Just curious if the state of the economy is affecting your ability to be a stay at home mom. Are you considering working? Do you have to get a job? Or has there been little noticeable impact on your family finances?

Yes, I've been looking for a part-time for a while now. I had to find something that I wouldn't need childcare for, otherwise it wouldn't be worth it. I start my new job on Monday!

No, thankfully it hasn't. We're talking about cutting back on a few minor things (gym membership, etc.), but I would have to find a part time job with a HUGE salary to make it worth our while financially - no sense in getting a job when the salary will be just enough to pay the extra taxes we would have to pay when it pushes us into the next tax bracket.

No - its not affecting my ability to SAH and I have no plans to go back to work. However, we are having to tighten our belts because our grocery ans gas budgets have increased so freakin' much, that we have to cut back somewhere else.

My husband is always asking me if I am wanting to go back to work yet :lol: My salary brought in a good amount of money, and while we don't need it, it would be nice.

We've definetly cut back on 'extra' things (coffee @ the local place, eating out, etc) a bit, but it isn't going to cause me to have to go back to work. We'd still have to end up paying daycare if I did (since kindergarten is 1/2 day and I'll have a newborn soon), so it wouldn't be worth it at all. We've just paid a bit more attention to what and where we spend. And, I've been trying to be good about looking through the adds and clipping coupons lately since grocery prices are so high. We've also tried to be very careful about where we drive, for instance Matt drives the Saturn to work on days that I know that I won't be going anywhere.. since the truck guzzles gas like crazy!

No, thankfully. It would be really tough to find childcare for a special needs child anyway, and I doubt I'd make enough to pay for it for two kids. We are trying to be careful about our expenses, though.

I freelance/am a contractor, but that had more to do with money mismanagement by my wonderful husband than a need to keep up with the crumbling economy. :( It has helped tremendously, even if it does stress me out. I'm pulling in a few hundred bucks a month, so it's been nice to be able to help out financially instead of waiting for things to get better.

The best part, though, is that I can do all my work from home once the kids are in bed. I'm very lucky to have that kind of flexibility. If I didn't have that option, there's no way we could swing having me work outside of the house.

I'm not a SAHM, but it has become a possibility as it is becoming too costly to actually be an employee. In the long run, it was going to be about a $50-$75/week profit to work. My boss gave me a substantial raise and the girls were going to be able to continue in a free childcare situation, which is what has allowed me to continue working. If gas prices continue, however, it will become not worth working, I fear :eek:

We are just tightening our belts, not eating out as much, watching the sales more closely at the grocery store, thinking about ditching the satellite dish and only watching movies or no tv at all. We had thought about getting a more fuel efficient vehicle but the car dh drives is paid for so in order for it to actually be a cost savings the payment, insurance and gas would have to be less than what we are paying for gas and insurance now. I don't drive very much as it is and it will be decreasing because of the end of dance and Awana.

We haven't had much impact at this point, but I have noticed that I'm spending double on groceries than I used to. We bought a more fuel efficient car so my gas costs have stayed the same, but now I can go farther on a tank of gas.

That said, I am back to work. I'm in school right now working on my Master's Degree in education. I was planning to SAH until Anna was in school, but I've moved up my timetable a bit. I'm actually going to start teaching on a part-time basis in the fall, rather than waiting another year or two. The decision was mostly made b/c I want the experience and a good opportunity fell in my lap, but, I am relieved to be bringing some extra money in as costs go up and up.

We're not changing our arrangements at the moment. I pick up a little freelance work when I can and Scott's always thrilled about that, but it's fun/extra money at this point (as opposed to three or four years ago). If Scott's job were unstable, that might be a different story.

I'm not a SAHM, but it has become a possibility as it is becoming too costly to actually be an employee. In the long run, it was going to be about a $50-$75/week profit to work. My boss gave me a substantial raise and the girls were going to be able to continue in a free childcare situation, which is what has allowed me to continue working. If gas prices continue, however, it will become not worth working, I fear :eek:

Shanna, this is our situation, too. I'm six weeks into this new job and really, when I crunch the numbers, I'm hardly making anything. :sad: That coupled with the fact that I really don't want to work, makes it hard to go each time I'm supposed to. Plus, working every.single.Saturday really isn't a great deal, ether. :rolleyes:

I don't know what we're going to do. We're very close to being debt free which will help tremendously in the long run. Josh is doing great at his job and making mroe than every before, so things are looking up.

