Andrea, you may not be here on earth, but you just made me feel a lot better on being a stay at home wife and mother. Your teachings will always be here while you rest in heaven.
Andrea, I'm a personal financial planner and the title of your video lured me in. I really enjoyed your perspective and think you did a fantastic job presenting what can be a confusing abstract concept. Real wealth isn't easy to measure but I can tell you are a rich woman! As a single 40yo male I really shouldn't be interested in your channel but you're such a succinct and intelligent speaker that I'm curious to watch more. Great video - thank you.
You made SUCH a difference in our divided society! I can only imagine how many SAHM's are praising you for your solidarity. I'm certainly one of them 💗. Thank you! RIP 💖 beautiful Andrea 🙏.
I like to say that I am a full-time homemaker so that my husband is able to go out to work for money. Long ago I worked a full-time job and my money went for childcare and meals out. I do a couple cleaning jobs that bring in a little money, but my being a homemaker means we spend less money on almost everything. I have always cut hair, cooked every dinner, searched out sales and savings on all the products we use, etc and homeschooed for many years. I love being a homemaker. (Also, I work 7 days a week as a homemaker, and will not be retiring.)
Tom. I hadn't heard if you all until recent. I am a stay at home homeschool mom and I've been binge watching Andrea. Her videos are all such help and great ideas. Please dont take them down. Such a blessing
Andrea, I never got the chance to watch your channel before you left us, but I', so glad that now I can watch them, you are a sweet and wise wise on earth as well as in heaven.
I know this is an older video and now our dear Andrea is no longer with us, but it gives me comfort to watch her videos. Here I was trying to figure out ways to earn money, but I see now I am more valuable at home. I also do home haircuts, and make home cooked meals. I know in my small way I am contributing!
Andrea, I am sad to have not been able to meet you. I am a young mom-to-be and needed this to feel more secure in my new role as a stay-at-home wife and mom. ❤️
Dearest Andrea, i can`t stop looking for you on videos. Your calm sincere nature amazes me not to mention organisation. How i wish i knew you before but never too late to learn from you. 🖤🖤🖤
My husband and I knew we wanted to find a way for one of us to stay home with the children if we had them before we even got married. It was something really important to me so it was something we had to agree on premarriage. When I got pregnant with our first we were both active duty Marines. I was in the last year of my enlistment and my husband had just reenlisted so it made sense for me to be the one to stay home. I got SO MUCH negativity from family, friends and even people from our church about how I was wasting my life so we did the numbers (to show them that we wouldn't be making anything/spending more). Between day care, formula (my job didn't lend itself to pumping), uniform costs, gas costs and extra food costs we were going to end up paying more for me to work then to stay home. The first month after I left the military our food budget cut in a quarter and we stopped having to pay for daycare. Between the two it was almost my whole paycheck. We have six kiddos now. I can't imagine not being home with them. Not only financially but Ive seen the benefits for the family to have one parent at home full time.
I'm so glad you shared this. Another friend on here shared the same sentiment in that I only discussed the financial benefits of staying home, but the family benefits are so very great, too! When everyone is exhausted at the end of the day but there's all sorts of work that needs done, relationships become very strained. It's such a benefit if everyone is able to rest and enjoy each other at the end of a busy day. It produces so much more love and happiness in the family. (Not to mention that good that comes from kids spending all day with a parent who loves them!)
The thing about the taxes is we still pay taxes for a school system we don't use, of course we homeschool too. I wish there were tax breaks for homeschooling families.
“I always keep a book in the bathroom so I can hide out from the kids.” That made me laugh!! Hahaha I have to start doing that. Andrea wasn’t just wise, she was also very cute ❤️
Didn't watch any of your channels but now I'm binging wish I had known your family you were a fantastic mother wife and home maker and Tom will bring them up well in your memory now everytime I watch your channel my heart breaks
I loved this video so much. And needed to hear this. I'm a stay at home mom of 3 boys who I homeschool. My husband has a satellite internet business and is able to make his own schedule. We are starting a small farm with most of the work done by myself and the 3 boys. We have a large garden, orchard and chickens. I preserve anything I can get my hands on. We heat with wood from logs we harvested ourselves. I know for a fact if I went out and got a full-time job I wouldn't be able to do any of those things. All the work we do together as a family is worth more to us than more money in the bank.
I am a homemaker and I love it. I wish it were valued more by our society. I have really been enjoying your videos and I'm excited for the new topic in February.
Such a smart lady. My life and my believes are totally different from Andrea‘s, but I enjoy every video of hers. I still find it hard to accept her passing. Tom & children I think you of very day, and my heart breaks all of you.
My husband and I are both graduating University in April. I have been offered a job out of an internship placement. We have been considering him staying at home once school is over. With my degree my earning potential is higher and as I have a job lined up it makes sense for him to stay home. We are in the process of buying land with a rundown home from a relative and the first year of two he would be working on the home and we plan on creating a large garden and getting chicken and possibly a goat. He has skills in that area which will help keep costs a lot lower than paying someone else. when we have told family about his plan to stay home they see it as weird. I am glad you shared this video as it allows me to better express why this is a very financiallu sound decision. the wealth we will be generating by him creating food, fixing the home, not paying gas, buying work suits etc. will be much more beneficial than him working.
