How to Be a Stay-at-Home Mom without Changing Your Lifestyle

I think it’s safe to say that working moms would enjoy the possibility of being a stay-at-home mom if it meant keeping their lifestyle the same. I personally am one of those crazy people who actually enjoys my full-time job, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t even consider what it would be like to stay home.

Here’s the thing, though. I think the majority of us working moms would miss having “something for ourselves.” We’d miss contributing to the family financially, and we’d definitely miss socializing with other adults (big one for me!!). If this is exactly how you feel, keep reading.

It’s the never-ending battle of wanting to be with your kids more and wanting to have time to actually cook and clean, and having a career where you’re contributing financially to your family and setting a good example for your kids.

But what if you could stay at home more with your kids and still have a career? What if you didn’t have to choose between work and family Monday through Friday? What if you could set your own schedule and be your own boss? What if you were in full control of your income? That, to me, is the true dream.

Here’s how to be a stay-at-home mom without changing your lifestyle.

Get a Work-from-Home Job

My full-time job allows me to work remotely about 60% of the time. I LOVE IT! My kids go to daycare part-time and I go into the office during that time. I pick them up in the afternoons and I work flexibly from home the remainder of the day. My kids are excellent nappers for the most part; and on the rare occasion they don’t nap, I work a bit into the evening once my husband is home.

There are a few ways you can get a job that allows you to work from home:

1. First, consider negotiating with your current employer. You never know what they will say until you ask. My job was supposed to be Monday-Friday 9-5 in the office. During my interview, I asked to work from home two days per week. They allowed that, and slowly I’ve been able to reduce my time in the office by proving that I am able to accomplish just as much (if not more) at home. Let’s face it – sometimes office distractions are even worse than kid distractions!!
2. Second, look for a flexible job. You can search Indeed for remote opportunities or start freelance writing on the side until you’re making enough to quit your full-time job. A friend of mine – Holly Johnson – did just this and is now making over $200,000 per year as a freelancer. She’s even been able to bring her husband home with her full time. **If you’re interested in freelancing as a career, why not learn from Holly herself? She’s created a course – Earn More Writing – that will teach you everything you need to know to become a successful freelance writer. Take a look here!
3. Start a blog. If you aren’t able to negotiate with your current employer and are having trouble finding a work-from-home job in your field, why not start a blog as a business, build it up and then eventually earn enough money to quit your full-time job? This is what I’m doing / have done.

Blogging has been a game-changer for me. I started blogging over two years ago and am about to have my first $2,000+ month this November! You can view last month’s income report here. While it’s taken two years to get to this point, I am so incredibly happy I took that leap of faith two years ago. If you want to do the same, Bluehost is offering my readers a discount and a free domain name with your purchase.

Head over to my “How to Start a Profitable Blog” tutorial to receive your discount and get started! I’ll also give you a copy of my book – The Beginner’s Guide to Blogging – for free to help you get your blog up and running!

Have an idea for a blog name? See if it’s available here:

A few other tips to be a stay-at-home mom without having to change your lifestyle include:

Develop a solid savings account. My husband and I have discussed that if I ever did switch to self-employment, we’d want to have a substantial amount in savings. This would allow us to keep up our current lifestyle for X amount of time before having to panic. This is savings on top of our emergency savings. How many months’ income should you have saved up? Well, that’s going to be different for everyone, but I personally would recommend having six months or more saved up (in addition to your emergency fund) before quitting your job.

Find friends and stay social! This is a big one. If you work, your current lifestyle involves tons of adult interaction. Becoming a stay-at-home mom means you’ll lose that and that can be extremely tough. I highly recommend finding a social circle of mom friends, keeping in touch with old coworkers, and meeting new friends in your new line of employment (some of my very best friends I have met through blogging and freelancing!).

Keep the kids in daycare, at least part time. Your kids are used to going to daycare and at this point they probably enjoy it. You are used to working and having alone time. Don’t completely change this, or that could be a recipe for disaster. Instead, reduce the hours your kids go to daycare and enjoy that time to yourself. You can finally clean the house in peace, make a meal plan and shop for groceries, and perhaps enjoy a coffee and magazine out on the porch. It’s OK to simply exist and enjoy your downtime. You’ve earned it!

All in all, life is short. If you are unhappy working and miss being with your kids, make a change! If you love your job and enjoy the break from the kiddos (hey, nothing wrong with that!!), keep doing what you’re doing mama! I am all about living a life that makes YOU happy and doing what is best for YOUR family. Hopefully this post has been encouraging to those moms that are on the fence!

In the comments, let me know what your “ideal” working situation would be. I’d love to get a good discussion going!