What do you want to be when you grow up?

Can I tell you a story?

Once upon a time, while I was in high school, I wrote a note to a friend during the summer (remember when we used to do that? hand-write notes and send them through the mail?). We’d been talking about our futures, and I wrote the phrase “all I want to be is a ‘soccer mom’.”

But of course I went to college. I got a bachelor’s degree. And while I never did use my degree for a job, I like to joke that I also received my “Mrs.” degree — I met my husband while there.

I worked at a bookstore while in college, which carried over after I graduated and got married. Five years later I quit that job, planning to just stay home with our brand-new baby girl. Finances became tight (I’d previously been working 30-40 hours a week), so a couple of months later, when a part-time secretary job opened up at our little local Christian school, I secured some cheap childcare and started working again two days a week.

Three years (and another baby) later, I left the school to pursue what seemed like a dream job — the youth parapro at our local library (since I didn’t have an MLS degree, I couldn’t officially be called a “librarian” 😉 ). That job seemed to be the perfect fit for me and my skills and personality.

It was still a part-time job, so when my pastor approached me about doing some of the church secretary work a couple of hours a week, I agreed as it did fit into my schedule. Again I felt like I was using my gifts and helping people and making a difference in my community.

And then things started going downhill.

I was working outside of the home 30 hours a week, with different hours each day, including some evenings and some Saturdays. My oldest started preschool, and I couldn’t go on field trips unless they fell on just the right days. When my kids would get sick, it was a pain to figure out how storytime would run without me.

What finally broke my heart was when my youngest (at the time), only 2.5 years old, would cling to me when I tucked her into bed at night and whimper “Don’t go Mommy. I need you. I miss you.”

It still brings me to tears just thinking about it.

After lots of prayer and discussion with my husband and other close friends, I made the decision to resign from my library position. I cried when I read my resignation letter out loud to my supervisor, because I did love my job. But I stuck to it, emphasizing one thing:

Someday I could come back to a library.
I can’t come back to my kids’ childhood.

Three years ago yesterday was my last day at the library, and I’ll admit it hasn’t been an easy journey. My husband is a teacher at a private school, and while I did keep the 8-hour-a-week church secretary job, we just don’t bring in a lot of income. I’ve overdrafted our checking account and had to say no to lots of good things.

But I’ve also learned about contentment, simplicity, and frugality. I’ve learned what is worthwhile to splurge on and what isn’t. And I’ve been able to build an amazing amount of rest into my life, which my body and mind desperately need.

I was privileged to receive an advance-copy of the ebook version of You Can Stay Home With Your Kids by Erin Odom. It contains practical, bite-sized ideas of how to make ends meet if it truly is your desire to stay home with your kids but you aren’t sure how it could possibly work. Sections of the book include:

• Curb Spending
• Eat Well on a Budget
• DIY Household Products
• Entertain Your Family Without Spending a Fortune
• Shop Secondhand and Sales
• Provide for Health-Care Needs
• Hunt Houses and Vehicles
• Create More Income

I found myself nodding along over and over again as I came across so many ideas that I already put into practice. Yet with 100 tips and tricks included in the book, I was also inspired to try to do even more! Yes some ideas are just not for me and my family, but many of them are.

Who could use this book? Obviously any family who would like to have the financial freedom for one parent to stay home with their children. But even if that does not fit or interest you, this is still an amazing book of tips for living a frugal lifestyle.

Hi, my name is Carrie. I’m wife to a teacher, and mom to three girls ages 8, 5, and 1. I work outside of the home 8 hours a week. And I bought $60 worth of brand-new soccer gear for my oldest’s first season of the sport for under $40. 😀

 

*I received a free ebook copy of You Can Stay Home With Your Kids for participating in the book’s launch team. All opinions are my own. This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links, purchases you make from Amazon after clicking through will kickback a tiny bit of commission to me, without changing the cost for you. Thanks for your support!