I don't know if you are interested or not, But I thought I'd pass along a little tidbit since I've learned from you. lol If you get a Bluebird card at Walmart(free), you download their app. When you shop at Walmart, put your receipt number into the app. If they find anything that you purchased cheaper, they load it to your Bluebird card. Its sort of like Wall mart bucks. We do this all year long. This Christmas we had an extra 400.00 to spend at Walmart for gifts or whatever. Its great getting money back that you already spent! lol. Also, I found some really great free e books on google play store for my kids. Love your channel, and your sweet kids!!!! Keep up Gods work!!!
Thank you so much for this video! I'm a new mom with a six-month-old, and even though staying home with my son is important to me, I still find that I lack real motivation to be a homemaker and I still feel like I should be helping my husband financially with a "real" job. Your channel, and especially this video is a great encouragement for me and is helping me to re-evaluate my roll and what I'm really doing for my family in my choice of being a SAHM. God bless!!
I love this video. I have been at home since my husband and I got married. I'm not very good at staying at home lol. But it's all I've ever wanted and my husband agrees that's it's so important. We have 6 kids and Homeschool. Your videos are always so encouraging. God bless.
I have loved all of your videos. They have been such s blessing to myself and my family. I am a SAHM to three and expecting our 4th. It's really hard at times comparing yourself to a work from home mom. I love your perspective and it's been an answered prayer. Your so right in all the things you have talked about. I do all the haircuts, meals, cleaning and so on and so fourth. I love what I do and this is by far the most demanding job but the pay is pure love. Looking forward to you next video. God bless💜
We have started family pizza night because of your videos. And I make the pizza crust homemade and with all the toppings we can have pizza night once a week and it's still much cheaper than buying pizzas from like Pizza Hut. Thank you.
Andrea! This was great!!!!! I feel like I say the same thing, every time I comment, but the Lord is so using you in my life! I've been a homemaker for 13+ years and it's the best decision we've ever made. I'm so blessed to be able to provide for my husband and kids this way. I'm looking forward to next months topic and will be forever grateful that you "stocked your store shelves". 😊😊😊😊❤️
Think of the positive effects eternity-wise, also! Homeschooled, and was home full time with all my children, and no one can take from me the closeness I have with my grown children.
In March of 2020, I received an offer to work FT as an associate attorney. After accounting for the childcare costs we’d need to pay and other related things (e.g. there’s no free public school in the summer, so you have to pay for summer camp), we realized I’d “make” -$254 a year 🤣 Replacing mamas of big families is expensive!!
I'm so excited for the theme for February! Esp. getting to know the family better and the kids Q&A. This video was really great too! I also love to heard things from other perspectives and I had never really thought of yours before somehow. It makes a lot of sense though :]
I enjoy when you share what you're reading. I too like to read things that I don't agree with because it helps me to learn about other people and how they might be looking at something. Thanks Andrea!
Thanks for the video! I often feel like I'm not as "productive" as my husband because I am at home and I don't bring in an income I appreciate the boost and change in perspective, thanks!
Everything you talked about makes sense. I too became a stay-at-home mom after my first baby was born. I cut my husband's hair..sewed a lot of out clothes..took in ironing..took in mending..gardened..spent quality time with my kids. I even babysat for friends. So we saved money.
It's funny how this video came up for me today when I am trying to decide if being a SAHM is the best financial choice for our family. Andrea was so thoughtful and intelligent. Such a shining example of how to be an amazing wife and mother. Her wisdom is timeless. I love watching her videos.
I agree even from the perspective of a married person without children yet. I was unemployed one summer and fall and it was an eye opening experience and a blessing to our marriage. All of our time together was all quality since I had done all the home making and grunt work while he was at work so all of our time when he was home was just spent together or with friends. Now that I'm back to work, we don't get much down time together because when we get home it's a mad dash to make dinner, do chores, and get ready for work the next day. We were also much healthier as I made everything from scratch to save money, whereas now it's a lot of convenience foods unfortunately. I enjoy work for the social and intellectual stimulation, but I really liked being a housewife those few months :)
I calculated haircuts for myself for a year and it was $648.70. Approximately 65 hours worth of physical work to be able to afford haircuts for a year. The haircut would be $19.95 and I always tip $5 for a total of $24.95 per haircut. Haircuts are every two weeks. The lady who would cut my hair said that I was spending way too much money on a simple cut that I could do myself (A basic buzz cut #2 comb). I ordered a set of clippers and did my very first haircut two weeks later. My boss had happened to ask me where I got my haircut at and I told him I did it myself and he was very impressed. It takes me 20 min to give myself a complete haircut from start to finish.
I am a stay at home Mom. Wow! I've just been motivated to become more wealthy in my skills. Andrea has presented a wonderful set of goals that are attainable. She has changed my viewpoint and value as a stay at home Mom! I'm ready to go! 💃
Enjoyed your video so much. My family is not large(3 people) but I enjoy your channel. Three months ago I lost my high paying job of over 10 years and I knew it would be hard financially on us but I discovered it was not as bad as what I thought it would be. I was surprised how much money I spent a week on gas, coffee, lunch, clothes, ect.... Keep the videos coming. 😍
I was in the military for 17 years, now I'm a stay at home mom. This is a huge change for me, I feel the strong need to go find a job. Number wise I makes more sense for me to be at home childcare, gas, moving to different areas every few years,eating out( which I'm so tired of but was necessary due to being dual military household working some long hours) and other expenses was easily cut from our budget which makes us break even.
