AngieS

You are right. Not having cable or the home phone wouldn't phase me but the internet would be needed. DH just mentioned it and I wrote it down but I just told him I'd rather keep it out of anything. :) He said fine with him, he was just thinking of ways to save but the internet would be cheap compared to keeping it all.

irishrose

I'd have trouble cutting Internet and full coverage on the cars. You can't control other drivers. The rest of your plan sounds doable. I had a friend who had a gourmet cheesecake business. I'm not sure how many regulations there are from the health department, if any. I have another friend who is doing well with a cupcake business. I know she has to have a dedicated kitchen. If you like baking, it's worth checking out.

I have a 85 year old friend who does mending and alterations. Local motels keep her busy. I've done some satin binding on blankets for her when she gets behind.

I wish you luck. I was able to stay home until my youngest started first grade. Then I got a job at the school my children attended so we were on the same schedule. I treasure the time at home. I did do some daycare prior to going out to work, but no infants.

bearisgray

You said your older boys were changing - I think it was because they were no longer being home schooled.

That might be part of it - but they are becoming teenagers!

I think a normal part of most teenagers lives - especially boys - is to become less "cuddly" - for lack of a better word.

I've always thought that one reason teenagers became harder to live with - was so that it's easier to let them go.

Any reason why your kids can't go to public school? By now, they should have picked up most of your values.

And if some of what I've read is true, there can also be "danger" in a parochial/private school

If you cut down/out all those things you've mentioned - that would be about (or maybe more) what a person making minimum wage would have earned.i

AngieS

Thanks Irishrose. :) The full coverage thing doesn't bother me as much because our newest vehicle is a 99 Dodge Grand Caravan....we have a 97 Dodge truck and an 88 Delta my DH just loves. They are really not going to bring in much at all if destroyed. If it goes then we will deal with it. I know that God would much rather see our family together and happy than to be apart and all over the page. I have been praying for 2 years to get back home. Just trying to see where God will lead us. :)

Thanks everyone for your help. I really appreciate it. Wish I could figure out that whole couponing thing. That looks so awesome!

ptquilts

I admire your desire to stay home with your kids. And you seem to have a lot of good ideas already.
Your oldest is 13? Can he watch the others during the day (after school maybe) for a few hours while you do cleaning jobs? that would give you a few more days to earn money.

On the car insurance, your agent can tell you whether it is worthwhile to have collision and comprehensive. The most you will get is blue book value if they are totalled. Do NOT drop liability or property damage to others. One fender-bender with a Lexus and you will be broke. Not to mention if someone is injured and sues you. Even when we drove a car with a value of $100 we always had liability and property damage (DH is retired from the insurance business).

AngieS

Oh, we always make sure that we are covered so we won't be sued. That is for sure!! My Dad was hit by someone and it totalled his truck-they had 0 insurance. He got very little. My DH was hit once by someone that had 0 insurance as well. He was sent to the hospital in an abulance and still deals with issues with his back because of it! He did get his truck fixed and a little money for Dr's and such. So definately covered there. We also don't take on riders. So many people don't think about who they have in their car. We sure do!

Kim Bohannon

where i live, the people who work in the emergency area of the hospital have to order their food take-out which limits them a lot. most places don't deliver food, so they asked me if i would be willing to pick up and deliver food for them sometimes. You might want to check that out... you can make a little money on the side with something like that. Cleaning houses is a good idea, babysitting one little one 2 days a week might help, too. That's what i do. i have 4 kids, 6 and under, and I keep a 4 yr old a few days a week, I also homeschool. It is hard some days, but it's always loads of fun! Keep considering your options, there are lots out there.... You could become a Tupperware dealer if you are willing to invest some money first, Tupperware is lots of fun, but takes a lot of preperation time for the parties.

IrelandDragonQuilting

If you are good at book keeping you can do that on the side to help out the smaller business who cannot hire someone full time. Doctor offices hire curriers, the elderly are definitely in need of others to help them out, I think what I would do right now is since you still have your job, do all your cuts as if you did not have your job for the next month or so and see if you can live on just his income, which would build you up some extra cash while you run this 'test' And do you have your emergency fund in place of three to six months expenses?

redkimba

How about an "errand-runner" service? There have been times I would have paid for someone to go pick up dry-cleaning, books off to the library &/or a few groceries just so I could have that extra time for other things.

PS - I support your decision to stay at home to support the kids. (not enough women hear that nowadays, I figure.)

mosquitosewgirl

You will be in my thoughts and prayers as you make this transition. Five years ago I quit my job and started my own business. My income at that point was 25% higher than my husband's, but the damage my career was doing to my health and my family made my final decision easier.

The savings alone added up to much more than I originally thought...although there was some increased costs for heating the house during the day while I was now home more and for having lights on more often.

First the practical....It sounds like you have a good handle on where you will save money, but have you really looked at your budget? So that you know exactly what is needed every month, plus allowance for emergencies? Don't forget that you will still be going places and using gas...and as you will have more time for your projects you need to make sure that you have an allowance for that.

Can you make ends meet without any income from you?

If so, can you wean yourself off of your earnings, gently, by paying yourself your first unemployment check in full, then each subsequent check put an increasing portion into savings to build an emergency fund? That will give you some cushion while helping you wind down your expenditures.

Now the faith....

Start with a prayer or meditation that your heart and mind will be open to finding your path that will help you provide for your family and fill you with joy...

Then start making a list of all the things you love to do. The things that make your heart sing. Your kids, sewing, gardening, painting, cleaning, etc..... Then separate them onto different sheets of paper and brainstorm ways that you can do any of those things to make money. Could you do a daycare? Can you start a community garden on your property? Can you teach your arts?

With an open heart and mind, the answers will come and you will create exactly what you and your family need.

Love and Blessings.