I don't know about you other mamas out there but I struggle. A lot. Struggle to find my own voice. Struggle to find the time. Struggle. One of the things that I have been struggling the most with is my position in the home. Not .. being mama. Not being home. But with feelings of not helping to provide. Not helping to bring the green home. It's so silly. Really it is. However, I often think about just going to work part time or trying to work at home. Um. Let's face it. I don't want to leave my babies and I stink at direct sales. That's about the skinny of it.
Last night while driving around doing errands, I started thinking. Scary. I shouldn't do that but I started thinking about all the money I "make" by having the time to do things that I totally didn't and wouldn't do if I worked at all. I started tallying all the crazy things I do and the money they save. It started adding up!
Now this isn't a MOMMY WARS thing and my numbers and thoughts might not add up to yours but that's okay.
This is my journey. My journey to finding there are monetary benefits to my staying home. I do "make" money in my own way.
Let's face it. Even if there were no monetary benefits, the benefits of sharing every moment with my children and taking care of our home and my husband are so much more important.
I am starting out approximating what I think I would make annually if I were to go back to work. This wouldn't be a fancy job, I am just basing it on what I am trained to do and what I would consider doing.
With all that in mind, I am using the number $26,000 per a year as my salary.
With all that "Jodi Math", here is more "Jodi Math"... Today (in my mind! haha) I "made" $132. Now I know that time is money. I get that! (Some times I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts because I just don't want to deal with a whole chicken. *Gasp!*) However, I am at a time in my life where money is a whole lot more scarce than time!
- We didn't use childcare because I was home with the kids. Now I know that if my kids were in public school, I would only need childcare for Ellison. I only considered childcare for her when coming up with this number. I searched the average daycare charge for our area. I know it could be higher and could be lower but I just went with an average.
- Now I know that this may lose some of you. I hear ya but please stick with me on this journey. I pulled two 8' x 5' area rugs out of a neighbors trash and cleaned them up. I know. I know. Ick! I just get such a rush when I find something we could use in our home and with a little bit of elbow grease, it works out great! I often find myself shouting (yes! I am strange.) "Yes, Jesus! Thank you! I receive this blessing and I thank you!"
- I refilled our laundry detergent bottle. This should cost but it didn't! I was (once again!) blessed when a neighbor was moving and left these materials for me to use! Once again... "Thank you, Jesus! I appreciate and receive this blessing!"
So this is today's tally of money I "made". Join me tomorrow when I share my cleaned up "new to us" rugs and how much we spent on decorating our family room!
