Hoffmann Homestead

I’ll admit, this isn’t something I wanted to write about. It’s certainly not my typical content, but I feel (especially in today’s economy) that it’s so very important.

I stay home with my children and frankly, I am so very happy that I do. There are days that it’s really hard, but overall, I have seen the benefit that my children have with me home with them. It’s a sacrificial role and not at all glorified in today’s world, but it’s worth it.

I want the reader to understand that it’s doable. Even if you don’t think you can afford it. Trust me, when my husband and I started the process towards me quitting my job, we couldn’t afford it, but by the grace of God, we made it happen.

So, if you’re in the season of life where you are a stay at home mom and need a little breathing room in the budget, here’s my advice:

 

1. SAVE MONEY (CUT EXPENSES)

This is your RIGHT NOW solution. Most other means of making money as a SAHM (Stay at home mom) involve some kind of investment, but this one is the opposite. This is the most powerful thing you can do RIGHT now to make being a stay at home mom more doable.

Top expenses that can be decreased or cut entirely:

• Restaurants/Eating Out – $100-$300+ every single month to eat food that you can EASILY make at home. There is a copy cat recipe for EVERYTHING. This includes coffee that you didn’t make yourself BTW.
• Groceries – I know what you’re thinking, but you can in fact save on your groceries AND stop eating out. You just have to shop your pantry first, shop sales, learn to cook (ideally from scratch) and maybe meal prep to get through your worst days/weeks. You don’t need to shop the freezer section or the snacks and cookies. You just need real ingredients that you can make into real meals and snacks. It’s healthier which leads to less doctor visits as well 😉
• Subscriptions – Cycle your netflix and disney subscriptions, you probably don’t need both ALL the time. Get rid of that gym membership you haven’t used in 2 years and still pay for. You don’t NEED an Apple Music subscription if you can listen to music for free on spotify. Be honest with yourself and minimize your subscriptions. My family is about to buy a DVD player and start collecting DVDs because the streaming services are out of control. I just wanna watch Harry Potter, the Grinch, and occasionally Beauty and the Beast anyway. Why pay for the rest?
• Impulse Shopping – Stop going into Target and stop clicking “add to delivery” on Amazon. The online apps and “save for later” options are a real budget saver if you use them wisely.

 

2. PURGE AND SELL

I kid you not, this has already made me over $80 in the last 2 weeks and that’s with me BARELY dealing with it. I just started using a new app called Vinted and it’s kind of like an online garage sale, but you can actually look for what you need so you’re not wasting money, you’re SAVING money.

All you have to do is take a picture of the item you want to sell (old clothes, old decor, things you bought never liked and never returned, gifts you were given that you never used, etc.) and list it! Then, when it’s sold, you just pack it up (I use polymailers I got from Amazon) slide in a shipping label, then drop it off at USPS and send it on it’s way.

This benefits you in 2 ways.

1) Less stuff to manage on a daily basis

2) More money in your pocket

 

Sign up with my link and we both get a bonus!

 

3. USE YOUR SKILLS AND CREATE SOMETHING

After and ONLY AFTER you have complete step one and step two can you start to worry about creating a revenue stream. Once you’ve cleared up some of your monthly expenses and sold your old crap, it’s time to think about ways to INCREASE. There are 100 options for side gigs and I will not bore you with all of those options, but here are some of the options that I have personally explored and think would work for MOST SAHMs. The goal is to live off of one income. Have your absolute needs covered by your spouse and then the money YOU bring in can be for the fun stuff or saving for family vacations or something of the like.

• Etsy – This is my personal favorite. I’ve made over $2,000 in the first 3 months of opening my Etsy shop by using Print on Demand through Printify. You create designs (the fun part), set those designs up on printify, printify then sets up your listing on Etsy, and you start selling! When you sell, you have to pay the upfront cost to printify and then etsy sends you the revenue less their fees. So keep this in mind! You can also go a more hands on route with Etsy and sell handmade items instead!
• Youtube/Tiktok/Instagram- I know this sounds like it’s just not doable and making a million a month probably isn’t! But if I can get 3 brand deals this year with my measly 2k following on tiktok, then you can too! Be consistent, create videos about something you LOVE and you will create followers who want to see your content!
• Blog with Affiliate Marketing- Here I am typing a blog post about something I truly care about and something I’ve done a ton of research about for my own benefit and I MIGHT just make a little bit of money off of it. Not because I’m sharing links to something that no one cares about and blowing up your feed, but because I use things in real life (like those polymailers up there) and by helping YOU find them, I get paid a small commission. Like a finders fee. Friend need recommendations for a new crunchy approved sunscreen? Send a special link to the one that you already use and BAM, you made a few cents. Does it pay the bills? No, but if your following is large enough or if you are consistent enough and add this to other streams of income, it might one day pay the Garbage bill.
• Doing other people’s laundry- When I first read about this I thought it was ridiculous. Because I would never pay for such a thing, but not everyone is as cheap as I am OR has as much time as I do! Unfortunately, they don’t offer this in the middle of nowhere that my house resides so I can’t utilize this service, but this is an AWESOME option for a stay at home mom to make some case while still being at home and it’s MOSTLY passive
• Instacart/Doordash- IF YOU HAVE A GOOD VEHICLE, this is a great option. If your vehicle is already sketchy, maybe skip this one. But seriously, I’ve made a few hundred dollars on Instacart and it’s worth the time! It’s definitely a little less SAHM friendly, but I have in fact shopped with my kids and it’s doable if you pick the smaller orders.
• Amazon Flex – This is also not available in my middle of nowhere, but it would be a great option and the kids are allowed to come with!
• BabyQUIP- This is new to me and I’ve never tried it, but it is such an incredible idea I had to share it! It’s a service where travelers can RENT things for their babies (cribs, high chairs, etc.) while travelling instead of packing it all to come with! If your babies just grew out of their crib, you can put it out for rent and make a quick $150 to drive down the road, set it up, and pick it up when they’re done! I’d try this if I still had a crib.

The important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to make 10k a month. You just need a little extra breathing room so you can be with your babies. It’s a sacrifice AND a privilege and I hope that these years are the best for you and your babies. Have fun, build something, try your best, stack little wins, and one day you might just have a full blown business. Either way, keep the main goal front a center. Enjoying your children and your children enjoying their childhood.

 

Thank you and God bless you.