KNOWING A FEW STAY AT HOME MOM HACKS IS THE BEST WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE AND FINANCES
Becoming a stay at home mom is one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made. However, being a stay at home mom has it’s fair share of challenges, that’s why I have learned a few hacks so I can enjoy staying at home with my kids.
Once upon a time I was a struggling and unhappy stay at home mom.
I was stressed about so many things. I worried about our finances, my career, health and lots of other things.
One of the reasons I struggled so much was because the reality of being a stay at home mom was different from what I had imagined.
Being a stay at home mom was exhausting, isolating and I never seemed to have enough time to get everything done.
As you can imagine, it got even worse when I began homeschooling.
One day I decided I couldn’t continue living this way and something had to change.
I told myself this wasn’t the life I signed up for because deep down I knew things could be better.
I knew life could be less stressful and more enjoyable. All I needed to do was to find a way to make it better.
The first thing I did was to ask myself some questions like:
- What’s missing in my life?
- What changes do I need to make?
- What do I want my life to look like?
Asking these questions forced me to confront my circumstances head on and to look for answers.
Lots of times it’s easier to whine or become complacent instead of being proactive.
But the problem is being passive keeps you stuck and unhappy.
I know many moms are struggling and some are in survival mode because they are overwhelmed and burned out from all the demands on them.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Related: 4 Things You Can Do to Avoid Stay at Home Mom Burnout
Related: How to Get Out of Stay at Home Mom Rut in 5 Days
So if you’re tired of being in survival mode and ready to take back your life, fasten your seat belt and get comfortable as I share some ways you can improve your life and finances.
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STAY AT HOME MOM HACKS TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE AND FINANCES
1. ENJOY THE JOURNEY
One of the secrets to thriving as a stay at home mom is to enjoy the journey.
Yes, being a stay at home mom is hard work no doubt about it, but when you truly embrace it, life seems easier and definitely more enjoyable.
The life of a stay at home mom is filled with ups and downs (and can get very monotonous). There will be good days and bad days, but the thing that will make the biggest difference is your attitude.
If you approach this season of your life with a negative attitude, things are going to be way harder than if you are more positive.
If you feel resentful of your current situation, I want to encourage you to replace resentment with gratitude. Replace negativity with a positive mindset and watch the difference in your life.
Related: 10 Best Tips to Be a Happy Stay at Home Mom
2. HAVE A FAMILY ROUTINE OR SCHEDULE
You’re probably tired of hearing about routines and schedules so I am not going to harp on this too much.
But the reason you keep hearing about scheduling and routines is because they work.
Having some kind of routine makes life a bit more manageable and saves you a lot of time because you’re not trying to figure out what you should be doing next or when you should be doing it.
Another reason having a routine (morning/night) is a good idea is because kids like consistency and it cuts down on arguments and resistance from them because they know what to expect.
Having a routine doesn’t mean you can’t be spontaneous or that you have to follow them religiously every single day.
You can use them as some sort of guide or road map for your day to make your day and life flow as smoothly as possible.
3. GET IN SOME EXERCISE
No you don’t have to join a gym if you don’t want to but as a stay at home mom, getting in some exercise as often as you can will do wonders for your mind and body.
There are lots of ways to get in some exercise every day. You could go for a walk, do some drills at home with some free YouTube videos or whatever you prefer.
The important thing is that you find a way to stay active, fit and healthy.
Exercises tend to improve your mood and they make you stronger and happier. So if they aren’t a part of your life, you may want to rethink that.
If you haven’t exercised in a long time, please don’t do anything too strenuous and you may need to get some medical advice before you begin exercising.
Use your discretion okay?
4. PLAN FOR DOWN TIME
As a busy stay at home mom, I have learned the importance of incorporating rest or down time into my day.
If you’re not currently doing this, you need to start today!
Everyone needs a down time each day to breathe and re-energize themselves.
Make this a priority in your life. I know this can be hard when you have very young kids in the home, but you can make it work with a little bit of effort and creativity.