I have a copy of Miserly Moms. It's an older book, but still relevant. I'm now a stay at home wife, and my children are grown and gone. We still feel like it saves us more money than I would earn working outside my home.
Oh my goodness, YES! I remember when so many of my girlfriends were running the financials on returning to work after 1, 2... 3+ babies, and at some point the income threshold stopped working out in favour of leaving their kids. At the time (10-12 years ago in Toronto) the number was $32,000 - that was the MINIMUM NET income, not Gross, needed to make any amount of income instead of paying to go to work. I'm so glad you wanted to squeeze this one in before the end of the January theme.
I loved hearing about the books you are reading. I don't have way too much time to read right now but when I can I want to read the one about fear. Thanks!
Another great message, I never thought of it this way! Thank you for sharing your insights and the books you are reading. I'm looking forward the new month!
Great video! So eye-opening to think of all the productive things stay-at-home moms do in an income-based way. Since you share book reviews, have you ever considered starting a monthly book club? That would be so fun :)
standing ovation. i love it. i have been trying to tell people this same message for years. you have the calculations. i am going to read most of your book recomenedations. lol like minds. like the woman from arg schooling. she recomends books that are already in the mail. lol i already do monthly shopping but i dont have a car, i walk. i work from home to homeschool because i am a single mother so i had to cut my sons' hair and can out of necessaty, but for me it felt better knowing i could do more with less money. i felt better that my kids were healthier because we were growing our own food so we would not have to carry so much up three flieghts of stairs. we have saved so much we are planning to move this year into a custom tiny house or earthship. i need room heck if i collect enough free low cost mateerials we just might do both. it helps with my self esteem as well. societey can be so cruel to single mothers even when they offer pity.
I had a really good economics teacher in middle school, who explained to us that sometimes depending on your family situation it makes more sense financially for one parent to stay home. With the cost of transportation, and childcare if the other person isn't making a substantial amount, why would they want to go out and work? There's also lots of new options for working from home if you can make it work! This video is helpful for parents who want to home school, and also those who have to out of financial necessity. :)
I have saved so much money homeschooling. Saved money on lost lunch boxes and backpacks. Saved on having to buy enough supplies for 1/4 of the class, which was $300 at least every year. Saved on buying certain special name brand pencils or cleaners that teacher had to have. Save on ADHD and Anxiety medications(no longer need since homeschooling). That saves me 200 a month right there. I save on paying for field trips my kid doesn't really care about. I save on dance fees my kid doesn't want to participate at. I save on having to buy a certain expensive outfit for band and pageants. Most importantly, I save on vacations. We can go during the off season when prices are lower.
This IS a great way to prove the value of a stay at home mom! It's sort of unfortunate that in our society today, we have the mindset that couples NEED to bring in two or more incomes, to live up to " the standard of living" that is viewed as acceptable. It's also a shame that the cost of living isn't more affordable, so that more children can benefit from having a parent at home. In a perfect world...
That's what's so sad. If people understood this they'd realize the _real_ luxury that can't be afforded is the two incomes. Everything that you have to out-source costs you so much more in terms of time and money. (By time I mean your time earning so you can pay the money.) They'd be much better off if someone was able to produce at home. Debt is what kills people financially because banks can't be paid in anything but money so big debt requires two incomes. If the debt was never acquired, one income would be the ticket to a truly prosperous family!
Andrea was so wise. I wish I was much younger watching her videos. I would have been much wiser and more informative. She’s such a treasure. Any young people would gain so much knowledge from her. God bless. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
The cost of childcare is also a major consideration. A friend of mine had twins. After childcare, she worked out that she'd be taking home £10 a week. If she included transport, she'd be paying to work. So she quit her job. I've chosen to work part-time because I'm a single parent. I still need an income to pay for stuff. Nobody is completely self sufficient. There's the rule of ever diminishing returns. After a certain point, working more costs money as you end up paying for stuff that you could do yourself if you had the time.
I love Miserly Moms.....it was the catalyst to me staying home with my child.... my husband was changing careers and we were moving across the country.....we were losing 2/3 of our income (mine and his pay cut)....I figured if she could do it in San Francisco I could do it in rural Nova Scotia (Canada).....15 years and 2 moves since then and are now on the other side of the country ....my boys are 18 (at University) and 13 (homeschooled) and I've never looked back.
love your videos and choosing the career of housewife with or without children can be fulfilling and financially advantageous when embraced fully. What ever career one chooses should make them happy and I personally am happy doing what I am doing :-)
I stayed home for years. When I went back to work, we prospered as we did not increase our standard of living to match our new income. We don't have young children and that made the transition even easier.
I enjoyed this months theme. I am excited to see whats next. I would love to see some more topics like, spending quality time with your kids, how you spend your "mommy time" or date night., how your children get along so well and how you plan for birthday parties on a budget. Just throwing out some ideas. Keep doing your thing girl!
You're in luck! February's theme is Life-Long Love and we're going to be talking about several of those topics. When I post the new theme video I'll be asking for questions so I hope you'll have lots of them for us! I changed my TH-cam banner photo to reflect the new theme and it shares a few of the video plans coming up.
