Work Dilemma

jo1972 · 23 July 2007 at 2:15PM

I haven't the faintest if this is the right place to put this post

I have decided today after having a week off work that I really no longer want to work full time. I've got 3 kids, my eldest (15yrs) has a year left at school, my 4yr old starts reception in Sept and my 2yr old will not start nursery for another 2 years. I'm getting fed up with working full time, leaving the house at 7.45am and not getting home till 7pm, I've no time to do anything around the house apart from cooking, washing, cleaning, I spend virtually no quality time with my kids except at the weekend when I really should be doing decorating and gardening (obviously these things never get done because my kids come first!).

My OH works fulltime shift work so has no time for anything either and I feel as though we're stuck in a rat race.

I desperately want to give up work to stay at home with the kids, plant veggies in the garden, play learning games, get the house sorted and be generally more laid back rather than rushing 24/7.

This will be a complete culture shock for me as I've worked fulltime since 16, I'm now 35 but feel that I need to spend some quality time with my kids.

Problem is that money will be extremely tight, to the point that I'm not sure if incomings will cover the outgoings if my salary is not coming in anymore. I already do mystery shopping, online surveys, quidco etc etc all in good MSE style :money:

but would be grateful if anyone could give me any advice on how to make money and be a stay at home parent at the same time.

Hope I've posted this in the right place!

Jo.

whitewing · 23 July 2007 at 2:24PM

Jo, I am nearly the same age as you. Earning less at the moment than I have ever done in my life (ie not very much at all). But am working part time in a contact centre and part time running my own business. Am happier than I have ever been. Although I'm not in debt, I am finding a lot of inspiration in the debtfree wannabe board. I would suggest that you post a statement of affairs (SOA) from the sticky in the DFW forum and ask their advice on cutting down so that you can afford to give up your job. I've only been on this website since May and have cut down loads since then.
Best of luck. It'll be worth it.

jo1972 · 23 July 2007 at 2:26PM

Thanks whitewing, I'm already a DFW Nerd and have cut my spending down quite a bit since joining back in April! If I do decide to give up work I will definately be taking a few extra tips, plus venturing over to the old style board for grocery savings!

Muppet81 · 23 July 2007 at 2:43PM

Jo,
I decided to downsize in 2005 and dropped from £28,000 pa to £8,000.
Friends who had downsized assured me we would cope but I had doubts.
We did a few major things such as re-mortgaging, switching energy providers etc. basically all the things you will see suggested on this site. I now always think "do I need it" before I spend anything.
The bottom line is that we did manage and that without doubt our quality of life is better not worse.
I grow veg, ccok from scratch, make my own bread and pasta, keep chickens for our own eggs. I no longer buy expensive clothes for myself, the chickens wouldn't notice anyway. Seldom eat out but eat at friends houses and them at ours so still able to be sociable..... and the food is always better.
have not been away on a long beach holiday but instead visit friends and managed a long weekend in Amsterdam.
Due to unforseen circumstances, the £8,000 has now dropped to a mere £4,600 and we are still managing, though things are a little tighter.
I still think we spend too much on food and alcohol, mainly as we love to entertain friends so I think I will need to look for some economies here.
I would say "go for it" Jo. Live your life as you want to. If you are like me, you will enjoy the challenge of making ends meet and get a real buzz from achieving it. You will get loads of support from this site and i know that helped me a huge amount.
Good luck to you and do keep us informed.
Pam
xxxxx

jo1972 · 23 July 2007 at 2:49PM

Muppet81 wrote: »

I no longer buy expensive clothes for myself, the chickens wouldn't notice anyway.

:rotfl: that made me chuckle!

I've been looking into selling Usborne Books, maybe that could be a way to earn a few quid. Has anyone heard of any bad points about this firm?

Curious_George_2 · 23 July 2007 at 4:26PM

jo1972 wrote: »

:rotfl: that made me chuckle!

I've been looking into selling Usborne Books, maybe that could be a way to earn a few quid. Has anyone heard of any bad points about this firm?

not a bad point exactly, but if you dont live in the kind of area that has a lot of toddler groups, pre schools etc then it might not be worth your while, (toddlers and preschools WITHOUT an usborne rep already i might add!)
I did it last year, and while i enjoyed it there was no money to be made as the places i could display and sell the books were quite limited!
everyone will tell you that you get out of it what you put in, but if you live in a quiet area, that isnt always true
(i worked my butt off!)

Pinklepurr · 23 July 2007 at 4:28PM

Go for it if that is what you want. I gave up full time work when I had my family and I'm only just going back now 8 years later and that will be part-time.

There are a number of "work from home" companies such as Usborne books, Phoenix cards, Body Shop at Home and Virgie Vie etc. There is an initial financial outlay but after that it is up to you to establish a customer base and contacts and build a business. How much you earn will depend on how many hours you put in. Don't be fooled into thinking it will be easy to make money, it won't. I did Phoenix cards for two years and enjoyed it but never made any more than I would call pocket money. You also have to register as self employed and complete a self assessment tax return each year (looks scary but usually pretty straightforward).

I would encourage you to stay at home with your kids if you possibly can afford to. It is not always fun but it is very rewarding and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

candygirl · 23 July 2007 at 4:33PM

If you give up work and your oh is still working you could be entitled to working families tax credit.Hope all goes well for you, as you can never get this precious time back when kids are little:p

jo1972 · 23 July 2007 at 4:52PM

Curious_George wrote: »

if you dont live in the kind of area that has a lot of toddler groups, pre schools etc then it might not be worth your while, (toddlers and preschools WITHOUT an usborne rep already i might add!)

I live in a town which has an abundance of schools, nurseries, childminders etc and I have been speaking to an organiser this afternoon and she checked out my postcode and said that nobody is selling in my area yet, well there maybe sellers but not assigned to any schools etc. so I think if I am going to do it I should do it quick! She is a team leader so if I go through her I will be part of her team (which I thought was odd as she lives around 200 miles away from me!), she seems very eager to help with any queries so I'm thinking that's a good thing?

Spendless · 23 July 2007 at 5:07PM

What about looking into working p-time instead. After f-time you *may* find being at home with less structure to the day and less adult conversation as well as less money hard.

I've had from my DS today (age 7) 2x I'm bored, the first at 10.45am :rolleyes: and I've lost count of how many "I'm hungry'"s and today we have been for a walk, to the park, to the shops, played in garden and watched tv.

jo1972 · 23 July 2007 at 5:12PM

Spendless wrote: »

What about looking into working p-time instead. After f-time you *may* find being at home with less structure to the day and less adult conversation as well as less money hard.

You know what I think you might be right! Maybe a couple of hours a day would be good to keep me sane.....well, you've not met my 2yr old :eek: :rotfl:

Work Dilemma

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