So my little is 6 1/2 mos old now and my mom has been our child care provider since I returned to work at 8 weeks. She has been living with us, since normally she lives in Australia. She is returning home in two weeks and the stress of what comes next has been devastating to our lives.  

Some back story: Originally, we had planned on day care, but due to an administrative error, we lost our spot. So I currently have nothing lined up and there are no availabilities until September at earliest anywhere near me. 

I've starting running numbers and if I continued to work full time and pay for day care I would only be contributing $200 to our monthly income. Plus our insurance. To me, with those numbers, it seems pointless to work full time and have someone else spend most of the week with my child. 

I could easily get a part time job 2 days a week and cover my portion of the bills. But we would lose insurance. However, the loss in income on my end would make us qualify for a significant tax credit for health insurance through the new market place.

The second issue is that my husband is in construction he has very unstable income. He has been offered 2 different jobs in another state that pay more, offer solid hours and benefits and he refuses to move. 😤

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and things turned out ok? We don't have a lot of debt but we have a newer car, my student loans and our mortgage. We've always been good at living within our means and I can cut corners where needed. I'm just terrified to take the plunge, but I would love to be home with my son. And I just can't justify working 40+hrs a week to pay for day care. 

Oh and I do photography and Jamberry on the side currently, both of which I could potentially step up to earn extra income.

Thanks for any input/advice