We have recently become a one-income family and I am very nervous. I am couponing and it really helps. I want to be a home tester, but I am so afraid of getting scammed. I am new to the internet. Can you offer any advice? -Sheila
1. Take a Deep Breath
While this can be a scary time, this can also be an exciting time. There is a world of possibilities before you and I love your can-do attitude. That will take you very far!
I encourage you to take a deep breath and focus on the blessings and opportunities instead of getting overwhelmed and nervous by all the “what ifs”.
2. Get on a Budget
The best thing you can do for your family right now is to get on a written budget. Many times, people don’t have an income problem, they have a spending problem. So before trying to increase your income, make sure you are being very intentional in how you spend what you’re already making.
I highly recommend getting a copy of The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey from your library. If you can afford it, I also heartily suggest looking into going through Financial Peace University.
Both of these resources will walk you through how to set up a budget and how to stick with it. And Dave will motivate you and inspire you to dream big, work hard, and get your finances in amazing shape.
3. Do Your Research
If you’re thinking of doing any at-home work, do a lot of research before jumping into anything. There are many legitimate opportunities out there, but there are also dozens upon dozens of scams.
Dig around online, talk to friends, and take time to investigate before moving forward with anything. If you’re looking for some tried and true ideas, check out my series on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Income Before Christmas.
Note: Never, ever, ever pay a company to sign up and take surveys, mystery shop, or do at-home research. Any company that asks you for money upfront is almost 100% guaranteed to be a scam.
4. Focus on the Best Return on Your Investment
There are so many different things you can do to save and make money. I encourage you to start slowly and set limits.
Try a few new things every month and figure out what works best for you. As you experiment, determine what things you find you enjoy doing that also give you the best return on your investment of time.
It might take you a number of months and experimenting to hit on the best things, but don’t give up. Keep at it and you’ll eventually learn what works well for you and your family.
Once you’ve found those things, focus your energies and efforts there and don’t let yourself feel guilty if you’re not doing everything else that some of you frugal friends are doing. You can’t do it all, so do what works for you — and be free from guilt!
What advice and suggestions do the rest of you have for Sheila? I’d love to hear!
Meg says
I agree with everything others have said, especially about creating a budget asap.
I’ll also add to keep a toe in the work world. I was blessed to be home with our boys for eight years, but I was able to get a part time teaching job again when I wanted partly because I had made sure to keep my credentials current.
Keep in touch with your coworkers, stay up on technology….small things will make a big difference if your circumstances ever change again. Best wishes!
Jessica C says
Thank you everyone for all of the posts on this site!! My husband and I are actually considering reducing to a one-income family after our little peanut is born (any day now!!). We, thankfully, don’t have a mortgage, however, our house is in need of more repairs and remodel than you know. The unfortunate part of the situation is that my husband is a licensed contractor and subcontractor and income is not “steady” per se. He is paid frequently but it is not something we can absolutely “predict.” Also I have student loans totaling nearly $100k that I am just beginning to pay off – thankfully, last year, our AIG was low enough that I qualified for the income-based repayment plan for monthly payments at $0 right now. But we have credit card debt and a few loans we are trying to pay off. With some of your advice, I feel a little more confident, although I still worry about decreasing as much as we will be. I am hoping to find a part-time job that allows for discounted, if at all, child care for our little one since we live a half-hour minimum away from family.
As for cooking, I struggle with it because I like to “gourmet” cook. I like to change it up frequently and use multiple items and follow recipes making outstanding and unbelievable meals. Unfortunately, when trying to budget, that is not going to be an option. I am trying to get into meal planning based on current week sales, but even that is a struggle. Any suggestions on this would be great!!
If any of you have any other advice, I would LOVE to hear it!! Thanks again! I am trying to stay as positive as possible through this all!
Amie says
I would cut back on the outstanding cookoffs to once or twice a month. Especially if the ingredients are expensive. Make a game out of using what you have in your pantry and try to mostly buy loss leaders. I’d also try to make some casseroles to freeze now. You will be tired for a few months and it takes a bit to get into a routine.
