My Pocketbook Feels Good!
by Tammy Harrison

I was reading a superb book over the weekend about being able to afford to stay home with your kids and the hidden financial savings you may encounter when you made the leap from working away from home verses staying home with your children. 

I was quite mesmerized by some of the interesting costs that folks incur that I had never thought of and once my wheels started turning I came up with an additional list of not-so-well-known costs that I have associated with working outside of the house.

A few fees that you may recognize could be day care costs, gasoline prices and eating out more often for lunch or dinner. You may also have dry cleaning bills, higher clothing budgets or bigger entertainment expenses.

Here are a few others that I thought of:
ø  Doctor visits dwindle down to yearly well-baby checkups. Without the kids being exposed to every bug, bacteria and virus that comes through the sitter's doors, we spend a lot less time visiting their pediatrician.

ø  Mittens! We have not lost a single pair of mittens!

ø  New clothes for one child last much longer so they can become hand-me-downs to the next child.

ø  Laundry soap and fabric softener expenses have been cut in half as well as my time doing laundry since the kids can wear play clothes all day instead of school clothes and then play clothes.

ø  Patches for jean knees are now about one a month instead of one a week.

ø  I always felt obligated to buy those cute snack packages or boxed lunches for the kids - now they eat what we eat and I save a *lot* of money eating the old fashioned way.

ø  Social activities are now a family affair and we can determine where we want to go and do. There were times when we had birthday parties every weekend and the obligatory present accompanying the child.

ø  Not only do we have fewer parties, but we now have time to make our own presents for people. 

ø  We also design our own gift wrap with a large sheet of paper and a box of crayons.

ø  And aspirin! We spend so much less time trying to un-do the bad habits of others and spend more time enjoying the goodness that life has to offer! 

I suggest you take a week or a month and write down every penny you spend if you work outside of the house. See exactly where your money is going and once the list is complete, use it to create a list of expenses that you could eliminate if you were to become home-based. Remember to include the hidden costs associated with sending your child to a sitter or day care as well as your personal hidden costs. You may find yourself not only spending more time with your children but also spending less time shopping!

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