+Cheyenne Sida It sort of was. I had 12 different themes planned with a list of video ideas for each based on all of the suggestions you guys give me. Then I decided which month to assign each theme to. I'd thought about doing this theme in July when it's our anniversary but so many people want interviews with the kids and to know about their births, names, etc, that I decided to move it up to February which also happens to be a great month to talk about Life-Long Love! (Plus, it was fun having a reason to put hearts on my channel art for Valentine's Day!)
I have to agree with is daycare is to expensive here in Michigan. It would be nice young mothers could have more help with that expense. I help with four grandchildren while my daughter is working. That is the only way she is able to work. I agree with you totally.
similarly for us, I went part time at work after we found that to work full time by the time we counted the extra gas, the extra clothing, and childcare, I would only have 6 more dollars a month than if I just stayed part time so I did.
You give me hope! Thank you for all your videos of knowledge! Do y'all use a co op for school? I ask because we do and it seems to be a bit pricey. I wish we didn't need it. Where we live is rural and not many neighbors, no family here. So we do it at our church for extra socializing.
We don't do any activities like that. For years I've had to stay home to watch our store so I couldn't go out and join things like that with the kids. (On Wednesdays Tom stays home and we do our trip to the library and other things then.) Since I couldn't go out, I invited people in. On Mondays we have some homeschool friends over and the kids play while us moms watch a DVD series together. Right now we're doing a cooking course. We've done herbs courses and Charlotte Mason courses, too. It gives the kids time to hang out with their friends, it gives moms time for some professional development and we all enjoy ourselves. It's not as well attended right now as we're deep in winter, but as the weather warms and snow clears we'll all feel like getting out and about again. It doesn't cost anything (I already had the DVD sets or we could use TH-cam) other than the cost of making some snacks to serve, it's very low pressure and hits all of the things we personally want out of a homeschool group.
This is something I have been thinking alot about. The thought of a persons "net worth" is really how to calculate a persons financial status. Many people live in debt even though they make a good income. So really a person who makes way less but lives debt free and owns a home or has other assets, they actually have more from a financial perspective even tho the other person has a higher income.
Sometimes I want to work to get out of the house and have a bigger lifestyle budget, but with my work experience and education level it would just not work. Daycare is a fortune! And who knows what kinds of culture the care takers as teachers will influence my kids with. I think God created women to find joy in domestic, productive tasks. Like sewing, canning, gardening...I'm interested in nutrition and an convinced that as long as we act on what we know, the information I gather as a stay at home mom benefits our family more than any doctor likely could.
I think we should all do what we're called to do. We answer to God, not to others! I just hope to encourage all those moms who feel called to be home but feel pressure to "contribute" financially. And if, in your case, the day ever comes when your situation is different hopefully you'll feel free to make different choices guilt-free! Regardless, you should carry on doing what you feel God wants you to do.
Andrea Mills Right on . Both my sister and my mum became home makers when they had children. It is such a worthy role.and I'm glad you talked about it!
I very much agree with a penny saved is a penny earned. If we'd learn to spend less, be content with less, enjoy what we have more, we'd be better off. You should add your mortgage as savings/income. Your family could easily pay triple that for a larger house.
very interesting... this got me thinking ! the thing is, I love my job and I would only stop doing it if it actually costed me more money to work than to stay home haha. That being said I don't have any children so I might still completely change my mind once I do ;)
I haven't read Fooled By Randomness, but it kind of reminds me of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell! I found it to be an interesting read. You should check it out!
Andrea, you may not be here on earth, but you just made me feel a lot better on being a stay at home wife and mother. Your teachings will always be here while you rest in heaven.
Andrea, I'm a personal financial planner and the title of your video lured me in. I really enjoyed your perspective and think you did a fantastic job presenting what can be a confusing abstract concept. Real wealth isn't easy to measure but I can tell you are a rich woman! As a single 40yo male I really shouldn't be interested in your channel but you're such a succinct and intelligent speaker that I'm curious to watch more. Great video - thank you.
Andrea...your videos and your wisdom will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, sweet lady!
You made SUCH a difference in our divided society! I can only imagine how many SAHM's are praising you for your solidarity. I'm certainly one of them 💗. Thank you! RIP 💖 beautiful Andrea 🙏.
I like to say that I am a full-time homemaker so that my husband is able to go out to work for money. Long ago I worked a full-time job and my money went for childcare and meals out. I do a couple cleaning jobs that bring in a little money, but my being a homemaker means we spend less money on almost everything. I have always cut hair, cooked every dinner, searched out sales and savings on all the products we use, etc and homeschooed for many years. I love being a homemaker. (Also, I work 7 days a week as a homemaker, and will not be retiring.)
I love being a homemaker, too, and I hope that younger women will understand what a truly valuable financial contribution homemaking is to a family.
Tom. I hadn't heard if you all until recent. I am a stay at home homeschool mom and I've been binge watching Andrea. Her videos are all such help and great ideas. Please dont take them down. Such a blessing
Andrea, I never got the chance to watch your channel before you left us, but I', so glad that now I can watch them, you are a sweet and wise wise on earth as well as in heaven.
I know this is an older video and now our dear Andrea is no longer with us, but it gives me comfort to watch her videos. Here I was trying to figure out ways to earn money, but I see now I am more valuable at home. I also do home haircuts, and make home cooked meals. I know in my small way I am contributing!
