You have to be super wealthy to be a stay-at-home mom, right?

Wrong!

While this may be true in some situations, it is not the case for my family. We are not rich! We simply made the decision that me raising our kids full-time outweighs the monetary reward of working outside of the home.

Before staying home, I was a kindergarten teacher and I worked until our first daughter was almost two. I love teaching, but it was incredibly challenging leaving my young child each day to focus on other kids.

After our second daughter was born and I snuggled up with both of my beautiful little people, it was absolutely clear: I could not go back to work yet (you can read more about how I decided to quit my job).

I never thought that we would be able to live off of one income, yet here we are still doing it over a year later. We may not be rolling in dough, but we have everything we need and our children are happy and thriving!

I don’t want to mislead you. There is a great deal of planning and self-restraint involved for me to be a stay-at-home mom, but it is totally doable if you’re willing to make it work.

Here are a few key details to keep in mind if you, like me, are not rich and want to stay home:

Budget

The most obvious thing you need to do is a serious examination of your budget. We started by looking at just my husband’s salary compared to our regular bills and expenses. I’m only talking about the payments that are not optional. That includes mortgage or rent, utilities, car payments and insurance, gas, groceries, student loans…

After calculating all of that, ask yourself this: Is the steady income of one working person enough to cover your obligatory bills and basic needs? You might be surprised to find that, based solely on your budget and essential expenses, it could actually be feasible for you to stay home.

Downsize

If your income is not greater than your needs, you might consider downsizing aspects of your life to allow you to stay home. This might mean moving from a large home to a smaller one or selling vehicles and possessions that you don’t absolutely need.

We currently still have two cars, but we’ve had serious conversations about getting rid of mine. Since the girls are not school-aged and there’s nowhere we need to be on a consistent schedule, there isn’t a real reason for us to have two cars. We have enough delivery services in my area that I can always access any items I urgently need. And with my husband’s schedule, I would have plenty of opportunities to use his car during the week. A second car is merely a convenience at this point and we acknowledge that we could live without it.

Have an honest talk about what big lifestyle changes you’re willing to make to save money and allow you to focus more time on your family.

Remove the Excess

Now, get rid of the little things you don’t need! If you look at your spending report (these are usually available through your online banking account), you will likely find that you spend excessively in two areas: food and entertainment. These are the products or services that are often impulsive or provide instant gratification. But if you stop and evaluate whether or not you need them, I’m confident you’ll find that you don’t.

If you are someone who eats a lot of fast food or buys a fancy latte every morning, sit down and total up your weekly restaurant spending. Your mind will be blown by how much money it adds up to. Read my weekly meal planning post to see the monetary benefits of regular grocery shopping and making your own food in your own kitchen.

When we looked at our expenses, we realized that we had four services for streaming TV and three for streaming music. We were able to reduce that to one for TV and one for music and all of those other monthly payments instantly disappeared. Are you paying for a service that you don’t use or need? Cancel it immediately and start saving that money.

You don’t have to give up everything, but see what your spending report tells you. What small things can you remove to make it more realistic for you to stay home?

Have Discipline

Once you’ve decided how you’re going to budget your money, it’s incredibly important to stick to your plan. When I was working, it was so easy to walk into a store and buy whatever I wanted. Now that we’re on one income, I can still go to Target, but I make a list beforehand and I’m mindful of sticking to it. When you feel the urge to splurge, exercise restraint. The feeling of snuggling with your kids in the middle of the day is way better than buying a new pair of shoes (trust me, you have plenty).

After I stopped being an impulsive shopper, I learned that we used to spend a lot of money on things we didn’t need. I wouldn’t consider myself a minimalist now, but I pause and evaluate whether or not an item is essential to my happiness or wellbeing before I purchase it.

Find a Side Hustle

Many of the stay-at-home moms I know have a side hustle. This is a flexible, work from home job that allows them to bring in a little extra cash and still be with their kids. I know moms who sell skin care and cosmetics, books, clothes, purses, and handmade crafts. Some of these moms even make more than they did working outside of the home.

Side hustles are typically dependent upon how much time and effort you can put into it. This blog is sort of my side hustle. I’m not always able to invest a ton of time into it, but it occasionally funds outings and treats for my girls.

If you’re interested in blogging, my site is hosted by Blue Host and I’ve been so happy with them! And if you’re totally clueless about how or where to start, I used a course called Successful Startup. It walks you through every step of getting a blog setup, answers all of your questions along the way, and makes the process smooth and simple.

You Can be a Stay-at-Home Mom, Too!

We see a huge value in my being home so we sacrifice a little and make our finances work for us. As a stay-at-home mom, I get to be in charge of my girls’ development, experience all of their milestones, and celebrate their growth with them every day. I might go back to teaching when they’re older, but there is no other place I’d rather be right now.

If you are considering staying at home with your children, I strongly encourage you to start planning! It was scary for me to give up my teaching position, but I haven’t regretted it once.  And if staying home doesn’t end up working out, you can always look for another job!

Are you a stay-at-home mom? How do you make it work for your family? Let me know in the comments!

See how I stay calm when my kids are acting crazy! And read about how I set the tone for a great day with my kids!