Officially a SAHM/WAHM

As of June 28, 2012 I officially left my job after 27 months as an administrative assistant to become a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom.  It was a decision that neither Neil nor I took lightly but in the end decided that it would be best for us and for our child.

Why?

• Importance of being home with the baby
• Cost of daycare versus my take home income
• More time to focus on my health coaching and other freelance work

My Plans (tentative)

• Continue with freelance work that I have already been doing and look into increasing the amount in the Fall
• Taking a break from one-on-one health coaching and workshops until September- until that time I will be doing online only programs, working on the blog and creating/reworking my current program offerings

How:

• Neil has a flexible work schedule that will allow me to have time at home to work throughout the week.  We are still working out the details regarding our schedule but the thought right now is that I will have time to work in the mornings on either Tuesday or Thursday and every Friday when Neil doesn’t have to go into work early. On all o the other days I plan to fit work in where I can. Once I get back to one-on-one coaching and doing workshops again these will be in the afternoons/evenings and Neil will watch the baby then but currently no set days or times yet we are going to see how things are come September.
• I also plan on taking some outside help from friends and family when it comes to watching the baby.  Starting in the Fall I plan on taking my mom up on her offer to help out a few hours per week by having her come over and watch/play with the baby while I work in the office or meet with clients.
• We also have discussed hiring outside help for 6-10 hours per week to watch the baby while I coach or do other work.

Budget:

• Our budget has changed a little bit but not too much.  Luckily Neil received a promotion and a raise in May and it has really helped with offsetting the income that we will be losing now that I am not bringing in a consistent paycheck.
• We have adjusted our budget to reflect only having Neil’s income and whatever I make each month in freelance work/coaching will be seen more as a bonus and a large portion will be put into savings and the other as a buffer for our checking accounts.
• Things we have cut back on:
  • Groceries: We are still eating well but know that we can’t buy the more frivolous items that we once did such as special pre-made sauces, expensive chocolates or other non-essentials.
  • Dining Out: We both really enjoy getting out of the house for a meal once or so per week but we know how much this can add up so we have been cutting back and plan on cutting back even more when the baby arrives.  We have no set plan but know that dining out will be saved for more special occasions and less “I don’t feel like cooking” meals.
  • Travel: This is something that we have been reducing over the years. When we were first married we were constantly traveling and had an amazing time doing so but over the past two years we have reduced our travel and even more so in the last year.  We just can’t afford all of the trips we once made and are now more focused on planning ahead for trips rather than gallivanting off on a whim like we used to.
  • Entertainment: Again similar to dining out we are cutting back and focusing more on free/inexpensive forms of entertainment.  Luckily it’s summer and there is so much for us to do outside for free that we haven’t really been spending much money on entertainment.

Overall we feel like we made the best decision for us and that it was the right time.  We feel financially secure, have built up a great savings and it was the perfect time for me to leave my job so I could focus more on my passion of health coaching and our baby that is on the way.

SAHM/WAHM posts by other bloggers:

• Sabrina (Rhodey Girl): Should I Be a SAHM or a WAHM?
• The Runners Trials: What Does a SAHM Do All Day?
• Healthy Tipping Point: SAHM Morning
• Writing Chapter Three: My New Job, The SAHM Decision: Budget and Sacrifice and SAHM: Part II — Some Questions