papers that have coupons in them for free and of course you can print them online.
- Cut your family's hair. My son is 8 years old and has only been to a barber/hair salon once. And you better believe the only reason it happened was because I had a coupon for a FREE haircut! I also cut my husband's hair. Now, my hair is another story! Since you should never cut your own hair (do it- I dare you!) I do visit a salon twice per year. Yep- that's it! I go every 6 months and of course I have a coupon!
- Complete online survey's at home. I have only one company that I complete surveys for because I just don't have the time to waste doing a survey and not know how much that survey is "worth". I like PineCone Research because the survey's take approximately 5 minutes to complete and you are paid $3. I complete about 5 of these per month. So obviously not a big money maker. But I can easily do these while I'm sitting at home surfing Facebook and I've just made $3 in 5 minutes. I'll take it!
- Get rid of a car. There- I said it! If you homeschool and you're home most of the time, you may find that you simply don't need a 2nd car. And the expense of that 2nd car is just insane! My husband's company provides him with a work vehicle, so there was no reason for us to keep his car. We sold it!
- Sell your used, unwanted items. I love Ebay. Before I donate items, I usually list them on Ebay to see if they will sell. Make sure you are selling brand name items in good condition. Most folks just aren't going to buy a no-name knockoff purse or a pair of ratty tennis shoes. So be selective here! But if done regularly, you can make a decent profit. I typically make $50-100 per month.
- Sign up for a local marketing research company. There's 2 in my area that I am listed with and if you fit the profile, the payoff is good. They usually require about an hour or two of your time and the pay is $75-150 cash. And most of these research studies are conducted in the evenings- so it's very easy to arrange childcare if needed.
- Cook from scratch and eat at home. This is a big money saver. Learn to make your meals from scratch. Not only will it save you money but it's so much healthier! We also do not eat out too often. It's bad for you and it's expensive. I would say that we average 3 times per month and most of those times, I have a coupon!
- Fix it before you replace it. Gone are the days where my family throws something away or buys a new one. We try everything to repair an item whenever possible and when we must replace it, try to buy used. It's cheaper! Now of course there are some things you just shouldn't buy used- underwear for one! But dishwashers, jeans, cars- etc can all be purchased used for much less then buying new.
- Ask for a discount. This is a biggie and most people are afraid to do it. If money is tight or you're on a strict budget- let the store or company know. Many times they want to make a sale and will offer you a discount. And if they can't offer a discount, they will sometimes be able to help you come up with a cheaper alternative. I'm a big fan of the saying "that's not really in my budget, here's what I have to spend" and see what happens.
- Share housing costs. Do you have family you can live with? What about a basement apartment that you can rent out? If you're a renter, perhaps you can trade services for a discount on rent? Housing costs should only equate to 1/3 of your total expenses but for most people- it's much more. So find a way to reduce them.
My family is proof that it can be done. We are living on a very small income. We are not in debt up to our eyeballs, we own 2 cars and a boat and all of our needs are met. We are also able to take a vacation every year or so and routinely donate and give to charity. Yes, of course I would like to have more money sitting in my bank account- who wouldn't right! But we've learned to live on less so that we can "afford" this lifestyle. I am home every day with my child and you can't put a price on that!
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