Moms: I cannot afford to work!!

This seems to happen a lot.

Even in household without kids.

People expect too much and just assume they have to work to make ends meet when if they just say and budgeted they'd see both working are not increasing net gain by much and sometimes may even be reducing net gain.

Two cars. Uh-oh one broke down. There goes months of wages.

Both too busy/lazy/tired to shop/cook/garden/care for livestock now the food bills are up and you're eating out all the time. More money wasted right there.

Then there are immeasurable factors such as stress, poor sex life, poor health, etc...

I once sat and figured I could make my ends all meet and still have some spending money if I just went for a part-time unskilled job at half my salary. More free time, less stress, bills paid, etc...

I have some obligations that a full time professional salary helps with at the moment but as soon as those are taken care of it's burger flippin' for 15 hours a week and riding easy on Obamacare.

Really look at your expenses and your priorities. My expenses are minimal. always have been. And my highest priority is to work as little as possible. Always has been.

Then, Ive never been one for caring what the Joneses are doing.

ETA: Lots of people nickle and dime themselves to death. What's a $4 coffee here and there? Oh, cables only $50 a month. Gotta have a cell phone at $50 month. I'll leave the lights on all day, it's only $10 a month.

They figure unless it's one big bill it doesnt matter. Government does the same. What's $10,000 when you owe trillions? Well, it's $10,000 more or less if you save or spend it.

Every cent counts.

reply to post by CALGARIAN


For a couple of years, I couldn't claim anything, because the "welfare moms" were the best daycare option.

It gave them extra money, and I was able to get daycare for a child still in diapers. Back then it was over $600 for a child under 3, but you could get "welfare moms" to look after your younger child for $400, or in my case, $360 a month.


I also worked shift work back then, so the regular daycares weren't an option at that time.
There was a shortage of daycare back then too.

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
People bring this on themselves. people should Not have children if they first do not sit down and figure if the can actually afford children or not.

Having a kid is like buying a brand new top of the line RangeRover, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz etc but with a longer, more expensive payment plan that can either fluctuate or skyrocket at the drop of a hat.

If your not 100% sure you can afford this and give the kid the best education and world skills it needs to not only survive but thrive, you have no business having a kid. This would keep 50 % of us from having them, yet we and our world economy would all be a lot better off.

Situations change. Single moms don't always start out single.

In my case, it seemed like as soon as we had our child, my husband (ex) went a little crazy, and started up with other women, and drugs, and was suddenly never home. He was a good worker until then, and he even started missing work. He spent our credit line on drugs. He went out for diapers one night, and didn't come home for 3 days.
That's a deal breaker, I put up with it for over a year before finally kicking the bum out.
He has acknowledged that he was an ass since then, and said sorry, but he stayed like that type of a bum for years, and our son has never forgiven him.

Sometimes, crap happens.
And I never collected welfare once.
It was hard, but I'm proud of myself for being able to keep it all together.....


**I've also seen single moms taking advantage of the welfare system too, and if that happened less, there might be better services for those that really need it.

Are women waking up pregnant without an idea of how it happened?

I did the math. Though not poor, I'm not rich. The math says a child isn't option, and I'm not trying to work in annual vacations here. The math says I will not be able to afford a child with my significant other. So guess what? I'm not having kids until the situation changes.

What am I not understanding here? Have I somehow obligated myself to help defray home costs for those not comfortable with math?

Someone has to be able to help me understand this.

Originally posted by kosmicjack
reply to post by satron

 

So extrapolate a bit and just imagine if you are working class mom making minimum wage. How much more in debt would you be if you work and have kids? Yet the GOP calls them welfare moms if they opt to stay home to raise their kids. So much for family values. I wonder does that only mean something for the middle and upper classes? Is raising your kids yourself and not outsourcing it to daycare a privilege of the upper class now?

They are full of it, what can I say?

reply to post by CALGARIAN


Which is why (among many other reasons) I decided to start my own business. I was blessed enough to do so. Some people can't. But I never could understand why people would pay $1500+ a month (the rates where I live) to send their kids off to daycare. Unless you are making over $50,000 a year, and absolutely can't afford to cut corners anywhere or go down to part time, it doesn't make sense.
My dad still doesn't understand even when I show him the math. He has always wanted me to work a 9-5 office job with the company he retired from. Apparently that's "acceptable" to him. But it starts at $12 per hour. I would have to find someone to take my oldest child to and from school and then watch him after school. And find someone all day for my younger son. I'm pretty sure I would be in the negative every month! Just in child care!

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
People bring this on themselves. people should Not have children if they first do not sit down and figure if the can actually afford children or not.

Well obviously people have been having children since time began. It's only in more modern era of the last few hundred years that less moneyed women have been condemned for doing it.

