Last updated on August 11th, 2023 at 03:40 pm
Even though I substitute teach, most of my time is devoted to being a stay-at-home mom. I found out early on that others have misconceptions about the role of a SAHM and what it entails (and even I struggle with it at times)– but just because a stay-at-home-mom doesn’t receive a regular paycheck for her work, doesn’t mean her work for her home isn’t valuable.
Moms can contribute to the household by saving money
When I stay home, most of my day is occupied with childcare. I have an infant, and she keeps me on my toes! Though she tires me out most days, I cherish our time together reading books, exploring the house and enjoying nature together. And it beats paying almost $10K a year for her to be in infant care (my state’s average, according to the Economic Policy Institute).
Along with the childcare savings we hold onto with me being home, there are housekeeping savings. Each day, I try to complete a few simple daily chores such as washing and putting away dishes and making meals. Chores like mopping and vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, and keeping up with administrative tasks like paying bills and booking appointments get a weekly slot. Prohousekeepers estimates the average cleaning rate to be $25-$75 per hour, and most two-bedroom houses would need 2-4 hour cleans each week. And that’s just the cleaning.
Getting food made at restaurants can get pricey real quick. Instead, I make most of our meals.
I’d argue that moms don’t just “stay” home. They help keep it running. What we save on my work at home could amount to a small salary.
Substitute teaching as a mom
During the school year, I punctuate my busy schedule with a handful of substitute teaching days. Each day I work brings in $150, which could pay for unexpected car repairs, a medical appointment, or a week’s groceries.
To make this job work, I rely on family members to watch my daughter. We are so fortunate to have them. I’m not sure arranging childcare would work well with a daycare, because a substitute’s schedule can be so random. I don’t accept any last-minute jobs, and the jobs I do accept, I immediately check with my babysitter to ensure she’s available. If not, the job is usually booked far enough ahead of time that it’s okay for me to go back and cancel that assignment (we can generally cancel assignments as long as it’s not the day of).
Though it can be hard to leave my daughter, and substitute teaching can be exhausting, I find by working a handful of strategic days, we can pay for more of life’s expenses. We also make sure that my income from substitute teaching is laser-point directed into something productive for our family. I really try to focus and make goals for where these dollars will go so we can see the direct effect my work subbing is making.
Right now, our family goal is raising a 6-month emergency fund (the amount of money we would need to live off of for six months). I find if I have a plan for the extra income, it makes it worth it. To me, it has to be worth it to leave my baby for.
Content creation as a SAHM
Though this hasn’t been a moneymaking venture yet, I treat it like a job as far as hitting production goals and keeping myself on a schedule. Plenty of people make money from content creation, so I’m listing it here.
The following are daily tasks I try to complete Monday-Friday:
- Write or publish (I publish about 2 articles a week, so one article can take two days of work to write, edit, format and publish)
- Take photos or create graphics
- Promote the post on social media channels
There are a lot more tasks involved inmaking the blog possible, but that sums up the bulk of my work. This is the easy versoion of the schedule– all of this came after months of set-up and learning how to play nice with WordPress.
It takes discipline and maybe even sheer delusion to work on these in the slim margins of my day when I finally get a free moment after dashing around caring for an infant and trying to keep the household running! I’ll admit– sometimes I’m just plumb tired and don’t get to it. But these tasks are worth it for our family.
Working together as a family
My husband and I recently figured out that if he works 3 out of 4 Saturdays a month and I work 3 or 4 days a month substitute teaching, we’ll bring in an extra $1,000 a month. That really makes a difference for us! We’re staying focused on how to use these funds to increase our financial independence.
Stay-at-home moms looking to earn a little more– or those looking to transition to SAHM life– what are some side income strategies you’re considering? Subbing is far from perfect (and not for the faint of heart) but so worth it for our family because it affords me one of the most flexible work schedules, which is important to me in this season of life. I’ve written about five other side jobs I’ve tried if you want to see my comparisons and honest thoughts.
Stay up to date on this space for more on our journey, and please share any of your thoughts or experiences in this realm!
