Help!

[imamomx2]

Hi Mamas!

I am fairly new to this site, and right now I'm working part time out of the home three days a week. My heart is longing to be back with my kids. We're working on home repairs, and family stuff, so it feels like my kids are taking a backseat to work, and it's wearing on me.

Here are my concerns - please help!

1) Did any of you regret quitting your job and staying home? We're in Michigan, so it's not like I can just jump back into work if I wanted to.

2) What do you have leftover at the end of the month? After all of our expenses (budgeting for car and house repairs, spending, etc), we will have $300 or $400 leftover. I'm so concerned that this isn't enough.

We are really frugal people, so I can always tweak my budget, I'm sure, but I still want to be able to breathe financially you know? I also want to be able to enjoy my kids, too. My heart is so torn.

[sanguine_speed]

Maybe you could check out the Frugality and Finances forum for more ideas, but it sounds like you're doing okay if you mean that you've covered all of your expenses including emergency savings and all fixed and variable living exspenses and still have a few hundred left over! How is that not enough if everything is paid for and you have spending money before that?

[cappuccinosmom]

Can't speak to the job. Haven't had one since I married.

As to the money--if that 300-400 dollars per month is after you've taken care of every financial obligation and allowed for spending money...y'all will be way ahead of most of the rest of the world, if you consistently stick that amount in savings every month. That's 3600/year saved. In one year, that's a really awesome emergency fund. Keep it up, and you'll have a good chunk of money saved in 5-10 years.

[BetsyS]

I quit my job when I was 36 weeks pregnant with #1. At the time, I had the thought that I could go back anytime, and that was true then. Now, 3.5 years later, with the economy as it is, nursing jobs are hard to come by where I live. So, I couldn't just go back in a heartbeat.

Do I regret it?

Not for a minute. I'm very happy to be at home.

I also agree that $300-$400 to put in savings every month is pretty good for one income. We run a tighter budget that than most months, and yet, somehow, we make it.

[scottishmommy]

A lot of it also depends on your husband's career track. Is he going to continue to get promotions or will his salary stay relatively the same? I think it's easier to be "poor" now if you have reason to believe that your financial situation will keep improving. Also, how close are you to retirement? If you are in your 20s or 30s you have more wiggle room than if you are closer to retirement age.
If you want to take the SAHM plunge try going on a 3 week spending freeze. I do this every once and a while to reset my spending habits. I only buy things I need for a few weeks. It really helps me see how much I spend on useless items. And I agree with pps that $300-400 extra a month is pretty darn good!