Money conscious people are quick to look for financial benefits in almost everything they do in life. This is to help them prepare for any eventualities life throws at them in the future. But this is easier said than done in real life setting because consumers never seem to have enough time in the day to even finish their daily checklist from going to work to actually clocking out and heading on out to their family. This means that it is doubly hard for stay at home parents to maximize their finances when they are not getting any to begin with.
At first glance, staying at home seems to be an inviting concept especially for those that are already stressed out of their minds working an eight to five weekday jobs. This could be one of the reasons why Pewsocialtrends.org reports that the number of stay at home dads have almost already doubled from 1989 from 1.1 million to what is now around 2 million parents.
Of course it is not only always because of stress that they choose to stay home. There are some who needs to care for a sick child or they themselves are undergoing a physically challenging time that prevents them to take up an office job. There are also those that stay at home not as a choice but rather the lack of job opportunities in the market.
There are ways to financially prepare as a stay home parent but being at home doesn’t mean that the person should stop working. There are some practical reasons that could make them want to squeeze in a few hours of work a week and maybe even more. It might sound like an impossible task especially when they are taking care of the kids and the whole house but there are ways around it to make it work.
Financial benefits of working at home
Stay at home parents does not have it any easier than those working in the office for the day. They are two completely different chores but one cannot say that they are far more productive than the other. Although the money comes from the one working a job in the office, the stay at home parent makes it easier for the working partner by attending to everything else around the house.
But here are a few reasons why stay home parents might want to take up an extra job on the side.
- To earn extra income. The most obvious reason to do this is that they get to earn a little extra money on the side. This can come in very handy when the family budget is pushed to a tight spot or when emergencies happen and the reserve funds are not enough to offset the need. The extra income also allows a few more leeway in the budget for discretionary expenses like a gift for your kids or partner or snatching up that exercise item you have been wanting to try out for a while. Having an extra fund around the house is a big help and can really lighten up the load.
- To keep your skills current. You could have been coming from years of being in the marketing industry or as an art director in an advertising agency before you decided to stay home and manage the household. But one other advantage of taking in part time work even when you are home based is that it keeps you in touch with your professional side. Think of a blade that when left unused overtime becomes dull. Keeping your practice for even just a few hours a week keeps you sharp and current and more importantly, it keeps you employable. If push comes to shove and you find the need to go back to the corporate world in the future, you wouldn’t have to feel threatened because you were out of touch for the past years in your industry.
- Keep a healthy life balance. One of the keys in life is maintaining a healthy balance on all things. And choosing to put in some work even when you are a stay at home parent is a good way to keep a healthy balance in your life. There is nothing wrong with being a devoted stay at home dad or mom but you also need to make sure that you get to maintain your craft and develop yourself as person. The time might come that you are offered a change of scenery or that you need to switch with your partner and become the breadwinner in the family. It is easier to shift back to the corporate setting when you didn’t really lose touch.
- Gives you options in retirement. The most common reason for being a stay at home parent is to take care of the kids and be able to guide and nurture them until they grow up. But you need to understand that the time will come that you will have to go through an empty nest syndrome especially when retirement comes. Gallup.com shares that the average retirement age for American at the moment is at 65 years old. This means that if you have been so much focused on the kids and you did not see past through the time when they leave the house then you might be having a hard time adjusting to life without them.
How to get part time work
If you are trying to look for ideas on how to squeeze in part time work while doing full time home and family chores, here are few things you might want to consider.
- Online work. This is one of the most common part time jobs people can try while being a stay home parent. It only needs a computer and an internet connection and you are all set. You can be an online writer, editor or even a video editor or whatever field you have experience in. You get to this is when the kids are sleeping in the afternoon or at school or a few hours before bed.
- Home business. It is also possible for parents who chooses to stay home to start up a part time business like photography, baking, or even landscaping. The important thing is that you like what you are getting yourself into turning it into a passion. You can have a photography studio at home or have a nice oven so you can accept big orders for your baking business.
- Set up a blog. The Americanpressinstitute.org says that there are about 47% of Americans that uses online content from reliable blogsites to get their news for the day. This means that setting up a blog of your own can be a great idea if you have a passion for writing and earn from people visiting your site. This is ideal for people who has the least amount of time but as soon as you get traction, you would need more time interacting with your followers.
There are a lot of financial benefits to getting a part time work and earning extra funds on the side when you are a stay at home parent. They key to it is getting a proper balance on the things that you like to to do so you do not lose touch of them but not having to give up family time because of it.