Affording to stay at home?

How do you afford to stay at home? That question kind of amuses me. I've always wondered how women can afford to work out of the home.

There's daycare. Gas getting to and from. Work clothes. Buying lunch. Eating out more. Buying more "convenience" foods.

Then there are the costs that are a little harder to measure. Time away from your children. Time away from your home. Your spent energy at the end of the day.

I don't see how women do it.

I have always wanted to be a stay at home mother, though my picture of what that meant has certainly changed over the course of time. Early in our relationship, DH and I decided that we both wanted me to stay at home with the children. So we purposed to live that way.

It hasn't always been easy.

There are only so many ways to cook rice and beans.

But we were committed to what the Lord desired. We never went hungry. There was always enough. There was always enough to share, too. I kinda miss those simple meals.

The Lord promises that He will provide, and that is where our faith and trust in Him comes in.

So, how have we purposed to live on 1 income? Easy. We don't live like everybody else around us does.

We don't really shop at the mall or department stores all that much. I can't remember the last time I bought a new dress that wasn't "pre-owned"

I cook at home. A lot. Mostly from scratch. Nothing beets the smell of bread baking in the oven.

We don't give our children everything they want. Gasp! Really, children only *need* love, food, shelter, and the word of God.

We are not ashamed of hand-me-downs. A lot of my children's clothes are hand-me-downs. A lot of my clothes had previous owners. A lot of our furniture was handed down or bought used. Dare I even mention that we have furniture that was "rescued" from the side of the road.

You have to change the way you think. Do you want to be faithful to the Lord? or do you want to fit in with everybody around you?

There is a saying I like. "Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future." Do your friends encourage you? or do they think you are strange because you are obedient to God?

Staying at home *is* hard work. It takes creativity, steadfastness, resourcefulness, and thriftiness. It takes patience. It takes knowing that every dish you wash, every window you clean, every hug you give and every nose you wipe is done for God. Its not meaningless, its not worthless. It is for His glory.

The Lord puts your price "far above rubies"

Believe it, Sister.