How can I help my family make and save money as a stay at home mom?

So I really need some help coming up with ways to make and save money as a stay at home mom. My daughter, Fianc茅, and I live off his income (About $600.00 twice a month) and we pay $500.00 in monthly rent. And we get help with our groceries once a month with $180.00 from the government. We were doing all right until we got our gas bill yesterday and it had jumped up to $221.50 even though we haven鈥檛 raised our thermostat



I would really love to bring in some money to help out, but we absolutely cannot afford childcare so it would have to be something I can do while I鈥檓 taking care of my 21 month old. We have no other family to help watch her so that out of the options. And if I can鈥檛 do much to bring in money than anyone have tips to help save money?



I鈥檇 also love ideas of what to buy food wise to try and get the most out of our $180.00 of grocery money.



Thanks for all the help in advance!How can I help my family make and save money as a stay at home mom?
You can only obtain legitimate work from home positions from brick and mortar companies.



You want to send your resume out to companies hiring for positions you are qualified for, but include in your resume that you have a home office and you wish to work remotely. Include how you have your home office set up and what equipment you already have in order for you to perform your job.



These jobs are just going to advertised as jobs, they would not promote them as ';work at home'; because they would hear from too many unqualified people.How can I help my family make and save money as a stay at home mom?
There are many things that you can do to help your family save money and be a stay-at-home-mom. Consider all of these questions:

Have you researched the possibility of seeking daycare subsidy? There are programs to help you seek employment and have help financially with daycare at the same time.

Can you work at a daycare, where you could bring your child with you? Sometimes places offer free or VERY low cost rates if you work there. You could even search local churches, gyms and daycare centers for openings.

Have you considered doing an in-home daycare? Most states require a license, but if you are babysitting for neighbors or even family members you could make a little money, and of course this would be all in your home.

There may be an elderly neighbor or organization that would appreciate you doing some 'small errands' for the elderly and you could perhaps even bring your child with you.

Are you in a position to work in the evenings when your fionce, returns home from work?

There may be some other questions that you want or need to ask yourself, but hopefully these questions have you thinking of some of your options.

To answer your question about a budget for groceries: Stick to a list. Choose foods that are in season--especially your friuts and vegetables. Try and buy some frozen vegetables. When meat is on sale, try and stock up and freeze some in 1lb packets/containers. Rice and pasta can be fairly cheap as well as tortillas. The price for milk and bread seems to fluctuate, and its always wise to watch out for stores that price match and look for coupons. It may even be worth asking your store if they price match any sale from another shop. (Sometimes stores do not advertise that they price match). Try and avoid buying expensive items and try cooking your meals from 'scratch'. These are only a few ideas you want to consider.

If you feel you want to talk to someone, you can always call the Boys Town national hotline at 1-800-448-3000. We have counselors available 24/7 and we talk to parents and kids about various issues concerning them. We can also look up some local resources pertaining to your location. Take care, Counselor KJ