Andrea, I am sad to have not been able to meet you. I am a young mom-to-be and needed this to feel more secure in my new role as a stay-at-home wife and mom. ❤️
I'm 17 and I don't plan on using any of this information but your family is so together and loving and I can't stop watching every video!
I'm 17 too, but I figure this might come in handy later in life and I love her videos regardless :)
I wish I could have met you in life, your videos are all inspiring. Thank you for sharing your life and family. 💕
Dearest Andrea, i can`t stop looking for you on videos. Your calm sincere nature amazes me not to mention organisation. How i wish i knew you before but never too late to learn from you. 🖤🖤🖤
I love being a stay at home mom and thankful I can be
She is an angel. She has helped me so much, miss you Andrea
My husband and I knew we wanted to find a way for one of us to stay home with the children if we had them before we even got married. It was something really important to me so it was something we had to agree on premarriage. When I got pregnant with our first we were both active duty Marines. I was in the last year of my enlistment and my husband had just reenlisted so it made sense for me to be the one to stay home. I got SO MUCH negativity from family, friends and even people from our church about how I was wasting my life so we did the numbers (to show them that we wouldn't be making anything/spending more). Between day care, formula (my job didn't lend itself to pumping), uniform costs, gas costs and extra food costs we were going to end up paying more for me to work then to stay home. The first month after I left the military our food budget cut in a quarter and we stopped having to pay for daycare. Between the two it was almost my whole paycheck.
We have six kiddos now. I can't imagine not being home with them. Not only financially but Ive seen the benefits for the family to have one parent at home full time.
I'm so glad you shared this. Another friend on here shared the same sentiment in that I only discussed the financial benefits of staying home, but the family benefits are so very great, too! When everyone is exhausted at the end of the day but there's all sorts of work that needs done, relationships become very strained. It's such a benefit if everyone is able to rest and enjoy each other at the end of a busy day. It produces so much more love and happiness in the family. (Not to mention that good that comes from kids spending all day with a parent who loves them!)
The thing about the taxes is we still pay taxes for a school system we don't use, of course we homeschool too. I wish there were tax breaks for homeschooling families.
“I always keep a book in the bathroom so I can hide out from the kids.” That made me laugh!! Hahaha I have to start doing that. Andrea wasn’t just wise, she was also very cute ❤️
Didn't watch any of your channels but now I'm binging wish I had known your family you were a fantastic mother wife and home maker and Tom will bring them up well in your memory now everytime I watch your channel my heart breaks
I loved this video so much. And needed to hear this. I'm a stay at home mom of 3 boys who I homeschool. My husband has a satellite internet business and is able to make his own schedule. We are starting a small farm with most of the work done by myself and the 3 boys. We have a large garden, orchard and chickens. I preserve anything I can get my hands on. We heat with wood from logs we harvested ourselves. I know for a fact if I went out and got a full-time job I wouldn't be able to do any of those things. All the work we do together as a family is worth more to us than more money in the bank.
Your voice is calming you were a gem I didn't find your channel until you left this earth but I love rewatching all of your videos
I am a homemaker and I love it. I wish it were valued more by our society. I have really been enjoying your videos and I'm excited for the new topic in February.
Such a smart lady. My life and my believes are totally different from Andrea‘s, but I enjoy every video of hers. I still find it hard to accept her passing. Tom & children I think you of very day, and my heart breaks all of you.
My husband and I are both graduating University in April. I have been offered a job out of an internship placement. We have been considering him staying at home once school is over. With my degree my earning potential is higher and as I have a job lined up it makes sense for him to stay home. We are in the process of buying land with a rundown home from a relative and the first year of two he would be working on the home and we plan on creating a large garden and getting chicken and possibly a goat. He has skills in that area which will help keep costs a lot lower than paying someone else. when we have told family about his plan to stay home they see it as weird. I am glad you shared this video as it allows me to better express why this is a very financiallu sound decision. the wealth we will be generating by him creating food, fixing the home, not paying gas, buying work suits etc. will be much more beneficial than him working.
Cheyanne DeGagne congrats on both of you graduating. no matter who stays home it's hard work, but rewarding.
I don't know if you are interested or not, But I thought I'd pass along a little tidbit since I've learned from you. lol If you get a Bluebird card at Walmart(free), you download their app. When you shop at Walmart, put your receipt number into the app. If they find anything that you purchased cheaper, they load it to your Bluebird card. Its sort of like Wall mart bucks. We do this all year long. This Christmas we had an extra 400.00 to spend at Walmart for gifts or whatever. Its great getting money back that you already spent! lol. Also, I found some really great free e books on google play store for my kids. Love your channel, and your sweet kids!!!! Keep up Gods work!!!
Just Mea I do that too
Thank you so much for this video! I'm a new mom with a six-month-old, and even though staying home with my son is important to me, I still find that I lack real motivation to be a homemaker and I still feel like I should be helping my husband financially with a "real" job. Your channel, and especially this video is a great encouragement for me and is helping me to re-evaluate my roll and what I'm really doing for my family in my choice of being a SAHM. God bless!!
You are so inspiring, Andrea! I admire your values and your ability to share wisdom with the world. Thank you!
