Work for a stay at home wife

[shdybrady]

I am the only income in my house hold and my wife is a stay at home mom with the baby going to day care twice a week for socialism and give my wife time to relax and get some things done around the house she cant do with my son here. We are able to stay on top of the bills with my income and really dont NEED and extra income. But I am on this path of having my house paid off by the time we are 35. So I am wanting to figure out how to get her to make just a bit more income so we can throw that money into the farm or towards the principle on our loan.

She knows the basics on how to knit and she does make beaded jewelry as a hobby, so we considered an ebay store for such items. But honestly I know the market is flooded with people doing the same thing. So thats not out of the questions but not the first choice. We do plan on selling firewood from some clearing I am doing on the property. It wont be a ton of money but it will help. I am considering doing mushrooms and possibly some spices and herbs just for something a bit more consistent and renewable. She is considering going back to work on the days my son goes to daycare, so she isnt opposed to working. Also she does work as a bartender on the weekends and it brings in some money but its more for her to have some adult time.

So please share with me some of your experiences and ideas. Now note we are not looking for a lazy get rich quick idea. Just something that will bring in some money to help pay down our principle on our home.

[shdybrady]

one thing that just came into mind is to buy some eggs from a hatchery and sell the chicks when they are born. Kinda of diversify myself with guineas, chickens, and turkeys. After awhile I could possibly just have some breeding pairs. I wouldnt even mind doing game chickens. I know there can be alittle bit of money in them. That would keep some of the over head down. I know this wont be something that just gets you money real quick but it is an extra source that can get us towards our goal. Tell me what you think, Im just bouncing ideas

[bluemoonluck]

I'm a SAHM with a 3-month old, and I babysit my sister's 7-month old DD during the school year (sis is a teacher). Since your wife sends your son to daycare twice a week she probably can't do full time care, but she could either do part-time care or as-needed (i.e. for people who need someone a few hours here or there to run errands/go out).

The problem with crafty stuff is that it takes a lot of concentration to do well. And I know from personal experience that it is hard to concentrate on a craft while a young child needs to be supervised. So my guess is that she'd have a hard time doing crafts and making $$ at it - unless she uses the time that your son is in daycare to do the crafts. But then you have to look at the $ you're paying for daycare and the $ she's making and decide if its worth it.

How old is your son? Does he really NEED daycare twice a week? You say he goes for socialization - which is something that can be done for free at the library's toddler hours, church, etc. You also say your wife needs a break - is that something you could do for her on the weekends/days you don't work? I'm thinking the best way for you to save $$ would be to figure out how to cut the expense of daycare.

[shdybrady]

well thats the thing. I dont want to get in the mindset of cutting costs here and there because we arent trying to make ends meet. So I want to keep him in daycare. Not trying to be stubborn I just like him being there. Also the weekends he goes to my parents house every weekend so they get their time with him(their decision not ours). So thats her time to work at the bar and time for me to handle all the time intensive farm work. But I dont want to get hooked up on cutting costs.

But I do agree with the crafts and concentration. She has a few hours at night and they time my son is somewhere else. But you are right the craft thing might not be the answer.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I'd sure be more comfortable having this conversation online with *her* rather than hubby. I have a reputation for being a bit blunt, so I'll just go ahead and say what I'm thinking. This comment that you made, "I am wanting to figure out how to get her to make just a bit more income" just sort of came across wrong for me.

In all likelihood, she's on board with the planning, but it wasn't presented that way.

All that said, I wish more folks would incubate eggs and hatch chicks. It's difficult to locate good chicks locally.

[shdybrady]

lol you are right alice let me give you just a bit of back ground on us. Even though we are 23 we try to live a fairly old fashion life. When she had blake I was adamant she was a stay at home mom. And she was on the same page I was. Its what she wanted as well. She is more then willing to go to work but I want her to stay at home with her son. Again so does she but she is willing to do whatever it takes to bring in more money. Her words not mine. She doesnt have an account on here so thats why I am posting. Dont worry alice Im not making or imposing anything on her lol

[hintonlady]

I can imagine that not getting into cutting costs makes life seem less tight. By if you did it voluntarily rather than out of neccesity couldn't it make it seem less restrictive?

There are so many ways to cut back without feeling like you are missing out on anything.

Do you go to the movies? Matinees are cheaper.

Do you go out to eat? Order water and skip desert or go to counter service places that don't require a tip. Mom and Pop cafes are MUCH cheaper than a chain like Applebees or whatever.

Smoking and drinking can be quit for health rather than finances.

You can automatically set aside all pocket change.

Generic products can save quite a bit. Not all are created equal but many are.

DIY oil changes are cheaper than a lube shop.


It very well can be that you already do this and more. I don't know your situation. Just trying to emphasize that cutting back doesn't mean you have to do with less. It just means you are doing the same on less.

As far as jobs, which was your question...what is your wife good at, what does she enjoy?