Originally posted by hadriana
IF i don't work for 'tha man' I work for "my family.'

And my work, it turns out, is actually worth a lot.

Heck yeah it's worth alot! I can't even get my wife out of bed, I would be in heaven if I had a spouse such as yourself. Good for you, I think what you're doing is what god intended us to do. Work hard play hard. Doesyour husband tell you he couldn't survive without you?

Originally posted by Iconic
So if X =/= Y then just cut X out? lol

It's easier to build up when you have a base, ie paycheck, even if its small.

ETA: art-bin.com...

edit on 18-4-2012 by Iconic because: (no reason given)

Not when you factor in the child. Who would you rather raise the child? The mother? Or the daycare?

What cost do you associate with this? It is priceless if you ask me, and a no brainer.

Stay home, raise your kids yourself.

I don't see the point in having children you cannot afford.

Originally posted by hadriana
IF i don't work for 'tha man' I work for "my family.'

And my work, it turns out, is actually worth a lot.

For instance...I made a few hundred on eBay this week.
I won 80.00 worth of contest 'stuff' - gas card, Home Depot card, and a dollar general card
I made 9.00 in surveys
I found a rebate that I used to get free beer with (can't beat free beer!)
My hubby smokes so I rolled him some cigs with the tobacco I grew
I made another batch of beer
Grocery bill was 281.00 and I paid 165.00 - (COUPONS!)
I took care of about anh...1500 seedlings, repotted around 200.
Worked on the website for the plant business we are trying to start
Made bread, cooked some darn good pizza, chicken marsala, oriental salad that blows Panera's out of the water...among other things. We ALWAYS have good, mostly cooked from scratch food here.
Took care of my teen and a few others- including computer repair for one of them
Took care of my chickens - got a bunch of baby cuties, plus my older girls
Dried about a pound of herbs to sell
Helped my hubby take down 2 trees
Nabbed a freecycle with a lot of nice shoes/clothes (I needed them!)
Made a #ake mushroom log. Hopefully that will supply us for a year or so with mushrooms
Started some oyster mushrooms

Man, I'm worth something.

Who gets it? Tha man? Or MY MAN?

Easy choice for me.

I wish single women had more options, I do. I wish that more married women that wanted to work for their families would consider it. I am perfectly happy.

edit on 18-4-2012 by hadriana because: (no reason given)

No offense, but if I didn't know any better, it is 4:20 at your house right about now?

Originally posted by UFO1414

i]reply to post by fictitious

 

Sometimes I wonder how the economy would be if women never entered the work force in such large numbers. Better or worse?

[

I was going to research this and make a thread on my findings because i feel the women's lib movement killed not only the economy but a lot of others things as well. If I have time, i will start the thread and let you know.

Wow, equality is a disgusting concept isn't it?

Originally posted by DavidWillts
I don't see the point in having children you cannot afford.

Pretty sad you have to be "rich" to be able to exercise your God given right to maternity.

You obviously don't have kids, or if you do................................

Originally posted by CALGARIAN

Originally posted by DavidWillts
I don't see the point in having children you cannot afford.

Pretty sad you have to be "rich" to be able to exercise your God given right to maternity.

You obviously don't have kids, or if you do................................

Pretty soon, that's all who will be allowed to have kids.

reply to post by satron


Prettymuch, everyone else will be too busy working 8 parttime crap pay jobs to even think about having any sex......

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
People bring this on themselves. people should Not have children if they first do not sit down and figure if the can actually afford children or not.

I think that might be the idea. Squeeze mom's enough to make having children prohibitively expensive. Lower birth rates. There are a few possible reasons for this but they are too nefarious to mention.

reply to post by UFO1414


Yes, please do. I've wanted to do my own research on this as well, but I've just never remembered when I actually had the time. Looking forward to your findings.

Simple really if nobody else has offered this yet I say put the Dad's back to work and quite kissing the lady's asses.
Regards, Iwinder

How hard can this be?

The whole thing is intended to break up the traditional family and they are certainly doing that.
Regards, Iwinder

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


Having a child, or creating a family with many children is nothing at all like purchasing expensive automobiles for your garage. A child, any child, is worth far more than any Jag, or Mercedes, or even an Aston Martin or Rolls Royce. Children are not privileges that belong only to those with a bank account and full approval of the current system, children are the right of any parent, and those children born then take their full rights as living creature, great or small.

The truth of the matter is, in regards to this economy, we all brought this on ourselves, and frankly, blame is irrelevant. Stay at home Mom's, doing so because it is more cost effective to do so, are women taking full responsibility for their family and motherhood, and do not deserve any derision or bogus blame for having a child without some elitists snobs approval.