Roberta says
The quickest way to save some money is to pull out all your bills and look them over phone, internet, cable, cell phone, utility bill, house insurance, car insurance, credit cards, fitness clubs, etc. Pull up the company’s website and compare the prices with what you are now paying then call them up and ask for the reduced rate or for them to match their competitors rates. $10 a month on 3 bills is $360 a year.
Let the car insurance company know you are no longer working which may lower your bill as you wont be driving as much look into bundling your plan (home, auto) for a discount. If you have a balance on your credit cards look at the interest rates and if you have a yearly fee ask for the fee to be waived or removed and a lower interest rate.
Drop the fitness club and rent some videos from the library to get your workout in.
Check out cookbooks from the library, ask a couple of friends if they would show you how to cook one of their signature dishes.
Start looking around the house for ways to lower your utilities bills since you are now home you can probably go to showering every 2-3 days and just washing with a wet cloth the other days. Adjust the thermostat, unplug appliances when not in use, wash only full loads of laundry, look into hanging your clothes to dry, etc.
There are lots of ways you can save money by cutting your expenses first, coupons are great but there are other ways to spend less on groceries too.
Cindy N. says
I have not read all of the comments, but wanted to say, there are some legit companies that you pay a fee before you get hired or become an independent contractor. The industry I know that usually has you pay for a back ground check is telephone work. For example Liveops, a legit company that you take inbound calls or do outbound calls has a fee for a background check. This is out of pocket and does not guarantee a position if you do not meet their credit/background criteria. Just don’t let a fee scare you off from a great opportunity. Do your research and make sure before you pay that fee but do not count it out if there is a fee. There are many work from home blogs and forums that help you sort out the scammers and find legit work at home jobs.
Kemi Quinn says
Every once in a while my husband I go through “what if”. We’re a one income family but we start with what would we cut if we had too? He always likes to go after my internet until I remind him of all the good that has come from it. We talk about lowering the grocery budget even more (we admittedly spend a lot on food since we don’t eat out). Can we change our cell phone plan (he says he’ll go without)? Sell anything (yes I can unload quite a bit truthfully)? Earn any extra ways? Any other bills we don’t need (no, we’re pretty bare bones)? We go through what to cut first. What we can fenangle(sp) to get for less or free? Where can we earn extra?
Cary says
Hi Sheila,
You have received a lot of great advice. I heard one thing in a reply that I am not sure was responded to. It sounds as if you are a bit afraid of how to spend your days. I used to work for the school system and would have summers off. I would have grandiose ideas of all that I would accomplish during the summer. at some point I realized that I needed to plan to accomplish anything and not let the summer slip away. If I mede some plans on what to accomplish on what days that really helped. Laundry on Mondays and Thursdays, major cleaning on Fridays, etc. Also I would try to have a focus for the week, such as prepare for a rummage sale, visit out of town family, clean the carpets, etc.
Staying at home is a respectable job.
Good luck! You have lots of people rooting for you!
Victoria says
A great way to start earning money at home is to start with what you already own. Sell a few items on Craigslist, eBay or Consignment, then reinvest the money into your at home money making talents, what ever those might be. You might just find your talent is re-selling items for profit. Or perhaps you are great at taking pictures and the money from those items you sold could go towards a great camera you could use to take portraits for others for cash. The ideas are endless. Go to your library and start reading books on ways to make money at home.
Kelly in KC says
Sheila there are a few blog / company sites that are good for home testers – just no “real” money in it as far as I am concerned. It is fun and sometimes useful to get the products. Kraft is a good site, BuzzAgent is a great one. Keep watching MoneySavingMom and Crystal will list any opportunities that comes along.
I was in your shoes 12 years ago – I was terminated due to boss having to file bankruptcy. With our family I made more money and also had the benefits. It was rough at first and I NEVER thought I could be a stay at home mom, but when force to do things we STAND up to the challenge – because it is our family that matters.
As many have said already there will be challenges, but just keep trying – you will have ups and downs but in the end I have found it is SO WORTH me staying at home. TIME is so valuable to your family and you – something you can’t get back!
