Stay at home Mum or Go to work Mum?

When I was faced with that decision I chose to stay home. I made some minor adjustments to my home and turned it into a home daycare. It was not hard to go through the registration process and fulfill the needs of the state(smoke alarms, safety procedures, etc). This allows me to be home with my own children so I can read stories, play games, etc, and also make a nice living at the same time.

If you want to stay home, you can most likely find a way to make it work. Do the math. Take your salary, then subtract child care costs, commuting expenses, and any other costs related to going back to work. The number you come up with is the amount of difference if you stay home. It may be less than you think. Then look at your budget, and try to find ways to cut back on expenses to make up the difference if you were to stay home. Can you get a cheaper cable TV plan, a cheaper cell phone plan, use generic diapers or a cheaper brand, hang dry your clothes to save electricity? Think of any ways you can cut back in order to save money. If you want to stay home, stay home. You can always go back to work later. But you can never get back this time with your children. They will be grown before you know it, and you will regret missing it if staying home is what you really want to do. I have had times when I thought I had to go back to work. I even interviewed for some jobs. But now my son is almost 18 months old, and I am still home with him. Why? Because I make it a priority to do whatever it takes to make it work. I have to. Like you, I didn't have him so someone else could raise him.

It's such a difficult decision. Financial obligations force us to go back to work when our hearts are home with the kids. If you have any writing ability, you can earn money on the internet by writing. I've been pretty successful in earning money writing on the web. As a matter of fact, I earn all of my income via the internet. I quit my job a year ago. For many years I struggled with going to work and leaving the kids. I'm in the process of putting together a website that shares all of the 'secrets' that I've learned over the years to earning money via the internet. The secret is...there is no secret. If you'd like to see a few tips, visit my website (it's still in the development process) http://www.nojobformom.com All of the information is free. All I'm doing is consolidating what I've learned over the past few years to make it easier for other moms to make money over the internet.

I hear ya! Day cares are expensive and finding a good one is HARD. What we do is I work in the AM and he works in the PM. We don't see a lot of each other but it works. :) Have you looked in to part time work? Working from home? lol you'd be surprised how much money you spend just to work! Gas, more meals out, etc.

It's really a big decision to make. I once have to make that decision too. I used to work in an office but when I gave birth to my child, I have to choose between going back to work and caring for my baby. I chose my baby. It was actually not my decision alone. My husband and I talked it over. We weighed the pros and cons of it and we've came up with the decision. I suggest you do the same. Talk it over with your husband and decide what's best.