Hey there!
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Kara the Mom Nurse here- I help other nurse mom's become stay at home mom's. Today I am going to give you five reasons why staying home with your kids is ACTUALLY cheaper! One of the the biggest factors that nurses face when deciding to stay at home with their kids is losing their second income.
Today I wanted to share with you why staying home with your kids is actually much more affordable than you think, and how to add it all up!
Grab a pen and a piece of paper and let's GOOOO!!!
1. Commute
Calculate the distance you drive to work and back. For me it was about 20 miles to work and 20 miles home. Each shift I was driving 40 miles. Calculate how much gas that costs you to drive to work and back for one shift and then multiply that by how many times you drive to work in a month. This will give you an approximate idea of how much you spend just in gas for the month.
2. Childcare
How much do you spend in child care for the last month? When you are home with your kids you won't need to pay those child care costs anymore. For me I was paying our nanny (a family member) $13 an hour and when I worked full time, we were paying her anywhere from 600-800 a month. Factor in how often you need your nanny or childcare, and what your cost is of staying home.
3. Food/Drink Costs
How much were you spending on JUST your food or drinks? Were you stopping to get coffee drinks every day on your way to work? or on your way home? Were you bringing a lunch or were you feeling overwhelmed like I was and would end up buying lunch/supper at work? Add all of the fast food and drink cost up from last month and see where you are at.
4. Insurance
This is a big one for many. It really depends on your family and your needs, but you can look into healthcare options like christian healthcare ministries and save a TON. (If you're interested in this just be aware of all of their stipulations and rules.)
You may be paying for your own malpractice insurance, and you can now cut back on that or eliminate it if you are quitting work to stay home with your kids. Calculate how much this will save you by cutting that out!
There's also all the other insurances out there, short term disability, long term disability and whatever other insurance you're paying for that you may not need due to no longer being in the work force. Add this all up to see where you were at for last month.
5. Groceries
When you are home more often, you'll be making more meals from scratch, right? Look at your last month's grocery bills and eating out bills, and add them all up. Now when you stay home, you may be forced to meal plan so you can cut spending, which for us was a good thing! Meal planning is not my zone of genius but it sure keeps me on track when I get groceries!!! (This does tie into your food/drink costs from above but this is totaled separate from that category.
OHHHHKKKKKK, Add everything up and what is your grand total??? Are you suprised???
If you are truly wondering how you can cut out debt, I recommend reading this book from Dave Ramsey.
Also going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University would be a great start!!!
Now remember you must take everything into effect, including your own mental health. If you need to get out of the house, then by all means do that. But if you're truly looking for ways to stay at home with your kids so you don't miss out on any more of those precious milestones, you'll find the way. I just know you will. Much love to you on your journey!!!
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You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Mom Nurse
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Finding Yourself-(A FREE guide to re-defining your inner strengths)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted nurse mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
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