I could not cook either – Food Network will become your new best friend and now you have time to watch it.
Keep asking questions – readers are more than willing to give advice (FREE) hee hee.
Kelly in KC
Heather says
I second all the great advice everyone has given. Just remember to:
Go slow, and pick one area to work on at a time.
I took too much on (learning to cook more, cleaning with all natural products, couponing, ect.) when I first started staying home four years ago and burnt myself out. That is not a good thing for the family.
I want to add to the advice already given. Many bloggers have e-books out now that have all their great information in one spot. I have never been able to buy e-books no matter the price due to the budget. But there is a website: bundleoftheweek that “bundles” common themed e-books in to groups of five for $7.40 for each bundle. You can get them even cheaper by buying 6 credits for the price of 5 bundles. The credits are good for a year, so you can wait for a bundle that interests you. It works out to being $37 for 35 e-books. Yes you have to put the money up front but the price is worth it. I have finally been able to buy several e-books that I have been wanting for years including one of Crystal’s!
Right now the bundle is kids in the kitchen, but in the past they has been a bundle for getting organized, cleaning, cooking more with real food.
http://bundleoftheweek.com/
Even though the bundle this week is about kids in the kitchen I have learned a lot about cooking myself though the e-books. Something you might think about if you feel you lack in kitchen skills.
sheila says
your situation sounded a lot like mine. It is encouraging. We did not prepare as we should have, but we do not have a lot of debt and a very modest savings (very modest). I am just a little overwhelmed with the whole life change. And very afraid i will have unexpected troubles as you did and it wipe us out. I knew what to do every every minute of every day, when i was working. I am sure a year from now I will wonder why I let myself get so stressed. thanks
sheila says
this response was to Jessica.
sheila says
You guys have been so helpful!! i just have to absorb it all and remember one step at a time.
Thank you dear Lord for all the blessings in my daily life. I know I stepped out on faith and I trust You. I can walk on this water, because You said I could.
Amen
Jana @ Jana Says says
I am very new to staying home as well. One thing that I have learned, besides the excellent advice already given, is that I need to remind myself that I am contributing to my family, even though I don’t bring in a regular paycheck. Contributing is so much more than money, and you are doing just that. Keep your positive attitude, keep asking questions, keep seeking out advice of others who’ve been there and you’ll do just fine.
Becky says
I don’t know how old your children are, or what your personal plans are, but here are a couple of ideas that may or may not work for your situation.
1) Have your child/children join a 4-H cooking club and offer to help. I have led one for over 20 years. I’ve had several moms over the years who did not know how to cook and were right in there with their children learning how. Since we have the children cook during our monthly meetings, each time those MOTHERS asked for the recipies and learned how to make that item. Often they would re-make it at home during the month, with or without their child. I was just talking to a mom who moved away several years ago and she was going to make the potato leek soup we made at 4-H when they did live here. In my opinion, it’s win-win. The child learns skills for life and so do the moms who did not learn to cook as a child. Even if you know how to cook, you might learn a recipe everyone likes.
2)Either subscribe to Taste of Home Magazine, or get on-line and look at all the recipies on their website (although that might be overwhelming). Or, get one of the books from the library where they put a whole year’s worth of recipes in one book. I have picked up several of those from yard sales over the years for about $1-$2 per book. Anything that is in one of those books is available and printable from their website. I like looking at the magazines/cookbooks while I walk on the treadmill. Then, I go to the website and print off a recipe. I put that in a top-loading sheet protector and test it. If I like it, I keep it in a binder. If I don’t, I throw it away and choose another one. The first time I make a recipe, I usually make it the way it says. After that, I often change out ingredients, according to what I have on hand, or think I would like better. I can write those changes on my paper copy, replace in sheet protector, and build up my own personal binder of recipes, just the way we like them.
3) Look at cooking as a skill that has to be practiced the same way as you would need to practice the piano or a sport. Don’t be discouraged. Read all the directions carefully, set all the ingredients out on the counter to make sure you really have them all, along with your measuring cups, bowls, etc. Then, practice the recipe more than once over a series of time. Each time it will get more familiar and will become easier.
