SAHM Value - Bro

The topic of stay at home moms is one that is not discussed enough. In current times it is just assumed that both parents will work. In the “olden” days both parents would work but in different ways. Pa would go out on the farm and do farm stuff and Ma would stay home and sew cloths and cook and clean. It is not until recent times that we have found enough time savings that it has even become possible for the mom to even be able to leave the house to get a paying job. Just because something is possible does not mean that it should be done.

My wife is a stay at home mom. As I have said to her many times she has the harder job. Taking care of a child is a ton of work. Through some kind of crazy math taking care of 2 kids is like caring for a whole army. I really do appreciate all that my wife does for our household. My wife is more than the sum of her parts but because I am a numbers nerd let's break down what her value as a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) is. (Side note: Honey I am really sorry for that really really important thing that you do that I forgot on the list below… Hubby CYA)


-House keeping: $100/month
My wife keeps the house clean… or as clean as it can be given we have a 5 year old and a 3 year old.
-Child care: $800/Month
Someone has to watch the next generation. Not only does my wife watch the kids but I cannot imagine anyone else caring as much as she does about our kids. I have heard plenty of horror stories of daycares that basically pack as many kids as possible in and use the TV to placate the masses.
-Cook: $1000/month
My wife is an amazing cook. We hardly ever eat out because for the most part she can out cook most restaurants. Eating out for lunch (I always pack leftovers for lunch) and dinner would cost at least $250/week. ($30/dinner and $8/lunch)
-Saver: $200/month
My wife spends some of her time each week clipping coupons, looking at grocery store sales, and shopping for the best deals on kids essentials. If she was not in charge of running the house then we would just have to live with just paying full price for most things.
-Hair Cutter: $60/month
My son and I both get our hair cut once a month by my wife. A haircut here and a haircut there really add up fast.
-Assets: $50,000 @ 4% AKA $2,000/year
I am not really going to tell you what assets my wife had when I married her but she was fairly well endowed. Those assets are now the family’s assets but without her and her hard work before we had kids we would not have those investments.
Total: $27K+

I know there are a bunch of other articles out there that break down these numbers in a million similar ways. This list is mostly to remind me what I am most thankful for in my relationship and to keep me from falling into the trap of wanting my wife to get a job to accelerate FI. Some things are worth “spending” on and my wife staying home is one of them.

If I forgot something the please feel free to add it in the comments. This is not intended to be a complete list.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FU vs FEveryone Money - Bro

The concept of FU* money is nothing new . The general idea is that you have enough money that you can tell someone (like a co-worker, boss, or bosses boss) FU and still be okay financially. Recently I stumbled across the concept of FEveryone money. FU money and FEveryone money might sound similar but the magnitude is different. FEveryone money is FU money taken to the next level. FU money is almost the same thing as an emergency fund. In a way it is an emergency fund on steroids. This money gives you room to speak your mind. If for some reason you need to quit your job FU money allows you to say “FU”. Eventually you will need to figure something out but you have the breathing room to figure things out. As your FU money grows the number of options you have grows. Starting out you might need to find a similar job a few months after saying FU. As your FU powers grow you might need to still get a similar job but a year or two after saying FU. Eventually your FU cushion might grow to the
Read more

Why I FI - Bro

Image
My wife and I were out with some friends when the topic of FIRE came up. We are open with these friends and we informed them that we hope to be FI in 5 years or less. You could almost see their minds blow. They simply could not wrap their head around the fact it was possible much less why you would want to be FI. (It did not help matters that I referred to it as retiring early instead of financially independent) After this conversation it got me thinking about why I want to be FI. The first and foremost reason for FI is the security. My job is our family’s only source of income. If for some reason I lose my job then my family needs something they can fall back on. As our investments grow they become the equivalent of someone working full time at Colorado’s minimum wage*. Instead of being a one income family we are now a two income family with the second income is continually growing. The second reason for FI is optionality. Having a large amount of savings simply allows us to
Read more

Surviving VS Thriving - Sis

Image
We are all trying to survive, everyone is just trying to do the best they can. I don’t want to only survive though, I want to thrive. I want to live a life of passion and purpose. I want to have more good days than bad. Simple changes and one’s mindset can help promote a life of thriving. Thankful Happiness Reactive Ingenuitive Value Educated … like what I did there!  Thankful : I wake up every morning trying to be thankful. Some mornings are harder than others but before I get out of bed I try to think of one thing I am thankful for. It helps set my mindset positively and shows gratitude to the things around me. To thrive in life you need three bones. A wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone. -Reba McEntire Happiness: Turn that frown upside down. You alone can only create your own happiness. Choose a life filled with joys, as small or big as they may be. Learn to deal with and conquer challenges and find happiness in all areas of life. My mission
Read more