I love this video. I have been at home since my husband and I got married. I'm not very good at staying at home lol. But it's all I've ever wanted and my husband agrees that's it's so important. We have 6 kids and Homeschool. Your videos are always so encouraging. God bless.
I have loved all of your videos. They have been such s blessing to myself and my family. I am a SAHM to three and expecting our 4th. It's really hard at times comparing yourself to a work from home mom. I love your perspective and it's been an answered prayer. Your so right in all the things you have talked about. I do all the haircuts, meals, cleaning and so on and so fourth. I love what I do and this is by far the most demanding job but the pay is pure love. Looking forward to you next video. God bless💜
We have started family pizza night because of your videos. And I make the pizza crust homemade and with all the toppings we can have pizza night once a week and it's still much cheaper than buying pizzas from like Pizza Hut. Thank you.
Andrea! This was great!!!!! I feel like I say the same thing, every time I comment, but the Lord is so using you in my life! I've been a homemaker for 13+ years and it's the best decision we've ever made. I'm so blessed to be able to provide for my husband and kids this way. I'm looking forward to next months topic and will be forever grateful that you "stocked your store shelves". 😊😊😊😊❤️
Think of the positive effects eternity-wise, also! Homeschooled, and was home full time with all my children, and no one can take from me the closeness I have with my grown children.
Andrea was my number 1 teacher on how to be a better stay at home mom...
In March of 2020, I received an offer to work FT as an associate attorney. After accounting for the childcare costs we’d need to pay and other related things (e.g. there’s no free public school in the summer, so you have to pay for summer camp), we realized I’d “make” -$254 a year 🤣 Replacing mamas of big families is expensive!!
I'm so excited for the theme for February! Esp. getting to know the family better and the kids Q&A.
This video was really great too! I also love to heard things from other perspectives and I had never really thought of yours before somehow. It makes a lot of sense though :]
I enjoy when you share what you're reading. I too like to read things that I don't agree with because it helps me to learn about other people and how they might be looking at something. Thanks Andrea!
The Economides Family has a fantastic newsletter that is really worth subscribing to.
Thanks for the video! I often feel like I'm not as "productive" as my husband because I am at home and I don't bring in an income I appreciate the boost and change in perspective, thanks!
Everything you talked about makes sense. I too became a stay-at-home mom after my first baby was born. I cut my husband's hair..sewed a lot of out clothes..took in ironing..took in mending..gardened..spent quality time with my kids. I even babysat for friends. So we saved money.
I am so glad I found your channel Andrea...I have shared this video with my daughters!
Sherry, I'm glad you passed it along. I enjoy that whenever I read your comments I hear them in my head in your sweet voice!
It's funny how this video came up for me today when I am trying to decide if being a SAHM is the best financial choice for our family. Andrea was so thoughtful and intelligent. Such a shining example of how to be an amazing wife and mother. Her wisdom is timeless. I love watching her videos.
Your thoughts on wealth are excellent, much like success the world has the wrong way of measuring them. Thanks!
I agree even from the perspective of a married person without children yet. I was unemployed one summer and fall and it was an eye opening experience and a blessing to our marriage. All of our time together was all quality since I had done all the home making and grunt work while he was at work so all of our time when he was home was just spent together or with friends. Now that I'm back to work, we don't get much down time together because when we get home it's a mad dash to make dinner, do chores, and get ready for work the next day. We were also much healthier as I made everything from scratch to save money, whereas now it's a lot of convenience foods unfortunately. I enjoy work for the social and intellectual stimulation, but I really liked being a housewife those few months :)
I calculated haircuts for myself for a year and it was $648.70. Approximately 65 hours worth of physical work to be able to afford haircuts for a year. The haircut would be $19.95 and I always tip $5 for a total of $24.95 per haircut. Haircuts are every two weeks. The lady who would cut my hair said that I was spending way too much money on a simple cut that I could do myself (A basic buzz cut #2 comb). I ordered a set of clippers and did my very first haircut two weeks later. My boss had happened to ask me where I got my haircut at and I told him I did it myself and he was very impressed. It takes me 20 min to give myself a complete haircut from start to finish.
loved this. It's a mindset I've been struggling with lately
I am a stay at home Mom. Wow! I've just been motivated to become more wealthy in my skills. Andrea has presented a wonderful set of goals that are attainable. She has changed my viewpoint and value as a stay at home Mom! I'm ready to go! 💃
Enjoyed your video so much. My family is not large(3 people) but I enjoy your channel. Three months ago I lost my high paying job of over 10 years and I knew it would be hard financially on us but I discovered it was not as bad as what I thought it would be. I was surprised how much money I spent a week on gas, coffee, lunch, clothes, ect.... Keep the videos coming. 😍
I was in the military for 17 years, now I'm a stay at home mom. This is a huge change for me, I feel the strong need to go find a job. Number wise I makes more sense for me to be at home childcare, gas, moving to different areas every few years,eating out( which I'm so tired of but was necessary due to being dual military household working some long hours) and other expenses was easily cut from our budget which makes us break even.
I have a copy of Miserly Moms. It's an older book, but still relevant. I'm now a stay at home wife, and my children are grown and gone. We still feel like it saves us more money than I would earn working outside my home.
