I Timothy 6:8

"But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

Do you ever find yourself struggling with being content with what you have and not wishing you had what everyone else seems to have? I know that this is something that I must daily ask the Lord to help me with.

I will often find myself looking at what some of my friends or neighbors have and wondering if there is some way that I could possibly afford it or maybe even barrow the money for it. That is when I have to stop myself and thank the Lord for all the wonderful blessings that he has already given me. I have a beautiful home, food on the table, clothes, and a family that loves me. What more could I need?

The one thing that I have been struggling with the most lately is my the unfinished renovations in my house. We bought our house last January and had to redo nearly every surface before we could move in. Luckily we were living with my parents rent free at the time. We had the money to do the things we needed to do to make the house livable. Then we were introduced to Dave Ramsey. We knew that we needed to get out of debt, but just figured it was something we would eventually get to.

As of April we decided to put the major renovations that we had left on hold so we could concentrate on getting every penny of our debt paid off. As of today we have been able to pay off all credit cards, medical bills, and have put a huge dent in our car loan, but to be able to do that we have not worked on the house except for things we can do for free such as clean up or things that cost very little.

This is where my contentment issue comes in. I want to feel like my house is finished. I can clean all day and still not feel like my house looks clean. We have no threshold between the dining room and living room, which means my 1 year old is eating pieces of grout. I have no quarter round in the living room and hall. We still have yet to get a new dishwasher and range hood. The biggest thing that is bugging me is that the master bath has been untouched and now has a leaky toilet that is leaking dirty water all over the nasty, original linoleum floor, and I have plastic tiles falling off of the wall. I would also like to finish the basement someday.

I am really struggling with not taking some of our debt money and finishing some projects. We would have enough equity in the house to possibly sell it and pay off our debts completely. The only problem is where would we live?

All of that said I am truly learning a lesson in contentment. I feel this is a way the Lord is teaching me a lesson I will never forget. I look around me and see a mess, but there are others in this world who would see a palace. There are some who have so little and barely a house that is standing. Who am I to complain? Thank you Lord for all the things I have been blessed with. I pray that I will always be thankful.

I thought you might be interested in seeing the progress we have made on our house since January. So here are some pictures.

The old dining room with blue carpet. We attempted to take down the wallpaper, but opted to spray knock down texture.

The living room with blue carpet. Who would put that over original hard wood?


Pre renovation kithen


The old kitchen

MMMM, grout. One of Jack's favorite snacks.

The basement. Thanfully the previous owners had the anchors put in the walls to fix the foundation issue. Don't you love the smoke stained orange walls and linoleum floor. I can pick all the tiles up and move them.

These are all current pictures of the master bath

Master bath

Another view of the current master bath

The living room

The dining room now.

A view from the kithen into the dining room. I love my new oven. The old one I had to go to the basement and flip the fuse box to turn it one and off. Plus it was BROWN.

Praise the Lord for my almost finished house.

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Emily from Violet's College Fund wrote an article about cutting things from your budget so that you can afford to quit your job the same day I wrote my post on the exact same subject. She made a lot of great points that I did not touch on. Go here to read it.

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I had a reader mention recently that she was about $500 short per month from being able to balance the budget and stay home. I hope that this post will somehow help others see that you can make this work.

How much are you willing to sacrifice to stay home with your children? This is a question that I often have to ask woman when they ask me how I manage to be a SAHM on my husband's teaching salary. The other statement that I often get from people is "Oh, you are so lucky to be able to stay home with your children. Your husband must have a good job." I have to make sure that I am polite and say thank you I know I am lucky, but what I want to say to them is luck has nothing to do with it. I stay home by choice and I make choices daily that keep me there.

What are some of the luxuries or so called "needs" that you may have to sacrifice to stay home? I have decided to put together a list of things that my family felt we did not need and truly have not really missed. I realize that some of these things we may be able to have again in the future, but for this season of our lives they are not necessities.

I am going to put an approximate dollar amount to the things on this list so you can see how quickly you can "find" that extra $500 in the budget. It may not seem that you will have any material comforts left at first, but I think you will soon realize, just how little you really need to be happy. The Lord said that he will make sure that we have food to eat, clothes on our back, and a roof over our head. This is the ultimate picture of true contentment. To be happy with the simple things in life. I will not say that I am not still struggling daily with contentment, but I am trying.

