We've done it...the first half term of primary school! We have all been through a rollercoaster of a ride over the past seven weeks; we've learnt a lot, cried many tears and had all of the early nights. But we've done it and I think it's fair to say it's been a steep learning curve at times; some good, some more challenging. I couldn't be prouder of Isabella and how she's handled all of the changes and hard times. She did have a wobble for a few weeks from around week two, but now she wakes up with a smile excited to go to school and can't wait to share her day with us at the end. It has surprised me quite how quickly we have got into the new school run routine, before we knew it Poppy and I were into a completely new routine and the school day suddenly doesn't feel very long at all.
When we made the decision for me to become a SAHM/Blogger we knew that it would have an impact on our lives further than that of me just not going to work. Our combined family income would obviously take a hit, which is something I worried about for a long time and still do to be honest. While making the decision we sat down to look at the numbers, did endless calculations, possibilities, went through all scenarios we could think of and worked out what we thought we'd be able to afford. Like a lot of families our biggest outgoings are the mortgage, bills, childcare and food shopping, most of which aren't negotiable. We had to add those up, look at our monthly income and work out what was possible with regards to childcare and the disposable income left. Our family lifestyle would have to change slightly, which is a sacrifice we were all happy to take in exchange for me being able to be home with our children.
Life as a family is expensive, if it isn't the seemingly endless nappies for babies then its the bottomless pit of food children grow up to become. However there are many ways you can adapt your family life to make life with children that bit more affordable. As I have recently become a stay at home mum/blogger we are really keeping an eye on our finances at the moment, so I thought I'd share some of the ways we can all make family life more affordable without losing the fun, meals out or exciting adventures.
As I write this it is the day after my last day at work and it feels strange. I wouldn't usually work today anyway, yet I found myself going to set my alarm, dreaming about work and then feeling incredibly lonely when I wake up. It feels so final, so scary, such an unknown venture. The decision to leave my job wasn't an easy one, but to some extent the decision was taken out of my hands. I think any change is scary, especially when that change impacts your whole family life.
