currently i am working full time and making pretty good money:hehe ! but i am also pregnant and i am not sure if i want to continue to work when the baby arrives. i am not so sure how well i will be able to juggle it. i know that child care is a bit expensive and i know that we will have to live on a very strict budget if i do stop working. i know that their will be some hard times. but i was just seeing if some of you could give me some ideas on what you do. how hard is it financially to be a sahm?

It's a little tough, at least for me. I had a well paying job in Maryland at a publishing house, and a daycare provider I trusted that didn't have high tuition fees. That being said, I hated working. :teehee Moving down here provided us with the opportunity for me to stay at home. The cost of living is lower, and the type of job offered in our small town is not the type of job that (a) I would desire or (b) would be worth my effort for the money it would provide. Essentially, if I wanted a stimulating and well paying job, I would have to commute to the Tidewater area. Factoring in gas and daycare expenses, it's not worth it, and at this point I don't feel like I'm missing out. When my son starts school (2007) I intend to toss around the idea of going back to work. Money is tighter now, obviously, but for us, it's a valid trade off since I can spend time at home with our son. He's only this age once, and I want to spend the time with him. I've never been the "Susie Homemaker" type, so I'm still getting into the groove so to speak.

IMO It is a very very big adjustment to go from a WOHM to a SAHM. I used to work 12-15 hr days Mon - Fri, coached cheerleading, went to school full time, and still did the parent thing too. That to me was a piece of cake compared to just staying home all day with the kids. :whew :lol

Financially it is very hard for us with one income but it makes more sense for me to stay with the kids and with the baby when he gets here rather then spend all my income on daycare. You just have to learn to budget. That is really the key.

When I worked between the two of us we had a combined monthly income of 4500 :sadeyes Yes I miss that money :no So we went from that to about 1200 a month and we had to cut back on ALOT of things because we were used to living the life of money. But I do find staying home to be rewarding, even though at times I swear Im loosing my sanity.

If you can stay home then I would say do it for at least the first 6 months to a yr.

Good luck with your choice, it's all a personal decision that only you two can make and know what is good for you guys as a family.

I've never known anything other than staying at home with them. We made the choice for me to stay home before we even got pregnant. So, I really have nothing to compare it to. I'm happy with my choice and wouldn't ever work if I didn't have to. Its just a personal choice for me. I do have a few miserable days here or there when they act out more for whatever reason and my days are VERY long. But I know I would be very miserable every day if I had the choice to stay at home with them and didn't. It really sucks not having extra money but I sacrifice getting stuff for myself so they can still have the things they want and need. Jason also makes a lot of sacrifice to make this work. When I get the urge to work, I just remember that I won't get this time back with them... ever. And if I'm lucky enough to have the CHOICE to stay at home, I will always choose to stay at home. One day, when they are all in school, I'd LOVE to work part time just to get out of the house. For right now though, while they are small, I can't pass up the extra time that I get with them if I don't have to. I've been really blessed. Jason makes enough to allow me to stay at home with them and he also fully supports me and stands behind my decision to do so. It just works out well for our family. :yes One day they will be grown and have kids of their own. I figure I can work part time and help with my grandkids part time if they'll let me :D I wouldn't mind being a full time grammy! :cloud9

I have done both and I love being a SAHM....I have my career with Mary Kay to keep me busy and it helps alot with income!! Sometimes I still like it when I get out for an hour or two by myself though!!

Hope you find something that is right for you!!

Since we have been married and had a child (I was 4 months pregnant when we got married) I haven't worked. I have attended college though. When we were in FL. we found day care that was cheap and the lady that owned and ran it was John's chief who had retired. I love my kids but at the same time I absolutely loved having time to myself, socializing, and I felt like I was bettering myself and our family. Due to family issues, not our immediate family but John's family, I was unable to finish when we were in FL. I would love to go back to school, not on-line but at a regular college, or work. I have looked into working while we are up here but day care for two kids is so expensive that I would be working just to pay for the day care. I can't justify working beacause of that and without an added income coming in there is no way we can afford to pay for day care for me to go to college that isn't an online one. Finacially we don't really struggle. We have learned how to budget ourselves so that we have plenty of things, do what we want, and still save money. One thing we are set on is not having 2 car payments without me working. I also watch for sales on things and I make a budget. By making a budget it really helps us keep on track so we are able to go out and spend money but not over do it so we can still save money every month. Depending on how much money you guys are spending each month now and how much of a pay cut you guys would take with you being out of work you may have to cut back on things. You will be taking maternity leave right? You could see how you like staying at home at that time. Also you could start acting as though you are only living on his paycheck to see if you guys can do it and are still happy with how much money will be brought in the house. You may find you love being a SAHM but can't afford it or you love it and you can afford it. Then again you may find it really isn't for you (that doesn't make you a bad mom so don't let anyone make you feel that way). Also, look into how much day care costs for an infant. I'm not sure if you have gotten quotes on it yet but for an infant it is steep. It is really hard to get day care for an infant through the Navy. They don't have many openings so when there is one it goes really fast. I know here in town they want 1,000 a month just for Johnny. Through the Navy they qouted me 973 for both Breanna and Johnny but they didn't have any openings for Johnny at the time. You'll also have to see if paying, whatever the amount would be for you, is worth you working. If day care is the almost the same, the same or more than what you make then you'll have to decide if you working is really worth it. It is such a hard decision and the right answer differs for everyone. I hope you are able to find what works best for you and your family. Good Luck. :)

Only having 1 income and my husband having to pay child support to his ex (for a kid that's not even biologically his we found out later, but lets not go there...) It's very tight. I would LOVE to work and it would make me feel like I am contributing.. but I have 3 children under 4 and the daycare would take my entire check and some. I do love being with my children, it's just hard living so strapped financially.

It's all a personal preferance. You need to decide if you would feel fullfilled and then that is best for your family as a whole. For my family, it is better I am home. For others it is better the mother works.