Thank you for all your valuable advice!😀
Oh my goodness, YES! I remember when so many of my girlfriends were running the financials on returning to work after 1, 2... 3+ babies, and at some point the income threshold stopped working out in favour of leaving their kids. At the time (10-12 years ago in Toronto) the number was $32,000 - that was the MINIMUM NET income, not Gross, needed to make any amount of income instead of paying to go to work.
I'm so glad you wanted to squeeze this one in before the end of the January theme.
I loved this series! It was inspiring and encouraging.
love your videos! you and your family have such an interesting, positive life philosophy and it's so refreshing!
Edger Cayce books are amazing , I found this video so interesting and thought provoking
What a wonderful encouraging message! ! I'll definitely look into Miserly Mom Book...I've been struggling with not bringing in money
This is so inspiring, thanks for sharing
I loved hearing about the books you are reading. I don't have way too much time to read right now but when I can I want to read the one about fear. Thanks!
Love the theme for January got lots of ideas. Thank you.
Your videos just keep getting better and better great advice. Thank You Andrea
Another great message, I never thought of it this way! Thank you for sharing your insights and the books you are reading. I'm looking forward the new month!
Cheryl Blais I'm looking forward to February's video's too!!
Great video! So eye-opening to think of all the productive things stay-at-home moms do in an income-based way. Since you share book reviews, have you ever considered starting a monthly book club? That would be so fun :)
I'm 15 and I love watching your videos they are so entertaining ❤️
Thank you for sharing all of your content!
standing ovation. i love it. i have been trying to tell people this same message for years. you have the calculations. i am going to read most of your book recomenedations. lol like minds. like the woman from arg schooling. she recomends books that are already in the mail. lol i already do monthly shopping but i dont have a car, i walk. i work from home to homeschool because i am a single mother so i had to cut my sons' hair and can out of necessaty, but for me it felt better knowing i could do more with less money. i felt better that my kids were healthier because we were growing our own food so we would not have to carry so much up three flieghts of stairs. we have saved so much we are planning to move this year into a custom tiny house or earthship. i need room heck if i collect enough free low cost mateerials we just might do both. it helps with my self esteem as well. societey can be so cruel to single mothers even when they offer pity.
I had a really good economics teacher in middle school, who explained to us that sometimes depending on your family situation it makes more sense financially for one parent to stay home. With the cost of transportation, and childcare if the other person isn't making a substantial amount, why would they want to go out and work? There's also lots of new options for working from home if you can make it work! This video is helpful for parents who want to home school, and also those who have to out of financial necessity. :)
I have saved so much money homeschooling. Saved money on lost lunch boxes and backpacks. Saved on having to buy enough supplies for 1/4 of the class, which was $300 at least every year. Saved on buying certain special name brand pencils or cleaners that teacher had to have. Save on ADHD and Anxiety medications(no longer need since homeschooling). That saves me 200 a month right there. I save on paying for field trips my kid doesn't really care about. I save on dance fees my kid doesn't want to participate at. I save on having to buy a certain expensive outfit for band and pageants. Most importantly, I save on vacations. We can go during the off season when prices are lower.
Great info and perspective as usual!
This is a very very fascinating vlog !!!!!! 💜
YOU are wealth of knowledge to all of us and I thank you so very much!! ❤️
This IS a great way to prove the value of a stay at home mom! It's sort of unfortunate that in our society today, we have the mindset that couples NEED to bring in two or more incomes, to live up to " the standard of living" that is viewed as acceptable. It's also a shame that the cost of living isn't more affordable, so that more children can benefit from having a parent at home. In a perfect world...
That's what's so sad. If people understood this they'd realize the _real_ luxury that can't be afforded is the two incomes. Everything that you have to out-source costs you so much more in terms of time and money. (By time I mean your time earning so you can pay the money.) They'd be much better off if someone was able to produce at home. Debt is what kills people financially because banks can't be paid in anything but money so big debt requires two incomes. If the debt was never acquired, one income would be the ticket to a truly prosperous family!
Andrea Mills so true!!
Andrea was so wise. I wish I was much younger watching her videos. I would have been much wiser and more informative. She’s such a treasure. Any young people would gain so much knowledge from her. God bless. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
The cost of childcare is also a major consideration. A friend of mine had twins. After childcare, she worked out that she'd be taking home £10 a week. If she included transport, she'd be paying to work. So she quit her job.
I've chosen to work part-time because I'm a single parent. I still need an income to pay for stuff. Nobody is completely self sufficient. There's the rule of ever diminishing returns. After a certain point, working more costs money as you end up paying for stuff that you could do yourself if you had the time.
You are awesome! I learn so much every time I see your videos.
I love Miserly Moms.....it was the catalyst to me staying home with my child.... my husband was changing careers and we were moving across the country.....we were losing 2/3 of our income (mine and his pay cut)....I figured if she could do it in San Francisco I could do it in rural Nova Scotia (Canada).....15 years and 2 moves since then and are now on the other side of the country ....my boys are 18 (at University) and 13 (homeschooled) and I've never looked back.
love this topic!! It's so true. I tell people this all the time.
love your videos and choosing the career of housewife with or without children can be fulfilling and financially advantageous when embraced fully. What ever career one chooses should make them happy and I personally am happy doing what I am doing :-)
I stayed home for years. When I went back to work, we prospered as we did not increase our standard of living to match our new income. We don't have young children and that made the transition even easier.
