Any advice from SAHM's??

[Missy08]

Hello!

DH & I have 2 daughters (5 & 1). I really want to TTC for a 3rd sometime in the future but have more or less decided that we won't unless I can figure out a way to stay home with the kids. Ever since my first was born, I've always wanted to be a stay at home mom and have felt so guilty working. Now that our second (and possibly, but hopefully not last), it is even worse...my hear breaks a little every morning when I have to drop her off and just typing this almost brings me to tears Not to mention the childcare we spend on two, nevermind adding a 3rd baby.

Anyway...we cannot survive on just my husband's income (even if we rearrange or get rid of things). My question is, do any of you know of anything I might be able to do at home or something else that could be a possibility I haven't thought of...We wouldn't need a huge amount since about half of my pay goes to daycare now anyway (maybe $1200-$1500/month).

TIA for any advice/suggestions!

 

[lucy_smith]

I'm not a sahm, but what hours does your dh work? Is it possible that you could do an evening job? If dh works the usual 9-5? That way you won't need to pay child care meaning you won't need to work as many hours? That's what my parents did when me and my brother and sisters grew up. That's what I plan to do if I can't afford to be a sahm.

 

[SpringCrane]

You don't mention what field you work in, so it's hard to say. I do marketing for a local business from home. I go in for a meeting once per week (usually on the weekend or during the week if my husband can work from home that day). I create ads, compile the newsletter, do in-store promotional materials, etc. My masters is in something completely unrelated, but this position sort of fell into my map magically. I told my employer I wouldn't return after my son was born, and they asked if I'd take this position if they made it work-from-home. Impossible to say no to... Maybe talk to your current employer and see what sort of flexibility exists? Maybe see if there's a job counselor you could meet with?

I'm actually training someone to take my position because after a year of working at home, it's not working as well. However, we're able to survive on my husband's income (but not thrive!).

As pp said, looking for something with different hours might work (evenings or weekends?).

In the meantime, just know you're doing what's best for your family. Your children will grow up loved and cared for--that's what matters.

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

Hubby's income and all of the benefits that come with being in the military takes care of everything we need, but I do online work to help pay down my student loans and to have play money. My favorite way is doing hits posted on Amazon Mturk; usually surveys from the large universities or research groups. When I apply myself and treat it more like a "job" I can make several hundred a month. I then just have Amazon transfer the money into my bank account. You do have to claim it on your taxes, so be prepared for that if you try it. I enjoy it though; I love having the flexibility to do what I want when I want, which is great around a toddler's schedule.

There are also work from home positions that focus on the evening hours and weekends, if you want to try to find something that you can do while your partner is home to watch the children. There are some good work from home sites if you search for them that list what jobs are available.

 

[KalonKiki]

I am a SAHM and am currently working on getting my Medical Billing and Coding certificate so that I can work from home. We can afford to live off of DF's income with just our DS, but I have to be working in order for us to be able to afford any more children. It's an at home at your own pace program and thankfully my mother is paying for it (it's a $1,500 program). I do it through www.uscareerinstitute.edu and the monthly payments are $59 a month (again, my mother is paying for it). Good luck, I hope that you can find something to do from home that works for you!

 

[Missy08]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I had thought about doing something in the evening/weekends instead of being at work during the day but DH's hours and days off fluctuate some, but we might be able to make that work...

I may look into the medical billing & coding too...I had seen that in the past.

Someone had asked what I do for a living--I work at an insurance agency (home & auto insurance mostly).

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

I did CareerStep's Medical Coding and Billing program this past year thinking it was something I could do from home... it's almost impossible to find an entry level job that doesn't require previous experience and certifications that is remote. Usually you end up competing with the experienced coders when a work from home opportunity does pop up. Make sure you do a lot of research and try to talk to others in the field before investing any money into training. I was lucky to have mine covered under a spouse scholarship so I'm not out any money, but I do regret choosing that field instead of one with better options.

If you want to stick with insurance, try Sedgwick. They handle claims for third parties, and offer remote positions. You either answer inbound calls, or you handle the faxes that come in and set up new claims. You start off working evenings and weekends as well, with the ability to shift bid after working from them awhile. Great benefits too, and PTO from the beginning. It's the company I plan to apply to whenever I decide I'm ready to return to the workforce (I handled property claims for one of the big insurance companies before DD arrived ). They have two positions open right now if you wanted to read the description:

https://www.sedgwickcms.apply2jobs.com/ProfExt/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=18945&CurrentPage=1

 

[Missy08]

Thank you so much!! I was a little hesitant about the billing/coding because there would be no reason for me to invest the time/money unless I could actually get a job at home.

I'm going to check into Sedgwick now...I'll have to look and see if I can find any other at home options in the insurance industry...I have my property/casualty license, so that should help, right?, lol

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

No problem! The opportunities are there, they're just rare and hard to get.

I was licensed to adjust property/casualty in 49 states (last state was still pending when I quit) and Sedgwick is the best insurance lead that I've found in over a year. They are just really hesitant to offer remote positions sadly. Even the company that I worked for said they weren't willing to move in that direction yet when I was discussing my options. The license is always a nice thing to have for your resume though!

Try Work Place Like Home too; people post leads and there are subforums for companies where employees give advice and experience (which is how I learned what I know about Sedgwick). Maybe you can find something that works for you there.

https://www.workplacelikehome.com/forum/forum.php

 

[DannaD]

You could open an at-home daycare? I know a couple who did that so she could stay with her kids

 

[Missy08]

DannaD, I thought about that too...We would have the space for it in our lower level, but my husband isn't too excited about that idea as it would take over "his" space...There are TONS of kids in our area but there are also a lot of in-home daycares (but some are definitely lacking). First step would be to get my DH on board and next would be to see what the demand is...

I would only really need to care for probably 3 kids and make enough to stay home