Baby sitting or elder care are often hard to come by in rural areas.
Housecleaning.
General assistant to an elderly person such as driving to appointments, shopping and errands.
Seed starting in spring has been VERY profitable for some if you can get set up properly.
Can she sew, edit documents etc. does she have a marketable skill?
After school care for tweens, take to activities, homework help and dinner prep for a busy family. (if a private agreement she could negotiate bringing the baby along)

There are lots of things that can be done. It's just a matter of finding a need and then getting the word out. Have to be willing to wait out a slow start, building a business takes time.

[shdybrady]

when my son was born I went on an overtime rampage and payed off 20k in debt. A motorcycle, car and a credit card. The only thing we owe now is day care which is 50 a week, mortgage, a small cell phone bill, power bill and a credit card I am using just to get my credit as high as possible. Only charging 30-60 dollars a month on it. Which we use that on goat and chicken feed.

But she hasnt sewn before but always interested. She does make scarfs and what not with knitting. She loves crafts and loves gardening. But as far as cutting cost we have done about as much as we can to limit our overhead and not do with out too much. Such as generic brands, cutting coupons, trying to find deals everywhere, conserving energy and reusing as much as we can

[shdybrady]

But lets get away from conserving and more about producing. Does anyone have experience with hatching peafowl or emu's? The only reserve I have about these are the demand is much lower. Also if they dont sell I am stuck with them. If I dont sell my chickens, guineas, or turkeys then I can just eat them. But the larger fowl does bring a higher price tag

[Alice In TX/MO]

Emus are old old money losing news. No one wants the nasty things.

Where I live, there's a demand for Guineas and heritage breed chickens.

[shdybrady]

Alright so emu's are out. And the demand is about the same around here. Guinea keets are actually pretty rare around here. I do know turkeys are seasonal but they do bring a god bit of money. And again I can just eat those

[Zilli]

$50.00 a week for day care is a lot of money.

I know you say you want him there, but I agree there are other cheaper (as in free) ways for him to "socialize." I used to take my toddlers to the free weekly story time at the library and even a trip to a local park with a playground can provide lots of opportunities for your child to interact with others.

Or, perhaps you could find another mom with a child close to your son's age that your wife could swap babysitting time with - to give both moms a couple of hours a week away from their babies. I have to be honest with you, though - putting any of my kids in day care twice a week "just because" would have never entered my mind. It was hard enough doing that when I had to when I had to go back to work after a divorce.

$200.00 a month would go a long way to paying down your principal, it seems to me.

[ronbre]

if she wants to socialize and work she could do party plan selling evenings or weekends if you are home then..I did that and it was quite succeessful..there are tons of different party plans to choose from..also she could bake and decorate cakes at home and sell by order

[Zilli]

And I agree about the emus.

Emus, alpacas, even potbellied pigs were big money-makers in the beginning. The people who had the foresight (and money) to get in on the ground floor were the only ones who made any money.

When I first moved here almost seven years, the neighbors across the highway from me had a thriving alpaca farm and even had a yarn shop on their farm that seemed to do a pretty good business - for awhile.

Now, for the last couple of years, they've been trying to sell their herd and have recently been reduced to practically giving their animals away.

Besides, have you ever eaten emu? Yuck. I have and I thought it was pretty gross - the dogs loved it, though.

[shdybrady]

I dont think emu would be very tasty. Peafowl is up in the air but thats too much of a risk for me to take on that large of a bird

[motdaugrnds]

Brady, If I were in your wife's shoes, I would take a little time and research the community, especially the nicer restaurants, to find out if they would be interested in purchasing "locally" grown items (pheasant, quail, pekin duck, even specialty veggies, etc.). This would tell me if there is a market for what I produce. Next thing I would do is find out the best (health, protection) way to manage such produce.

[shdybrady]

we will have to look into that. I have to research to see if there is any laws or regulations on providing meat for a business. I am assuming they will need to be inspected. Would they need to inspect the living conditions or just the animal after being butchered

[Alice In TX/MO]

Take the fowl to a USDA butcher shop, and there are no worries about that part at all.

[shdybrady]

I just emailed a cousin of mine who owns a restaurant in atlanta that cooks southern food and I asked if they had any desire for local chicken. Instead of buying from the bigger box meat markets. She also knows alot of restaurant owners. If it works out there might be a few oppritunities

[Oakshire_Farm]

I am a SAHM, for extra pocket cash, I keep my incubator up and running year round! I know every area is different. I keep my chicks till they are about 10-15 weeks, by then I sex them (as young as possible) and kill off the young roo's. The young hens I can sell for $25 each! I sell the younger ones too $5 ror unsexed week olds and the price goes up as they get older. I have raised chickens for meat and right now I have 2 dozen turkey eggs in the incubator, I have orders for them for Thanksgiving and Christmas for $4.50/lb! I free range all my birds, to help keep feed costs down. I have been doing this for a few years and now I have people calling looking for my birds. I rarely have to advertise any more because I have a demand.