How Stay at Home Moms Can Take the Leap to Work From Home

The decision to start a family usually requires a serious talk with your spouse. And when the kids arrive, you may want to take the leap to be a work at home mom (WAHM). You may want to work from home to be near the kids and also help your spouse with the bills. Before quitting your job, it's important to consider the repercussions of your decision. Quitting your job means a sudden slash of your household income if you were sharing responsibilities with your spouse. Apart from this, there are personal issues to think of. For example, what will your mother-in-law or friends think of your decision to work from home? Read on to find out how you can start working from home.

Why Work from Home

As a mom, there is nothing as precious as the time you spend with your little ones. When they come into the world, you may always want to carry and watch them. It's our motherly instincts that want us to protect the babies. However, as they grow and start walking, you may not find it necessary to carry them around the house. Still, you may not want to leave them with a babysitter. This may mean quitting your job to be near the kids. When kids start crawling or walking, it is a good time to weigh your options about work. Some mothers simply resort to working because they cannot stand staying “idle” the whole day. For others, working may be necessary to supplement the household income. Regardless of your situation, here are some things you should consider before taking the leap.

1. Household Income

Sit down with your spouse and evaluate the household income. Go over everything, from how much you are paying for gas to weekly groceries, house rent to buying clothes. After working out where your household income has been going, you will have a clear picture of whether you have been scraping by or if you will be able to get by when you quit your job to work at home.

2. Your Well-being

Do you really want to quit your job and work from home? Truth be told, a couple of your friends will cringe when they find out you are working from home. Others will be excited and envy you for being “your own boss”. However, it's ultimately your feelings that should guide you in deciding whether or not to take the leap. How do you feel working from home? Connect with other moms at forums like WAHM to find out about their experience working from home. Find out about the challenges and opportunities that working from home presents.

3. Your Spouse

Before joining other stay at home moms, talk with your spouse. Working from home will immediately change your life in ways you had not anticipated. When you and your spouse work, you are likely to split errands and chores. When you are working from home, most responsibilities will shift to you. You should be a team with your spouse. Even though you may have been taking care of the kids the whole day, it doesn't mean that your responsibilities stop when your spouse walks in. Likewise, your husband shouldn't expect to stop doing all the chores at home. Make a plan with your spouse to delegate responsibilities in light of your new venture.

4. Professional Skills

Decide on the kind of job you would like to do. There are many jobs that can be done remotely, at home. For example, you can get started with transcription, copywriting, accounting, graphic design, photography, web design and so on. Evaluate your professional skills to determine which jobs you are a good fit for. If your current professional qualifications don't match the jobs you can do from home, get qualified. Use online education sites like Udemy.com to take courses on transcription or other professions you are interested in.

5. Your Healthcare

Don't forget to take care of your health when transitioning to your career as a stay at home mom. In your current work, you may be under the company's sponsored healthcare plan. With your new job, you will have to take care of your health insurance. Can you afford a new plan? To make things easier, you can join your spouse's health plan. However, before doing so, find out whether your doctors accept your spouse's insurance. Also, look at the cost of deductibles, prescription drugs, doctor's visits, and trips to the emergency room.

Go For It!

Even after contemplating all the pros and cons of working from home, there will be times when doubts will creep in. This is normal, especially when you are looking to get into unfamiliar career territory. The best way to get over the doubt is to simply get started. Doing something as simple as arranging your working area at home or researching the best headphones to buy for your job, can give you the momentum to start your life as an at home mom. With that, have faith in yourself and take the leap like other work at home moms that have done before. The earlier you start, the better! Also Read, Working from Home: 6 Tips to Overcome the Challenges