It also seems as though 85% of my check goes to daycare, lunches, etc. Daycare alone is $1100 a month.
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Congrats on the decision! It's actually not going to be nearly as bad as you think it will be.....you've already figured out that 85% of your paycheck went to expenses you will no longer have! So you only need to find a way to either save or earn that 15% of your salary. Here are some ideas:
1. If he doesn't already, have DH take his lunch to work instead of eating out. Not only will you save a bundle, you can definitely fix things healthier than fast food. At first a lot of people think this is a real hassle and not worth the savings.....but like everything else, once you get a rhythm down it's really pretty easy. We bought a soft sided, insulated lunch bag...the one we have actually expands to two levels if needed. Invest in a couple of "blue ice" to keep things warm if DH doesn't have somewhere at work to refrigerate the lunch. One year my DH had a service job and was in a truck all day long....in Arizona the summer days can get to 110 degrees or more....so finding a way to keep a cool soda and sandwich were important. The insulated bag, with two blue ice did the trick. For safety I didn't do anything with mayo during the summer....but his soda cans were always cold enough for him to enjoy. Now DH's job is inside so he has access to a refrig and a microwave so his options for lunch have expanded, but a little creativity and you can do lunches that he can carry on the job with him.
2. My DH is a soda addict.....he takes 3 cans a day to work, he drinks one with dinner (at least) and another 1 or 2 after dinner. Weekends are worse, lol. This adds up FAST. He relunctantly switched from Coke brand to the Sam's Club brand (sold at Walmart, not Sam's Club, go figure, lol). I say relunctantly because at first he only did it because I insisted either he switch or cut down, and he couldn't see cutting it in half. It took him about 2 weeks before he realized he didn't notice the difference (and he himself admits some of that time was stubbornness more than noticing a difference). At home we now use the 2 liter bottles for his dinner/evening/weekend sodas, because it's 64 cents for a whole bottle. We still get cans for lunch because it goes flat in a thermos.
3. Make snacks...both for your son and for DH's lunch. Stop buying the store bought cookies, candies, and individually wrapped snacks. Even the generic or Little Debbies are more expensive than making your own...and again, you can make healthier if you want. Your son is about the right age to really get a kick out of making cookies, bars, granola, etc. Head over to the library and look up cookbooks to find a variety of ideas. You'll be at home so you finally have time to bake and share it with your son. We also make jello or pudding in those little rubbermaid type containers (the "disposable" ones have lasted at least 2 years already). Let your son stir the jello after you had the hot water (yes it says boiling water, but we have never boiled....just really hot and once you start stirring holding his hand and the spoon it immediately starts cooling down). We make the pudding in the blender and the kids when young argued over who got to push the start button, lol. Again, be creative and your DH won't get bored with the same snacks in his lunch every day.
4. Dinner....stop buying convenience foods...no more frozen dinners or sides, no package dinners. When you were working you didn't have time to make food from scratch, but now you do, and again, can share that with your son. Use fresh veggies not canned or frozen and save a ton of money (just watch that you buy the right amount so you can use fresh before they spoil....you may blow it a few times and realize you've wasted money, but in time you'll get the hang of it and it will save money. Wasted never saves of course!). Check the library for recipes for variety.
5. Meal planning/grocery shopping: I used to spend hours with the Sunday coupons and carrying those containers to the store, ugh! Now I realize that 90% of the things that have coupons are things I shouldn't be buying anyway! Mostly convenience foods and junk. I mostly shop the produce, dairy, meat departments and only venture into the actual aisles of the store for specific things, no more wandering up and down them making impulse purchases. We get the grocery ads on Wednesdays in the mail....I look them over for sales and make my menu plans for the following week based on the sales (or on what I already have). We have a separate freezer, so really good sales I buy extra and freeze, then when the meat sales are poor I can skip that department completely and use what I bought earlier.
6. Cable TV: Stop subscribing, or at the very least, cut down to just the basics. We haven't had cable since the girls were infants (and I realized I never had time to watch, lol). We are picky about what the girls can watch even now (they're almost 11), so TV and Cable were never an option because I didn't want to have to monitor everything. We do have an extensive DVD collection....probably every Disney movie out, lol....plus a lot of the older television series....Little House, etc. Your library likely has a large selection of DVDs for both your son and you/DH to watch. Or if you are really into watching movies and the library doesn't keep up with your needs for new.....join Netflix or Blockbuster. It's under $20 and if you work it right you can have a new movie every day or every other day at least (Blockbuster apparently let's you return the mailed movies in the store and get another movie immediately while you await the next mailed movie). It's still cheaper than Cable! At first some families find it difficult to not have the TV to watch...or channel surf, lol.....but almost all that I've heard who try it out find that after a couple weeks they've come up with other things to do in the evening....and for most it's better quality family time. Your son is young....do things with him in the evening instead of planting in front of the TV and vegging! We homeschool the girls so we simply use the evenings as "daddy teaching" time...he does science experiments, reads with them, puts together puzzles, plays board games, helps them rehearse their latest play or write one, all kinds of great things that really has made for a very close relationship between daddy and girls. I join in sometimes, but that's usually my "me" time, since I'm with the girls all day long.
Ok, this got huge, and I could probably go on longer....it's really not that hard to live on one income if you're willing to give up a few of the unnecessary luxuries, and find creative ways to save money. I worked in the legal field making big bucks, and DH was military making small bucks, lol....when the girls were born and we chose for me to stay home. If we can cut that much from our budget and make it work....almost anyone can!
is almost 3 and he has been in daycare since he was 4 months old. Up until recently, things were going ok. But I have become very unhappy at work and the pressures at home (morning rush, cries of no go to school, afternoon rush, etc.) just never seem to stop. We also have had to deal who is going to stay home when DS is sick. So after much discussion, we are going to try the stay at home thing for a year. He will be 4 next summer and then going to pre-k, so I will try to find a part-time job while he is in school.
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