Good luck!
sheila says
I will check and see if the local 4-h will let me volunteer. ?
Ashlee says
I signed up for bzzagent a year or so ago and love it. There is NEVER any credit card info given. They send you coupons to try products for free or sometimes just send you the products directly. It hasn’t increased our income at all, but it has some months lowered our grocery budget. I get about 1 product every month or two. They even give free toys for your kids to try and you to review, love those!
Paula says
JUST Because something is a great deal DOES NOT mean buy it!
I pass on many great deals. If I spend even $0.50 on something that was a great deal, I just spent $0.50. Those little amounts add up and cause me not to be able to buy things we need or put money in our savings account! Dealing can become addictive, but remember to only purchase things if you are going to use it before the next buy cycle. Everything goes on sale again and again. Just because it is a great deal now, does not mean there will not be another great deal later.
Sherry says
So true! I am constantly getting e-mails about how much I can save at this store or that, and I think how much more I am saving by not buying any of it! It’s amazing how many things we can really do without.
carrie says
Hi! We recently lost part of our income and I learned that just couponing wasn’t enough I decided to take on selling Scentsy to earn some extra money with very little work time involved. Yes I did have to pay to sign up to sell but the items I got in my kit were well beyond worth it bc I can resell them for at least what I spent signing up I spend about 4 to 6 hrs a month doing actual work on my side business. And my income def varies from it, my first month I made 250 to last month (my 2nd) making 700. Most stay at home spouses work hard at home but many still want to help bring in a little extra. I’m personally using my extra income to help w infertility dr costs and for christmas. There are many different ideas to save and make money while staying at home just take time to research them and if you get off track with your budget one month just jump right back in bc you will learn the what to and what not to do stuff 🙂 good luck!
Leanna Reece says
I’ve made my own laundry detergent for years, it’s hypoallergenic, non-toxic, cleans my hubby’s filthy clothes from landscaping, and comes out to less than 50 cents per gallon! (On my blog: http://fibroconfessions.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-laundry-soap-recipe.html.)
Due to my health problems, we’ve downsized three times over the last year. You can sell just about anything if you work eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook groups effectively. I also have two Facebook pages that help me keep track of what I’m selling.
Since I have INSANE allergies, I make almost everything- clothing, cleaners, and more. Before I buy anything I check out Pinterest to see if there’s a way I can make it for less. Pinterest is my little mental health saver in keeping ideas and recipes organized and always at hand. I also get a lot of what we need secondhand, from a local thrift store, Freecycle, Craigslist, eBay, friends/family, and Facebook groups.
The little energy I have left goes towards hobbies that I enjoy but require minimal cost, such as upcycling magazines and making “food candles” from reclaimed wax. Then I sell what I produce to pay for anything outside of our most basic needs.
If someone with my health issues can still make things happen, anyone who’s healthy can do all the more. It’s a matter of keeping an attitude that God is truly in control and trusting Him. As well as stretching every last dollar until it cries Uncle. 😉
Kristie says
You are in good company, because there are a lot of us out there! 🙂 The internet has become my best friend when it comes to “Do-It-Yourself.” We save tons of money each year with homemade baked oatmeal (for breakfast), homemade yogurt, and cooking from scratch all the time. I think the recent column on here about beans was good too, because that’s a big resource for us. Lentil hummus or garbanzo hummus is extremely easy to make, and my kids love it. (We have 6 kids–including 3 teenagers, so food is big issue for our family.) Black beans and rice is also super cheap (especially if you buy the dry beans), and it’s tasty–even for supper. Another area of shopping to consider is in cleaning supplies. I use vinegar to clean a lot of things–including mopping floors, cleaning windows, and shining up faucets and removing hard water stains. The key is to be patient as you learn one step at a time. It becomes a lifelong project to shave off dollars from your spending–but a fun adventure! We wish you the best!
Kristie says
And one more thing: Crystal includes good links on here to other money-saving blogs too, so they can be a help. Sometime their emphasis is on recipes, or homemade supplies, etc..