5. HAVE A CLEANING SCHEDULE OR SOME KIND OF SYSTEM FOR CLEANING
One of the easiest cleaning hack is to clean as you go.
This is the easiest way to have a relatively clean and tidy home.
When you let things pile up, it becomes harder to clean and takes way more time to get it done.
I prefer to clean as I go through my day. I pick up stuff and put them back back where they belong.
Teaching your kids to pick up after themselves is another good way to keep your home clean and tidy.
If they are really young, you can make a game out of it and before you know it, it will become a habit for them.
Creating a cleaning schedule can be as easy as choosing which part of the house to clean each day or which cleaning task to do.
For example, Mondays can be bathrooms, Tuesdays vacuuming, Wednesdays laundry etc.
Just find a system that works for you and go with it.
6. GET ENOUGH SLEEP
This one can be a little bit tricky depending on how many hats you wear.
If you’re a stay at home mom plus homeschooling mom plus work at home mom like me, it can be pretty hard to get enough sleep every night.
I am not going to tell you to get eight hours of sleep every night because that may be unrealistic for you right now, but what I am going to say is that make sure you get as much rest as you can to stay healthy and refreshed each day.
For a long time, I was sleep deprived, but I have gotten better at getting as much rest as I can or need.
Sometimes, I just let everything go and get hours and hours of sleep because whatever I need to do will still be there when I wake up.
Sleep is important to good health so make sure you’re getting enough.
7. WAKE UP EARLY
Yeah, I know this kinda seem a bit contrary to my last point but hear me out.
Waking up early gives you more time in the day to get things done.
Waking up early also means you can spend some time alone before your kids wake up and things get crazy.
Even if it’s just thirty minutes or an hour early, it can make a difference to your day.
When I wake up early, I feel less rushed and I am usually more productive because I have taken the time to prepare for the day.
It’s the opposite when I wake up late and have to jump right into things.
So try waking up a little bit early before your kids are up and see if it improves your day.
8. EMBRACE SIMPLE BUT NUTRITIOUS MEALS AND MEAL PREPPING
Once upon a time, I used to love cooking and thought every meal had to be big and elaborate.
While I still enjoy cooking sometimes, I have moved on to more simple but nutritious meals.
If I tried to make every meal from scratch, I wouldn’t have time to do anything else.
So free yourself from the pressure of cooking every day or making every meal a three-course meal.
Simple meals can be delicious and nutritious at the same time.
Also, meal prepping will save you a lot of time.
When you spend the time to plan your meals in advance, you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to feed your family.
When meal time arrives, you’ll be good to go because you’ve already done all the prep work.
9. SHOP IN BULK
Shopping in bulk saves you time and money (as long as you don’t go crazy shopping for things you don’t need).
When you shop in bulk, it cuts down on the number of times you have to go grocery shopping and you will also save on gas and other incidental costs.
I find that the more times as I shop, the more money I spend because I end up buying things I didn’t plan for.
If you are not used to shopping in bulk, give it a try. This is really good for non-perishables/non-food items but you can also buy food in bulk and freeze them to keep them fresh.
10. SHOWER AND GET DRESSED
I don’t know about you, but I am usually more productive when I take the time to shower and get dressed.
There’s just something about being put together that makes you feel good and make life brighter and more enjoyable.
Instead of spending all day in your sweats, find the time to shower, put on some clean clothes, brush your hair and put on some make up (if that’s your thing).
Before I had kids, I used to take two showers every day.
I couldn’t sleep at night without a shower. While I no longer take two showers every day (except during certain times of the month), I always take a shower every single day no matter how busy I am.
I find it better to take a shower and get dressed in the morning. When I shower and dress up, it makes me feel like I am ready for business and ready to take on the challenges of the day.
If you are spending most of your day looking frumpy, it’s time to change that.
Carve out some time to shower and look good, it would definitely improve your outlook on life and your state of mind.
11. GET ORGANIZED
I am convinced that it’s way harder to enjoy stay at home mom life when you’re disorganized.
