Tips to Afford to Become a Stay At Home Mum Part 3

Tips to Afford to Become a Stay at Home Mum

Part 3/4:

All the Stuff
In order to survive and thrive on one income I had to rethink the desire for stuff. It’s no secret shopping was one of my favourite past times. My husband had this attitude of having to be the first one to have anything new. (Damn you Apple and your clever marketing ploys). Stuff creates unnecessary spending. Stuff creates clutter in your home. Clutter steals your time, trying to keep it tidy and under control. Our time was now worth more than money. It was more valuable than stuff.

How to gain control of the stuff:

When the desire to hit the shops arises, hit the pavement. Go for a walk; show your baby their neighbourhood. Literally stop and smell the roses.
Don’t buy anything new. Buy other people’s stuff. EBay, Gumtree, and Buy, Swap, Sell sites are incredible for grabbing anything you need at an absolute bargain price.
If you have to buy new, don’t ever pay full price. Retail is doing it tough. It’s not a good thing, however for our situation it means we can wait a few weeks for almost anything to go on sale before buying.
We ruthlessly decluttered and minimized how much stuff we had in the house to look after. It frees up your mind and time when you glean a bit of space on your bench tops and in your cupboards. You might even make a decent chunk of money selling it.
Don’t allow your thriftiness to become stinginess whatever you do. The more you give to others, the more you will receive.
Have faith that the money will come in when you need it and maintain a positive mind-set. Being positive about your thriftiness means you’ll be able to recognize an opportunity when it arises.

Find the Free Stuff

To fulfil the longing for something new, join your local freecycle group. You will be sure to pick up a piece of furniture, small appliance or even a designer dress. It has the psychological effect of going shopping without busting the budget. Better still you can pay it forward and declutter your stuff too. Marrickville Pay it Forward is an amazing online community that shares stuff and allows people to declutter without adding to landfill but has evolved to become so much more.
Swap babysitting services with friends.
Do house swaps and house sitting for cheaper holidays.
Learn to love nature for family entertainment, find the local walking trails, head to the beach.
Seek out the local fetes and street fares. Some schools and parks also put on free outdoor movie nights.
Playgroups and libraries always offer free entertainment for your little ones. The MCA also has great free programs for older kids.
Some organizations like the Salvos even offer free music lessons. Find a local charity organization and give back through volunteering now that you have more flexibility with time.

Did you miss Part 1 and Part 2 of this series?
Coming up in part 4: Earning from home and saving games.