Jessica says
The best way is to prepare well before going to a 1-income household, but I understand that sometimes it’s not possible, often for reasons out of your control. Do you have a 6 month emergency fund? What are your debts? You need to make a budget first and foremost.
Once you’ve got a budget, then you can work on your grocery planning and cooking. Look to see if your community center offers any cooking classes. Or ask a friend to come over and help you learn a technique or how to cook a particular dish that you enjoy. You’ll get the benefit of socializing and learning the skill. Stick with simple meals to build your confidence. Grilled cheese is easy, inexpensive, and can be changed up with different types of bread, different types of cheese, meat or not, sliced vegetables such as tomato, the addition of fresh herbs, and so forth.
Make one change at a time and master it before adding a new challenge. Perhaps your goal this month is to decrease your grocery budget by 5%. See if you can decrease it another 5% next month. Learn how to cook one new dish a month, or a week if you’re up to it. Don’t try it all at once or you’ll get overwhelmed and burnt out.
As for me, I quit my full-time job just over 2 years ago. I have a Masters degree and was earning 60% of our family’s income. My husband’s job was in flux at the time, but I had been miserable for 3 1/2 years and was bringing the family ship down with me. Being a 1-income family was something we’d always thought about, so we lived very frugally from the get-go. We paid off our modest house in 6.5 years by foregoing most of what people thing are necessities. No smart phones, no tv service, no designer purses, no salon treatments, no expensive hobbies, and 1 vacation in 11 years of marriage. I’ve learned how to cook, mend clothes, garden, cut hair, make gifts, and do many other things that save us money. My husband does minor repairs on the home and vehicles as well. Since I quit my job, we’ve had a lot of unexpected things happen. I’ve had some strange medical issues requiring a lot of medical care. We had another baby even though we were using birth control. My husband was in a bad car accident that totaled our car. We had several deaths in our family. One of our two cats became very ill and after some veterinary care, she had to be euthanized. All of these were unexpected expenses that we had to be ready for.
If we can do it as a family of 5 on a modest income, so can you! Good luck!
TopPic says
Make a list of all your fixed and variable expenses. Remember some expenses may only be yearly (eg: insurance on home, life insurance, insurance on personnel property such as a computer or jewelry), holiday gifts, car tags, licence plate tag and some expenses may be every 6 months (eg: car insurance) while others may be quarterly (eg: oil changes) so do not forget these expenses. From there, you can do your monthly/yearly budget. You will also need to factor in those unexpected expenses such as car repairs, home repair, broken appliance etc. You can use past years as a guide. See where you can cut back and things you can do without. No two people will be the same for it will depend on ones spending habits. For me, I changed my internet plan, phone plan (and not the carriers just the type of plan for many carriers have many/several plans to choose from) as well as cut back on buying books (I never buy hard cover books anymore. I have never been able to find my favorite authors in a library or used book store ;( . I also coupon as well as plan my meals around the weekly sales. I seldom eat out (unless I have a great coupon). I have not been to the movies in years nor buy movies anymore. I do sometimes rent a movie from Red Box either for $1.20 or free for they always have those free movie rentals. I am so careful with my clothing purchases. I do not buy anything that says “dry clean only” with the exception of suits. My largest savings is on groceries! I save hundreds a month. With coupons and sales, I hardly ever spend more then .99 cents for 50 oz. of laundry detergent for example. I use to buy only Tide and pay an outrage amount (even with a coupon and sale). I have changed to All, Purex and Arm & Hammer to get this savings and you should see my stock pile. Brand loyalty on products for me is gone! I believe a child only needs a few good toys and game boards as well a deck of cards. I never bought video games or the software for them. And for the holidays, I spend very conservatively and well plan and thought out my gift shopping. This all worked for me but doesn’t mean it is what someone else wants to do. And I never ever felt that I had to keep up with the Jones as the saying goes.
sheila says
This is also a lot of good advice. I am always been quite conservative I thought. I rarely buy new clothes, eat out, just have antenna tv, never had a cell phone and just got internet 2 months ago. I guess the down fall is processed foods. I know there is a lot i can do differently. It is just figuring out where to start and staying motivated. I have all I need. I don’t want my husband to feel deprived, as I was already on the thrifty side when i was working.