We think so much alike. You speak the truth..
I enjoyed this months theme.
I am excited to see whats next.
I would love to see some more topics like, spending quality time with your kids, how you spend your "mommy time" or date night., how your children get along so well and how you plan for birthday parties on a budget.
Just throwing out some ideas. Keep doing your thing girl!
You're in luck! February's theme is Life-Long Love and we're going to be talking about several of those topics. When I post the new theme video I'll be asking for questions so I hope you'll have lots of them for us! I changed my TH-cam banner photo to reflect the new theme and it shares a few of the video plans coming up.
Awesome!! I'll be watching!
Andrea Mills was this strategically planned the month of Valentines Day? :) I cant wait!
+Cheyenne Sida It sort of was. I had 12 different themes planned with a list of video ideas for each based on all of the suggestions you guys give me. Then I decided which month to assign each theme to. I'd thought about doing this theme in July when it's our anniversary but so many people want interviews with the kids and to know about their births, names, etc, that I decided to move it up to February which also happens to be a great month to talk about Life-Long Love! (Plus, it was fun having a reason to put hearts on my channel art for Valentine's Day!)
I have to agree with is daycare is to expensive here in Michigan. It would be nice young mothers could have more help with that expense. I help with four grandchildren while my daughter is working. That is the only way she is able to work. I agree with you totally.
Valerie Lain Daycare is expensive, but it is a business. They have to make money also!
My husband calls me a domestic engineer. My job is to save us money! Btw I do homemade haircuts too!
This video makes so much sence to me and was really helpful x
Oh canning is something I wanna learn how to do. Can you do some canning videos pls 🙏🏽
similarly for us, I went part time at work after we found that to work full time by the time we counted the extra gas, the extra clothing, and childcare, I would only have 6 more dollars a month than if I just stayed part time so I did.
You give me hope! Thank you for all your videos of knowledge! Do y'all use a co op for school? I ask because we do and it seems to be a bit pricey. I wish we didn't need it. Where we live is rural and not many neighbors, no family here. So we do it at our church for extra socializing.
We don't do any activities like that. For years I've had to stay home to watch our store so I couldn't go out and join things like that with the kids. (On Wednesdays Tom stays home and we do our trip to the library and other things then.) Since I couldn't go out, I invited people in. On Mondays we have some homeschool friends over and the kids play while us moms watch a DVD series together. Right now we're doing a cooking course. We've done herbs courses and Charlotte Mason courses, too. It gives the kids time to hang out with their friends, it gives moms time for some professional development and we all enjoy ourselves. It's not as well attended right now as we're deep in winter, but as the weather warms and snow clears we'll all feel like getting out and about again. It doesn't cost anything (I already had the DVD sets or we could use TH-cam) other than the cost of making some snacks to serve, it's very low pressure and hits all of the things we personally want out of a homeschool group.
Thanks for getting back to me. That's sounds really great that you for getting around other people! Have a blessed/great weekend!
This is something I have been thinking alot about. The thought of a persons "net worth" is really how to calculate a persons financial status. Many people live in debt even though they make a good income. So really a person who makes way less but lives debt free and owns a home or has other assets, they actually have more from a financial perspective even tho the other person has a higher income.
Sometimes I want to work to get out of the house and have a bigger lifestyle budget, but with my work experience and education level it would just not work. Daycare is a fortune! And who knows what kinds of culture the care takers as teachers will influence my kids with. I think God created women to find joy in domestic, productive tasks. Like sewing, canning, gardening...I'm interested in nutrition and an convinced that as long as we act on what we know, the information I gather as a stay at home mom benefits our family more than any doctor likely could.
Very true. I don't think a lot of couples actually sit down and work this all out. It costs so much with childcare, work clothes, car/travel expenses.
I get your points, but my issue is that I absolutely love my job. I'm a doctor and the one time I had to take time off, I felt bereft.
I think we should all do what we're called to do. We answer to God, not to others! I just hope to encourage all those moms who feel called to be home but feel pressure to "contribute" financially. And if, in your case, the day ever comes when your situation is different hopefully you'll feel free to make different choices guilt-free! Regardless, you should carry on doing what you feel God wants you to do.
Andrea Mills Right on . Both my sister and my mum became home makers when they had children. It is such a worthy role.and I'm glad you talked about it!
So interesting! Good points
I very much agree with a penny saved is a penny earned. If we'd learn to spend less, be content with less, enjoy what we have more, we'd be better off. You should add your mortgage as savings/income. Your family could easily pay triple that for a larger house.
A good monthly topic.
I sure miss your advice Andrea
very interesting... this got me thinking ! the thing is, I love my job and I would only stop doing it if it actually costed me more money to work than to stay home haha. That being said I don't have any children so I might still completely change my mind once I do ;)
great information!
I haven't read Fooled By Randomness, but it kind of reminds me of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell! I found it to be an interesting read. You should check it out!
SHARED!! Bless you abundantly in 2017!!!!
Question Andrea, do you make your own washing liquid or powder. I have just started making it and it saves you a fortune
The tightwad gazette too. You probably already know:)
Tom how did Andrea have any time to get her reading in ? Miss her so much .
She read ALL the time, every spare moment, or at night in bed. Always books on how to better serve her family. She was a miracle.
they have their own channel - Money Smart Family