• Cable tv Total we saved $100/month going with minimal cable, phone and internet.
• High speed internet (We do have DSL, but a slower version)
• Call waiting
• Caller ID (Ok this one I miss)
• Long distance telephone service
• Cut Blow money $50/month
• NO eating out except special occasions $50-$100/month
• Gym membership $50/month
• OnStar $15/month
• Budget groceries Depending on your family $100-$200/month
• Try to get your electric and gas on an average payment plan For us this saved about $50/ month
• Use less water, shower every other day. $5-10/month
• Eliminate trash bill (A little radical, but it can be done.) $30/month
• Cut back on your driving to save on gas (If you don't work this should be easier) $50-$100
• Cut family clothing budget. Try garage sales and thrift stores. $25-50/month
• Coupon shop or make your own cleaning supplies $10-15/month
• Put a $5 limit on gifts. This can force you to be creative. With coupons I still am able to come up with some nice gifts. $25-$50/month
• Cancel magazine subscriptions. $10/month
• Come up with free or cheap entertainment. Keep an eye out for coupons or free events, or try having a family night at home. $25/month
• Possibly sell one car $300/month
• Before quitting your job eliminate debt. $100-$300/month

As you can see these numbers can very quickly add up.

Realize that some of these changes will not be permanent. They are just some things you may have to sacrifice for a season to make your dreams come true. You can eventually start adding some small things back in. See Crystal's post here about living on a very bare bones budget of $1000 a month. It is amazing.

Think of saving money as your new "job." You are not technically being paid for it, but you are sort of making money. Remember all the expenses you will no longer have by not working out of the home. The average mom only makes a couple of dollars an hour after all the expense are paid so she can work, unless you have a very high paying job. That hardly seems worth it to me.

• Work Clothes $25-50/month
• Dry Cleaning $25/month
• Work Lunches $50/month
• Daycare! $400-500 per child per month
• Gas $100/month

Things you will gain as a SAHM...

• Seeing all your child's firsts and not hearing about it from the sitter
• Being able to go to all school events and field trips
• Showing your children by example how to live a Godly life
• Seeing those beautiful smiles first thing in the morning and knowing you will not have to leave them with someone else.
• Being able to stay home with a sick child and not miss work
• Home cooked meals
• A happier family because mom is not stressed out
• Time to plan a menu, shop, and save money
• Quality time with your husband
• This list could go on forever. You can add some of your own perks.

I would love to hear from you to find out if posts like this one are helpful or not. I have been getting the feeling lately that most of my readers prefer to just see coupon, deals, and grocery store post.

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Proverbs 3:6
"In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

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This week I think I will veer off a little bit and take a slightly different approach to the transition to home series. Instead of giving you advice on what step to take next in your move home I thought I would have a guest post by none other then my dear husband. He decided to start his own blog this week after seeing how much fun I am having with mine. I am not sure what took him so long since he is an English teacher.

The reason I chose to use Roger's most recent post was because I wanted you to see how God can change the heart of your husband. When we were first married Roger always thought that I would work after having children and did not see a reason for me to stay home. Well after reading his post I have realized just how much the Lord has answered my prayers. Instead of telling you anymore you will just have to read for yourself. Make sure to check out his blog here.



Common Sense Home Ec
Like most people, I had to take Home Economics in middle school. The class was mostly worthless. We learned how to cook things I could already cook, and we learned how to sew a pillow, a skill I have not since been called upon to use. (Sewing a button back on a shirt would have been infinitely more useful. And I can do that, too.)

But that's middle school. They teach the "Home" part of Home Ec without messing too much with the "Ec". The Ec is required in Kansas only for a semester during senior year. That's just enough time to learn to balance a checkbook, play a stock market game, and figure out that a home mortgage--even without an adjustable rate--is the equivalent of bending over, grabbing your ankles, and taking it in the wallet.

There has lately been an online boom of stay at home moms (SAHM's) who are connecting via the internet and blogging. They are looking up deals at supermarkets, finding coupons, and compounding coupons on top of coupons on top of money back rebates. My wife is one of these and today got over a hundred dollars worth of groceries for fifteen bucks. Be sure to check outher blog here.

To solve the problem of too many bills coming in, most families do only one thing: mom goes to work. It's actually considered a matter of equality, proving that a woman can do just as much as a man. Well I could have told you that without all the protests and women's books. But how much do two incomes actually help families?
The kids get raised by someone else; There is always a battle for who gets which car on which days; School plays and field trips get missed; The home is more of an apartment than a domicile; The home garden is replaced by a lawn that is seen as more of a status symbol than a piece of nature; Meals are prepared in a hurry or eaten out, negating the ideas of home cooking and family time. (And anybody who's been to Applebee's with two kids under age 3 can attest that it is more stressful than quality time.)