My sister did ask if I could keep her toddler and newborn when she goes back to work, so that's also an option to hold out for.

Oh, one more thing. I'm also finding that we're spending MORE money now that I'm working because there is less pressure to be tight, plus I'm not home as much to meal plan/grocery shop/do the bills, etc. :shuffle:

I have been considering looking to add another child to watch. Right now we are doing fine and we really haven't seen much of an impact but I think I would like to remain doing as well as we are right now and if I were to take on one more child I believe we would really be doing well enough not to see this impact at all.

The economy isn't causing me to go back to work, the fact that my student loan bills will need to be paid will. Plus, since Katie is going to kindergarten, I'll be able to work without day care costs.

We are tightening our belts as well. I am also considering shutting off our cable and getting rid of our Netflix Membership. That alone would save us $50 per month. I don't make any unnecessary trips anywhere and I have reduced our grocery budget from $150/week to $100/week. Not easy to do with rising grocery prices. We bought a Saturn for Matt two years ago when gas prices started rising, and that is GREAT on gas. And this next job he'll be on, he may need his truck which houses the company fuel tank. If that is so, then the company will pay for his gas which is a huge plus.

And I am also considering getting a part time job, but probably not until the fall. My MIL is retired now and she used to run a daycare and would be great to watch the kids, if she's willing. There is a bank right next door to my house and it would be convenient to work there. They are always hiring it seems. I would have to have free or cheap daycare to make it worthwhile though.

~ Melissa

We really can't cut back much more than we do now. I clean houses two days a week. The money is great! It has helped us out a lot with gas and groceries. I try to work around Ed's schedule so that he can watch the boys when he is home. Some days I do have to pay a sitter but I'm still bringing in extra money so it isn't too bad. My dad is around for a few months and he has been watching the boys for me.

I also watch a little baby boy 3 days a week. That money helps with any little extras.

I'll probably go back to work full time when Ian starts kindergarten, whether is full time on what I'm doing now or find something else I'm not sure but I won't do it now b/c having to pay full time daycare for Ian & then also for Eliot in the summer would pretty much take any extra $$ I would be bringing in and that's totally not worth the stress.

I work parttime, but I guess I'm still as much a SAHM as ever. :) I've always worked pt though so it's nothing new.

We're in a good financial position right now b/c we have no debt other than our mortgage. So the rising cost of gas & food doesn't really effect us as much as it might other people. The only thing that it's hurt is how much $$ we can put into savings each month has gone down since that $$ is being spent on necessities instead.

We're basically doing the same things as everyone else.. trying to cut back on the eating out, frivolous spending, unnecessary driving, skipping a major family vacation this year, etc. Just this morning I went through the freezers and the pantry and made a meal plan instead of just buying a whole bunch of shit and hoping it all went together for meals later. :lol: I was shocked to realize we have enough stuff for 16 complete meals already! :faint: So I'm going to see how it is to actually just buy the absolute staples (milk, bread, etc) and nothing else for the next 2 weeks and actually eat what we have here for once. :faint:

We've been affected not so much by the price of things but by the fact that we have been paying two mortgages for a few months now and it's really stressful. We obviously knew this going into it and made the decision to buy our house anyway so I know it's a situation we got ourselves into. I've been working a part time job for the last few months to try and help a little. I've started another part time job that I hope will continue long term. So we have made changes that way because of the economics of the current housing market.

I am not a SAHM...I work p/t now, but that is because of Kareem, not the economy. It is becoming more expensive to work, especially with a newborn on the way and the rising cost of gas. I currently work 31 hours/wk in 3 days, but that is a special arrangement. When I return to work f/t, it will probably be a 4 x 10 (4 ten hour days, so we eliminate the typical 5th work day). My job is changing how we work to combat the cost of gas...they are also considering additional telecommuting options.

I worry all the time about our jobs being stable...despite R being with his company 12 years and me 7 years, nothing feels safe anymore. :(