Who works from home or gets by on one income?

Question

I’ll just start by saying I hate going to work. Even before I got pregnant. A lot of people might think that means I’m lazy, but it’s not that. It’s just something I do because I have to, not because it fulfills me. I even got a second job to pay for my wedding. So I’m not totally against work, it’s just not something I enjoy. I’m 8 weeks now and it’s been extra difficult getting up and out of the house on time bc I’ve been so physically miserable. I already know I want to be a stay at home mom. I was raised by an extraordinarily competent single mother and even though she did an amazing job providing for my brother and I, there were a lot of times that I wished she could be home more and participate more in school activities and things like that. And I already can’t imagine having to go back to work when my baby is only a couple of months old. I mean I got my first dog a little over a year ago and I have guilt about leaving HER home alone, so I doubt leaving a baby will be any easier. I’d probably quit right now if we didn’t really need the money. My husband makes a fair amount of money but definitely not enough to cover our living expenses and bills. And the only health insurance we have is through my employer, so I really don’t see how I could give it up. We also live in one of the three most expensive areas of the US. Does anyone work from home in any capacity, or does anyone make it work with kids on one (modest) income? I’d really love to hear anyone’s experience or tips. Thanks in advance, lovely ladies of Glow :)

Answer

It depends on how you live. My friend has always worked, spent money on small things without thinking etc, she was made redundant with her second child and didn't think they could live off one wage, but they just became a little more Looney savvy. Since then her OH had to change jobs with a smaller income, again, she didn't think they would manage, but became more money savvy and they just cut back on non essential items, doing it for a while showed her that she could even save up for a holiday over time. 
When I was pregnant I wasn't allowed to work for my agency due to health and safety concerns as service users would hit out, alot! I went from making £700 per week to getting 150 per month! My partner was on a very poor salary at the time, but with being cautious, we managed to get everything we needed for baby as well as make all our bills etc.
I personally think with work, you should always do a job you love else it's not worth doing. I live to work not work to live. I'm one of the lucky ones who found my passion and am good at it.

Answer

Every single parent makes it work on one income. I am a widow, so everything is on me. It is not about how much you make, it is about living within your means. Before my husband died, we did a lot more. We went out when we wanted to. I can’t do that anymore. I have to be much more mindful of where money is going. For you, the biggest concern would be health insurance. If you don’t work, you’re either going to have to use the Marketplace or your husband will have to find a different job that offers insurance.

Answer

I stay home with my toddler and my husband sells cadillacs for Sewell. He is great at what he does, but he always has to work really hard. He is paid solely commission so if he doesn’t sell, he doesn’t get paid so it means he’s away from family a looooot. That part really sucks. But we are comfortable and we make sure to not overspend and we save a lot of money every month just in case he ever has a “bad” month. I would say to just start saving saving saving and get comfortable with not spending a lot of extra money and putting away as much as you can if you want to stay home. It gives such a peace of mind when our savings account has a good amount in it, that way we don’t have to worry!

Answer

I don’t think a work from home job would be ideal for you. If you don’t like going to a regular job a work from home would take way more self discipline. It’s easy to be distracted at home versus an environment that is made to be worked in. I’m sure there are work at home options like selling makeup or oils that are less demanding tho so that’s definitely an option. I definitely didn’t want to work during my first few weeks of pregnancy but I’m glad I have. I’ve heard some crazy stories of insurance lapses and not being covered during pregnant so I would suggest at least stick it out while you are pregnant because if God forbid something happens and you don’t have insurance it could be even more stressful. I definitely don’t think you are being lazy! Some people just don’t wanna work, simple as that! Have you talked to your husband about other options? Good luck babe!!! Happy pregnancy ❤️

Answer

You can look into babysitting, jobs working in customer support, debt collections, online teaching if you're qualified, fields like medical billing and coding, ect. There are also part time independent jobs that only require you to work a couple days a week or so, doing things like organizing Hallmark cards or other displays at a store and things like that 
I'd just start by doing some research online and see what you can find

Answer

You could make a modest income doing in home daycare. I can't pretend to know if that's enough, I live and am moving to an extremely cheap area, I'm going to stay home from when we move until baby is 8w and I can work with baby there and my husband makes decently good money. But most places you can have up to 4 children including yours, so that's 3 kids, if you live in an expensive area, that's probably $1500-3000 a month.

Answer

My husband is a butcher (union job) with great benefits, and he makes just enough to cover our basic living expenses, and I watch my nephew a few days a week for $5/hr for food money. This way I can focus on school and graduating. We are getting another roommate and rent out one of our spare bedrooms so we have an extra $500/montb coming in to go towards our debts and savings. We had to tighten our belts extremely though to be able to do this.

Answer

Well I live in california usa and ive thought about it. Same situation my husband makes a lot but not enough and our health insurance is through me. 30 weeks pregnant. To do it, we would have to a smaller house, probably an apartment. Get a less expensive cars because of our car payments and never go out to do anything LOL. We could but our quality of life would be less. 
Not trying to sway you from finding a way to be a stay at home mom but ive decided its just not gonna happen for me. My mom was not a stay at home mom and I suffered no effects from it. What kids remember about their childhood is what you do with them not is there mom was home. For me, i had a great childhood with camping, river trips, vacations, etc. If i decided to stay home we wouldn't be able to do all that stuff because we wouldn't afford it.

Answer

I’ll be staying home but we live in a cheaper area than you do and my husband can pick up extra shifts whenever he wants.

Answer

My husband and I both work from home as business consultants (we own our own firms), which is perfect because I’ll be a stay at home work from home mom when the baby comes this fall!

Who works from home or gets by on one income?

The Top Baby Tracker App: Embrace New Beginnings with Tender Care

The Top Fertility Tracker App: Your Path to Achieving Pregnancy

The Top Pregnancy App: Nurturing Your Journey to Motherhood

The Top Period Tracker for Empowering Your Menstrual Health Journey