Being a work-from-home mom means you pretty much just work your ass off at home all day while everyone else thinks you are painting your nails with a margarita in your hand. Before Covid, when working from home was not so mandatory, especially with kids there, it had some benefits!
Since moms that work from home don’t necessarily need to leave the house, here are some ways you save money by working from home.
Makeup
Sooo what the heck is makeup these days?? Oh, that expensive stuff you used to buy to make yourself look pretty when you used to leave the house? Yeah…as a work from home mom, you don’t really leave the house unless there is a fire, you’re out of milk, or there is a Justin Timberlake spotting. Your mascara now lasts 3 months instead of one, and now you only use that expensive contouring make up on nights your man wants you to look like a Kardashian.
CO-WORKERS
Remember putting money in for a co-workers birthday, retirement or baby number 6, haha screw all of that. Working from home saves you from all those pricy co-worker obligations. You no longer have to put in your only spare 10 dollars in for Karen’s retirement when the cup gets passed around. No no, now you can use that money for something worthwhile like your favorite go-to wine to help make sure you don’t lose your shit.
Sorry Karen, we never really liked you anyway.
Tan Body
Since you no longer attend Sunday Funday pool parties because that’s now your laundry and Disney Junior relax day, that spray tan bikini bod is no longer necessary. If you are spraying anything these days it is Lysol or Febreze, let’s keep it real.
Gas
Driving 30 minutes to drop off the kids at daycare just to drive an hour in traffic to the office in the opposite direction…. yeahhh, no thank you expensive car juice. We don’t need you. My son has enough gas in his diaper daily to fuel a rocket to the moon. I will hold on to that 50 bucks of gas that contributes to the 405 freeway pollution and put it towards air fresheners for my house.
Work Clothes
Screw silk shirts and dry cleaning, your new boss, aka your kids, approve of your wrinkled PJ pants you are trying to pull off as active wear. They appreciate you trying to sport a mom bun covered in cheerios yet pretend they are flowers. PJs, yoga pants, and strong enough slippers to step on the legos. Basically, your wardrobe is everything you got for last Christmas.
Happy Hour Drinks
No more happy hour after work to help you deal with how”great” your job is. 10 bucks a drink plus tipping? Pssshh…as a work from home mom, you have wine on tap. And by tap, I mean that 6-gallon box of wine you keep on your kitchen counter.
Manicure
I am pretty sure with the number of dishes you do all day long that that manicure you used to get is no longer needed. Doing dishes scrubs, exfoliates and even cleans all that poop stuck underneath your nails.
Can I borrow 5
You no longer have to deal with Nancy asking ” can I borrow five for coffee? I’ll pay you right back tomorrow. ” Yeah..we all know Nancy never pays up and was the inspiration behind the no money lending rule within your last company.
The Nanny
Remember back in the day when nannies were affordable? Yeah… now they all have child psychology degree asking $35 bucks an hour. Though they are very helpful, working from home also means you probably can ditch that nanny full time and do the work for them.
Home Cooking
No longer are you picking up Panda Express on your way home to feed your tribe. Instead, you are now making your own version of Panda Express that probably actually tastes like a panda?! You save big time by cooking your own pandas or whatever.
Pedicure
So once again, since you work from home and no one really sees your toes besides your 2 years old trying to use them as a teether. So it is safe to say that monthly pedicures are a thing of the past and socks with sandals are the thing of the future.
What are you doing with all the money you are saving?
<3 Hot Mess
Gas is number 1 for me! A full tank can last forever now.
It can definitely be a challenge getting used to living on a reduced income to be a stay at home parent! Thanks for sharing your tips.
Yes!! I spend so much money on gas and work clothes.
I know me too! So happy I rarely fill up these days 🙂
Hahah! So true. It’s crazy how little I feel the need to spend money on now that I’m not working
Hahaha! These are all true. I have been sharing gas by not commuting daily, buying work clothes, and more. I love wearing my comfy socks!
These are so true. Daycare was the main reason I became a stay home mom…thanks for sharing!
These are great money saving tips! Thank you!
This was so funny! We had a nanny during part of our first year with a baby while I worked from home, but came to realize it wasn’t really necessary. Part-time home-schooled high school students are so much cheaper and flexible!
couldn’t agree more ! great post !
I agree!! Most days, I work In whatever I woke up in and rock a messy bun all day. I love your suggestions on how to stay cute while on a budget.
I also work from home and love it! I do save a ton of money on gas. One thing I made sure to purchase though is blue light blocking glasses. They protect my eyes when staring on a screen all day. I wrote a post about it, which can be found here: https://imperfectmomma.blog/2019/04/28/why-i-wear-blue-light-blocking-glasses/
There are a lot of ways to save money by working at home, good list! Gas is a big one for me.
The full time daycare has been our biggest line item to go out the window since I started working from home. It saves us so much money!
Great Tips however my downfall while looking at the computer all day is the temptation to spend what I save on-line Ha Ha !!
So great! It definitely can be tough going from 2 incomes to one but it’s also a great money saver staying home
Looking forward to saving money on all these things!!
This is so true! I save so much money working from home!
Lol totally agree. I have ditched makeup since lockdown and now also I do just the eye makeup as rest of the face is covered with the mask.
LOL so true! I don’t miss feeling like i had to use some form of makeup everyday!
I don’t have to worry about tanning expenses, but the other items on the list definitely are less of an expense while I working solely at home.
It’s always important to look on the bright side! Working from home isn’t easy but there are some perks to it, though I do believe getting a mani/pedi every once and a while for yourself (and not your coworkers) is a worth while splurge!
This gave me a good laugh! There are so many great things about working from home. Hopefully I’ll get to quit my day job some day.