How To Make it on One Income (Part 1)

First of all, let me tell ya I think it’s extremely important for a momma to stay home with her babies if at all possible, in fact, it’s Biblical. With that being said, there are a gazillion circumstances that can interfere with that dream. Seasons come and seasons go, but I strongly believe that with a commitment to God and a plan (the plan may contain many steps) this can be a reality.

For some, it’s as simple as looking at your money, maybe selling a few things, then bam… momma is home. For others, myself included, this is not the case. We have been on a five-year plan so far to get me permanently home. We have taken baby steps, yet we have made tremendous progress.  Some may ask why we don’t put our faith in God and I just quit, and come home believing He will provide. I am certain we would be provided for if we took this step, but I also feel as though we made the mistake of counting on my income long ago before children came along and got ourselves into debt. It is now our responsibility to rely on God, work our tails off, and slowly dig ourselves out of the mess we have gotten ourselves into.

When I was pregnant with our  first baby I worked three 12 hour night shifts a week at the hospital as a nurse. Once she was born up until this past January I have worked every Friday and Saturday night 12 hour shifts. Since January, when my third baby turned 7 months, I cut back to one 12 hour shift a week. We have now been working on me cutting one of those shifts out when baby number 4 arrives at the end of March.

It has not been easy, but it has been so worth it! If I could go back in time I wish we would have understood the importance of the mother being home and had already prepared mentally and financially. I hope to teach my daughters the importance of their role in mother hood and to teach my son the importance of providing well for his wife and children. The more I am home I can see the full circle of how I feel that God designed the family to function, and it is evident in the stress level and happiness in our home.

I feel that it has been satan’s agenda to keep families in debt feeling as though there is no way out. This causes the mom and dad to go to work, leaving their children to be raised by others, all while trying to make ends meet. This is not the way God intended. Debt is wrong on so many levels. You are essentially a slave. We currently only own on our mortgage and are working with every penny to pay it off as quickly as possible. Trusting God that through hard work and determination we can bring our family to the way its meant to be. No debt, with money and time to bring up the next generation, and help a dying world.

With me cutting back I have seen over and over how God has honored our decision. No, we haven’t had any surprise checks in our mailbox, but He has provided peace, security, and happiness that speaks volumes. I have become very passionate about this subject just because I have seen what it has done for my family and I want to share it with everyone, yet not wanting to make others feel bad for tough circumstances they are in. My prayer is to encourage that it IS possible. I will be sharing many more tips in the future!

Linked to Raising Arrows