How do you cope with being a low income family?

Oh you are really so rich. You have the opportunity to stay at home with your children in their most formative years. Enjoy this time with them. Make inexpensive tree decorations, the kids can help(string up some cranberries as Christmas decorations ) they look beautiful. Take your kids for a walk in the park, collect pine cones for decorations. Make some cookies. Take your kids to the library for story hour and teach them to appreciate books. Join some mommy and baby clubs at the community centre. You have a computer. Play some free games with them or bring up free images of animals, plants, stars etc. You are not useless. Cook your meals from scratch. You can eat like kings on very little money. Check out Goodwill and Salvation Army stores. I have found some wonderful stuff there. Most recently I needed a new tea pot. They are so expensive. I found one at the Salvation Army for two dollars. It is really nice. No fear of germs if you wash it thoroughly. Don't say you don't work. You are doeing the hardest job of all. Raising happy healthy kids.

A nice way to make a little extra money , and still be there for your kids is to have a day care. I know the rules are different in different states, but if you license or register in my state, you are eligible for food disbursements, and you also can get tax deductions for rent, utilities, phone, maybe computer (to keep records) You still get to be at home with your kids, and others get a safe place for their kids. Your kids get some playmates, and you control the environment. Other ideas for low income families, or any families is to use any free services available in your community--libraries, parks, story hours. My local library has educational toys they check out. My daughter lives near Minneapolis and just learned this fall that the libraries there have passes for zoos and things that can be checked out. Play board games with your kids, make up games. Buy funky old clothes at thrift shops and let them have a dress up box. Teach your kids to cook with you. They will love it. If there is Head Start and/or early Head Start, apply, they have resources and educational components for low income families. See if you are eligible. Head Start actually offers some of the best preschool training around. Adjust your attitude--do not tell your kids "we are poor, we don"t have money" tell them "We do not choose to spend the money we have that way. We choose to pay the bills first" Look at your food budget, cut out foods with no nutrient value so you can have money left for fresh foods. Really examine, what is a necessity. One year I made my daughter a "fur cape" because we were in a period of no resources, and I had some scraps from a yard sale. She loved it, it was warm enough for fall, and she thought she was a princess. Our funds adjusted so that I could get her a coat before it got really cold. That was twenty five years ago. Now there are community coat drives that help recycle coats to people who need them. Chin up, I do not think there is any such thing as "enough money", just more money. Merry Christmas, keep joy in your heart and it will spill over for your family.

I was like that a few years ago. I'm a stay at home dad and about 5 or 6 years ago we was going through some hard times and it was really crazy. We, was living paycheck to paycheck and my wife was working her butt off and I just felt so bad. Even though my wife told me not to feel bad. My wife told me many times that we both decided on who would stay home with the kids. Anyway. I ended up learning to meditate when the kids went to bed and after a few weeks I felt better. I also took up QiGong again to help out with the balance of my mind. Good luck.

Make the best of each day. Find something that makes you smile. Hug your kids. Laugh.

Just be thankful that you can stay home with your kids and enjoy them! As long as you have food on the table and a covered roof nothing could be better than being with your kids while they grow up. They will cherish these moments. You can always look forward to going to work in the future when they are in school. Low income doesn't really matter as long as you have LOVE!

I dont have a family but me and my gf\ fiancee been living together and its hard to live pay check to pay check we enevr have money to live our lives and have fun.... but we are getting there. Its all about patients

i'm probably in the same situation as you. sometimes its hard. i stay at home with my kids thinking that i'm worthless because my husband has to make all the money. (probably why i do all these things to make something extra) he tells me things would be a lot easier if i could earn an extra $500 a month. i've tried several work at home things, but most didn't work. i've tried cut backs...i sacrafice things i want so we can get things we need. i started a website where i offer to edit home movie (which you can find on my profile) its new and hasn't picked up yet, but hopfully that helps. if it really bothers you sometimes, just send me a message. i don't mind talking.