SAHM looking for advice

Irish_mum

Hi there

I am a frequent mse user and was looking for some advice from other like minded mums

I am in my late 20s and am on maternity leave after having my first child

I am a professional but am considering not returning to work once my mat leave ends, in order to look after my baby and hopefully in due course expand our family

Although i want to be there to look after my little one, i am very keen to continue to earn a little to contribute to the financial running of our house

Do any stay at home mums have any advice?

I am a keen baker and have considered doing something with this, but am very open minded

Thanks in advance for any advice

professor~yaffle

What field of work are you (or were you) in?

Irish_mum

I have been working in the NHS

professor~yaffle

Ah, not something you can really do from home then

jackyann

Depending on what you did in the NHS, consider keeping up your skills by going on the 'bank' and working very occasionally - a weekend day or night once or twice a month (I know it's not 'stay at home' but it can work very well)

Be careful of 'home work' which is often poorly paid, and can end up with you frazzled, trying to get something done whilst the toddler is pulling things apart! Also be wary of 'party sales' that can end up paying very little for the time put in.

Check out rules around making food at home with your local Environmental Health Inspector (it can be done, but you need to be aware of the limits) but be aware that it can be difficult to do with little ones underfoot.

You may well find that getting out for a couple of days a month whilst dad or family care for the children is better than trying to get things done at home.
If you keep your eyes open, there are a few jobs that may suit - for instance small parish councils or some charitable bodies / trusts need a very small amount of clerical work done: our local clerk turns out for a meeting one evening every 2 months, and types minutes / does correspondence from home (about a couple of hours a week)

good luck!

DeterminedSingleMummy

Retail is good if you don't mind working one evening a week and then pick up overtime whenever you can that won't occur any childcare costs. If you go for a supermarket retail job you'll usually get a discount card. A lot of supermarkets offer low contracts and are really flexible and it works really well for lots of mums. Plus holiday pay, pension contribution and other benefits too. Look at a companies benefit package rather than just an hourly wage as it all adds up x

professor~yaffle

Writing might be an option, but I'm not sure where you'd need to look for that kind of work.

Kynthia

With social media making advertising free there has definitely been a rise in people selling things they make. I've met many people who became mums in the last 5 years who make a sell crochet baby blankets, dummy clips, decorative wooden letters, button art, sweet cones, party bags, cup cake bouquets, balloon deliveries, etc. They advertise on local Facebook groups and selling pages. I doubt they make a fortune but they must either make enough to make it worth their while or it's something they enjoy.

Spendless

Childcare fees were the equivalent of my net pay when I had my eldest 17 years ago, so I couldn't return to my 8.30-5pm office job.

Needing something, I found a job working 2 evenings plus 1 Sunday morning at a small convenience store. Later I changed to working evenings 5-8pm mon-fri at a National DIY chain.

crazy-cat-lady_2

I have an 8 month old and my husband and I decided that I won't be going back to work. I didn't want to and was always very keen on the idea of staying home with her. I will have very little money coming in myself but like you and looking for ways to earn some. I do a lot of crafting and have had a lot of success selling in the past, so plan to start that again. Either via Facebook or etsy. Also there's a lot of baby items to eBay. I know these aren't guaranteed ways to earn and are patchy at best, but anything extra is a start. I also do a lot of comping via the forums in the evening when she's asleep and have won quite a lot of prizes in the past, which again isn't guaranteed but anything that can be kept and used/sold/given as a gift to save money is a bonus.
I am lucky in one way, that I will have a small amount coming in each week as I'm a carer for my brother after he had a stroke a few years back. (And unlucky obviously for the same reason!).