A Stay-At-Home Mom Living a Frugal Lifestyle: Can It Really Be Done?

Everyone loves to have money in their pocket and for those of us who have decided to stay home to be a full-time homemaker, it is essential to learn how to be frugal. I am fortunate to be able to stay home with our 11 month old son. My husband works for us and we live comfortably. We have our bills paid with a little left over. The lesson we had to learn as a family though was to cut spending wherever possible.

While it is a luxury to stay home and live off one income, there are many things to be learned from that as well. Prior to having our baby, we spent our money on almost anything we wanted. If we wanted to spontaneously go to Atlantic City, or the best amusement parks, we just went and spent, and saved at the same time because both of our incomes allowed us to do this. Unfortunately, we did not learn how to budget that well, at least not at first. As the person who stays home, I assumed the responsibility of budgeting and really analyzing what is being spent by the family.

First of all having a baby is a very big expense. There's diapers, clothes, food, formula, etc. I was so sure that when I resigned after having our son that I was going to nurse and save all this money. Well, that did not happen. He was allergic to almost everything and therefore, not only did I have to put him on formula, which is expensive enough, I had to put him on hypoallergenic formula which is twice as expensive as the leading formula out there! So, we spent $50 a week on formula, $20 on diapers, not to mention the other odds and ends a baby needs! Aside from baby expenses, our menu changed. Before we could eat out anywhere without worrying about expense, or buy whatever we wanted from the grocery store. I was somewhat conscious of prices prior to baby, but now I have to be aware more than ever. So, for those of you who really want to stay home, it is possible. Here are some things that I learned that really work for us now. Keep in mind though, budgeting is an art and it takes time and resources and you can always learn something!