Okay, so most of these are more emotional reasons for staying home, but that's where this SAHM movement comes into play. Being a SAHM isn't about just being around for the kids. This is where the real world picks up to provide that missing link lost between sixth grade Home, and twelfth grade Ec. And too many people miss it.
These women could actually be called Home Economists, if that title would not require a degree of some kind. They actually make it possible for a family of 4 on a teacher's salary to pay off all debt, including the house, early. They do all the tasks of a 1950's mom, as well as all the tasks of a 1980's CFO, minus the need for greed (A visual: give Gordon Gecko a spatula). They re-define home cooking by trying some very tasty and healthy new recipes that have nothing to do with a casserole dish. I can eat well for a month without having anything come out of the microwave. And it's done on a dime. The kids are happy, I'm happy, and I notice my wife has done a job.
It seems that an easier way of making this link--aside from figuring it out one family at a time--would be to start the Ec part earlier in school. I came to this realization not only in conjuncture with the Homemaking activities, but if I had had any real concept of money and understood the value of what professional athletes make, I would have practiced so much harder.

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In the last several years there has been major growth in the number of moms who are leaving their high paying jobs and returning home to care for their children. Why has this been happening? I believe that many people are realizing that the decline in stay at home moms has been a major factor in the decline of the American family. In the past several decades we have seen a significant rise in the rates of crimes, teen pregnancy, childhood behavioral disorders, and violence.

I think that many moms have decided that enough is enough. They have decided that their children should be raised by a loving, nurturing mother and not a cold, impersonal daycare. I realize that there are some daycare providers that truly do love the children they care for, but unfortunately many only think of it as a job.
I feel that if we can educate mothers on how to manage a household on 1 income again the way our grandmothers did we will be able to make a difference. If you were to ask your grandmother if she would trade her time home with her kids for any of the toys or so called "needs" that many of us think we have to have today, I think she would say not a chance.

We only get one chance to raise our children. We only get one chance to teach them right from wrong and the way the Lord would want them to act. Readers I urge you to help keep this movement going. We can make a difference even if it is only in the lives of our own children. Who knows maybe someday they will be the one to touch the multitudes. God has a plan for each of them.

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You have made your decision to try and make the transition from work to home and you are so excited that you tell all of your family and friends. Many will be excited for you and be very supportive, but unfortunately there will also be those who are not quite so supportive. They may not come out and and say it, but they are unsure if you will really make it and they often do not want to see you hurt when you fail.

Do not listen to these people. Only you can take charge of your own life and what happens to you and your family. Only you know what your family needs, and that is a wife and mother at home taking care of them. Hopefully by this point in your journey you have discussed things with your husband and he is on board with you. If he is not OK with your decision then this may not be the right time, keep praying. The Lord knows the desires of your heart and he will work on your husband's heart.

You can make this huge step of faith with the Lord's help. Remember not to let anything that others say get in the way of your dream. Often those who are negative are those who wish they could be in your shoes and don't know any other way to express themselves. Pray for them and just let them know that this is a decision that you and your spouse have made together. If they are still negative you may have to distance yourself from them for awhile. Make sure to surround yourself with positive people. "What you think about you bring about." This is one of my favorite quotes. Put up pictures, Bible verses, and quotes all over your house so that you have something to focus on to help you reach your goal. Now go ahead and put your plan into action.

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I am starting this blog in hopes that I can touch as many mothers as possible and help them to realize their dreams of becoming a stay at home mom. I am not going to say that it will be easy and that there will not be struggles along the way, but it will be well worth it when you can wake up in every morning and realize that you don't have to hurry up and get the kids ready to go to the babysitter and that you will be home to enjoy them everyday.



I have had so many mother's ask me how I an afford to stay home with my kids and still make ends meet. I tell them that it is only by the grace of God, planning, sacrifice, and more planning. Due to the number of woman wanting to know what they can do to begin their own journey home I decided along with my husband that the Lord was prompting me to use teaching moms as my ministry.



In this blog I plan to share how to start and keep on a budget, recipes, menus, work at home ideas, and so much more as the Lord leads. Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I pray that the Lord will bless you and your decision to learn how to leave the workplace forever and take your place as a keeper of the home. I believe that this is what God intended for ever mother to do. Even if you are already at home with your kids I pray that this site will be an encouragement to you. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions, comments, prayer, or just need some advice. I would love hear from you.



Lorrie

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