For my readers who aren’t yet married, or who don’t yet have children… this post’s for you! I was ecstatic when Rachel contacted me about sharing her unique perspective in the Mommy, Come Home series. As a young couple who haven’t yet had children, Rachel and her husband are to be commended for planning now. Preparing now.
…Since we entered into our marriage knowing that I will stay home with our children, we lived frugally during the next 2 1/2 years. We saved money given to us when we married, income from odd jobs, and once John David started working we kept our standard of living the same as it was in college to save! By keeping our standard of living the same and continuing to fine-tune our frugality we were able to purchase our first affordable home in December 2008 (with a 20% down payment)!…
…My earnings are not figured into the family budget because we don’t want to rely on my income at all…
…We know we will have to make material sacrifices, keep our hand-me down furniture, continue shopping at thrift stores, eat out rarely and stick to the tight grocery budget but it will be worth it because our children will be our wealth!…
“Our children will be our wealth.” Isn’t that just goosebump-inducing fantastic?!
Such promise and wisdom from a young married couple. Be sure to click over to read the rest of Rachel’s story.
If you are reading this and wish you could turn back the clock for a “do over” of your first years of marriage, take heart. There are definitely things we would do differently, too (like NOT taking out a 30 year loan for our first home… oy!) Don’t fret about the past. Learn from your mistakes. Make good choices now.
*** Many of you have written asking about topics you’d like to see and specific questions you’d like to have answered in this series. Keep those emails coming. I will do my best to get to them all, but also understand that you’re just dealing with a mama here… I’m no expert on any topic!
I think I need to write somewhere in my house (like maybe on my computer screen) My Children Are My Wealth. Wow!
My great-grandparents used to say “Children are a poor man’s treasure!”
Thanks for the reminder.
If I had to do it all over again…I would. Now, we are backtracking and it is a lot harder but we are taking steps now to make things better:-)
Rachel, great article! The one mistake we made early on in our marriage is buying too much house, too soon. It made my homecoming more difficult from a financial standpoint.
Great article!
It is a blessing to see how other moms have been able to stay at home and not count it as drudgery.
Such an important message to remember…looking forward to more in this encouraging series!