Mrs. Waste Not says
If you are worried about processed foods, just know you can probably find a recipe out there to make it yourself instead. Yogurt, cereal, bread and snacks can all be homemade. This site and the prudent homemaker are great resources. I would take the advice to go slow. Try replacing on processed food every week or so. You will be saving money in no time!
Penny says
I can relate in a fear of yours being that your husband may feel deprived. Part of that is *his* responsibility—-knowing that, as a Team, you two chose very intentionally to move forward with your priority being the home and your kids–nothing wrong with that at all, but in order to really commit to the New Plan, some sacrifice will have to be made by all. In my home, I try to (i) give my hubby $XX monthly cash that he can spend as he wishes. It’s not much, but the implied freedom is tantamount. (ii), I try to bake or buy one special snack for his lunches every week—something that I know he enjoys, and that helps him know that I am thinking of him, too. Good luck!
Amie says
You can borrow movies from the library. My library I connected to like 10 more in the area. I can borrow from the others and have anything shipped to my library for pickup. Also The Frugal Girl is great for ideas. Some people can’t use homemade laundry detergent, because of hard water. Figure out what works for you and try just one or two things at a time.
Debbie Rioux says
God will provide I encourage you to keep a journal on how it is working. I stayed home for 2 years and we lost over 50% of our income. You can be creative have fun with it. I started by having a eat it all up time we ate everything that we had on the shelves stuff we had been hanging onto for a while. 🙂
sheila says
i have never done a journal before, i will give it a try. My husband has been very supportive about this choice to stay home. Part of my problem is that i have always worked so much, that i never learned to cook very well.
The Groundskeeper says
Sounds like a trip to the cook book section of the library is in order. Once you find a book/website with several dishes you like it will be easier to narrow them down in the future. It took me a while but I finally have a binder started of our best loved dishes, and am working on new ones all the time. (This week I decided to try 6 different homemade tomato soup recipes to see which we like the best, and maybe can some … we have a lot of tomatoes at the moment.)
Some of my favorites are:
Every Day Food (magazine and website)
Cooking Light 2003 – our library had a copy of all the magazines from that year compiled into one book
Don’t Panic, Dinner’s in the Freezer Too – I haven’t read the first, but if it is as good as the second one, I’d recommend it also.
Good luck. Little steps add up. You can do this.
Chrystelle says
We are thinking about doing the same thing. Like Sheila says in her comment, I never really “learned” how to cook very well either. As a matter of fact, I could use a “basics of cooking” class. I’m challenging myself to do this now. I know it will have a huge impact on my family’s budget…and just may be one of the major things that gets me that much closer to being home with my kiddos. Praying!
Stephanie says
You will LOVE Brandy’s blog, the Prudent Homemaker then. she’s the best 🙂
Mel says
To learn how to cook I highly recomend the ‘Taste of of Home’s Quick Cooking’ books
and Alton Brown’s ‘Good Eats’ books and TV shows.
Amie says
YouTube also can help. Remember to start w easy things. Don’t try anything too complicated or you’ll overwhelm yourself. One pot dishes and casseroles are a good start. Shepherds pie, spaghetti, tacos, chili,etc… Alton Brown is wonderful for explaining and showing.
The Prudent Homemaker says
Sheila, I just want to let you know that you can do it!
My husband once added up all the ways that I save money by being home with our family (at that time we had two children). He figured I saved our family over $65,000 a year by being home.
That is tax-free money. You can do so much to serve your family, grow your talents (which will, in turn, help you to be both happy and fulfilled at home), and learn new skills that will also save your family money.
sheila says
thank you for your encouragement
Susan says
I really can’t say enough about Brandy, above, The Prudent Homemaker. Her site is a wealth of information, just like Money Saving Mom! You can follow her on Facebook and link over to her blog and website for recipes, coping strategies, money saving ideas and much, much more! http://www.theprudenthomemaker.com