Money?

The number one objection I hear from moms & families about having a parent stay home is money. It's tax time, and for the first time ever, I'm attempting to do our own taxes, so I've been looking at our income and expenses. It's not as scary as you might think. We've had one job now for 13 months (not counting my job at church, which doesn't pay very much and really doesn't count), and I'm telling you, it is totally possible to live on one income. We have a little bit of an advantage because of my kids' child support, but even without it, we'd be doing just fine. Last year, we paid off several thousand dollars in old medical bills, plus several thousand dollars for Grace's birth/delivery. We tithed. We supported a couple of other missions & charities. We bought gifts for all seven kids at birthdays and Christmas. We paid to fly David and Jennifer here and for a car for them to use. For a few months, there were 9 people living (and eating) in our house. We kept up on all of our bills and don't have any credit card debt. We all have plenty of socks, underwear, and food. Amazing? Yes, it is. I truly think that God is blessing us and our finances because of the decision we've made to reject the "it takes two incomes to survive" mentality that has infested our culture. I'm not trying to brag. We are not perfect. I waste money on dumb stuff ($20 yarn, the expensive yogurt, adorable baby shoes for a baby who doesn't walk yet) and make stupid decisions. I get crabby and yell at my children. I get mad at my husband for breathing funny in his sleep. We skip school once in a while because all of us are dreading it. I daydream about owning a huge house and a brand new minivan with those stow-and-go seats. I am, at best, just a normal person. This is all the more evidence that YOU - whoever you are - can do this to, if you want to. And if you don't, it's not as if I don't understand that too (and who would I be to judge your choices anyway?). I worked full time for the first 12ish years of my "adult" life and didn't even consider staying home until about a year and a half ago. I went back to work 4-5 weeks after each of my first three kids were born. Eagerly. I spent every bit of the two incomes we had, and sometimes more. At least once a week, John says to me, "I don't understand how we're doing it, but we're doing it." So we "only" have one car and rent our house and are the only people I know without a flat screen TV. If that's all it takes to have the incredibly rich life that we've got, how awesome is that?