For you to truly thrive, you need some semblance of order in your life.
I find living in a cluttered and disorganized house too overwhelming, that’s why I always strive to keep my home and life as organized as possible.
I have quite a few responsibilities and I couldn’t achieve anything without being organized.
If you’re dealing with clutter or living in a messy home, it’s possible to change your environment.
When you’re organized, you feel more in control of your life. You don’t feel like you’re drowning or completely overwhelmed.
It takes time to get organized but you can start with one area of your life and home at a time until everything is the way you’d like it to be.
Related: 7 Effective Ways to Become an Organized Stay at Home Mom
Related: How to Start Cleaning a Messy House in 5 Simple Steps
12. GET HELP OR OUTSOURCE WHEN NECESSARY
Being a stay at home mom doesn’t mean you have to do every single thing yourself.
There are times when you need help or when hiring help or outsourcing some tasks make sense.
Don’t feel like you have to defend yourself for outsourcing certain tasks or for hiring help.
If you can afford a baby sitter a few days a week, please hire one. The same goes for cleaning or any other tasks that take up too much time or you don’t enjoy doing.
As long as you can afford it and you can work it into your budget, it’s okay to get help.
The time saved can be used for other activities you enjoy and for improving other areas of your life.
13. LEARN GOOD MONEY MANAGEMENT
When you’re a one-income family, things can get a little bit uncomfortable sometimes unless your spouse earns a truck-load of money.
It’s very important that you have good money-management skills as a stay at home.
Having good money-management skills means you know how to save, create and manage a budget and save or invest for retirement.
Financial problems have ruined quite a few marriages so this is something that’s really important.
It doesn’t mean that you never splurge on yourself, it just means you pay a bit more attention to how you spend money and the kind of financial decisions you make.
Some of my favorite personal finance books include:
14. DON’T RELINQUISH ALL FINANCIAL DECISIONS TO YOUR SPOUSE
This one is pretty tricky and maybe a hot topic I dunno.
Being a stay at home mom doesn’t mean you have no say in making financial decisions in your home.
While it may be true that you don’t contribute financially to the home, don’t forget that you’re contributing in other ways.
Don’t ever assume that everything is okay financially. Make sure you’re aware of any debt, that you have an emergency fund and you know how much savings you have.
Be involved in the financial planning and learn all you can about personal finance.
Don’t think it isn’t your responsibility because you’re not the one earning the money.
It’s a mistake I have seen some moms make, and in some cases it’s had some unfortunate consequences.
15. EXPLORE MONEY MAKING IDEAS IF POSSIBLE
Along the same lines as the previous hack, where possible, find ways to contribute to your family’s income especially if finances are a bit tight.
I know sometimes this isn’t possible and you don’t have to feel guilty about it if that’s your situation.
I am just throwing it out there as something you can consider.
A little extra money can go a long way when you’re primarily a one-income family. It can be used to pay off debt or build up your savings.
While there are lots of real ways to make money from home, there are also lots of scams, so be extra careful if you are thinking of ways to make money from home.
16. FIND A STAY AT HOME MOM HOBBY
Do something for you. Find an outlet, a hobby or an activity that you really enjoy and make it a part of your life.
It doesn’t matter what it is. Everyone has something that they enjoy no matter how trivial or inconsequential it may sound.
It can be singing in the choir, writing short plays,blogging, reading, knitting or something else.
It doesn’t matter.
What’s important is that you have something that you do just for you and that it makes you happy (hope this doesn’t sound too selfish).
STAY AT HOME MOM HACKS TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE AND FINANCES
It’s possible to thrive as a stay at home mom. You don’t have to live a life of drudgery and stress because you chose to stay at home with your kids.
Being a stay at home mom doesn’t mean you’re sentenced to a sub-par life where you’re barely hanging on and life just seem to be stuck in a loop.
Use these stay at home mom hacks to improve your life and finances and make being a stay at home mom the best and happiest decision you’ve ever made!
