How Much Does It Cost to be a Housewife

Okay moms (and dads), this one is for you. How much are you worth as a parent (yes dad’s, there is even a calculator for you!)?

Here is my day’s scenerio:

When my full-time day ends at work, I am off to run home and continue my second job. πŸ˜‰ It’s picking up kid’s from daycare, kids’ homework, fix and get dinner on the table, throw in a load of laundry, read stories, make sure hygiene is performed, pick up room, tuck into bed, fold and put laundry away, find time for me to shower, brush teeth, et…. All of it does not end until 9pm. Then I finally have an hour of quietness til I sleep and do it all again.

Remember, this does not account for what I accomplish in the morning before I go to work or the weekends that follow. There is packing lunches, dragging kid’s out of bed, yelling at kid’s to hurry up, fix breakfast, yell at kids again, make sure packs are ready, etc, etc, etc…It’s non stop!

$80,943+ is what I am worth as a working mom. Or so the Mom Salary Wizard says. I think I might need to agree with that figure (ask me at the end of the night – exhaustion). If I received paycheck(s) for my salary + my mom worth I would be one happy-go-lucky girl!

What this means for you:

I thought it was a fun link to itemize just how much you are worth as a parent. Plus, you even get a ‘faux’ check and itemized statement to print or email. * Ah, to dream.* Plus, you can show this to your significant other, kindly reminding them that Valentine’s day is coming up, and you would really appreciate it if they treated you with a little exta oomph. ❤ ♡ ❤

Find your worth as a mom (or dad) at Mom.Salary.Com.

For further reading: Perhaps 1995, but here is a good weekly breakdown of How Much is a Housewife Worth, by C.O.E.

16 thoughts on “How Much Does It Cost to be a Housewife

    1. money funk

      Hi Walter. Thanks for stopping by. I told my husband this…about increasing it. He said I wonder how you would. And I told him I don’t want to increase mine! More work – more pay, right? Tis have enough now.

  1. jessica

    We’ve lived this one in real-life. I was laid off from my job in 12/08. cutting our income of 88k a year by my earnings of 49,000. After that I started a business, but it allowed me to work at home. (I only work about 10 hours a week and focus on home schooling the kids and volunteer activities). The net effect has actually been a savings of about $40k, so essentially, I was working my butt off for $9,000 a year. (My small work-at-home business far exceeds that).

    Now my husband picks up more overtime without stress, the kids are happier and healthier and we’re focusing on our home economics rather than rushing between work and school.

    I think many people would be surprised at their savings from NOT working. (Childcare, dry cleaning, commuting costs, eating out, and other convenience costs)

    1. money funk

      Hence my upcoming subject. πŸ˜‰

      We thought about the same thing – stay at home dad. My husband is near retirement and dislikes his job. I told him by staying home and him taking on a lot we pay for that we could suffice. But he wants to take care of these bills we have first – which is a good thing, too.

      If you don’t mind sharing, what type of business do you have? I am thinking of doing a start-up this year. Change my life’s paradigm. πŸ™‚

    2. Mama Bird

      I totally agree with this. When we found out we were expecting our first, we started living on only my husband’s income and banking mine. But, we had no idea how much we were really going to save by my not working in terms of work clothes, petrol, convenience shopping, among other things. We find it easier to manage everything, including our finances with one parent at home.

      I would love to hear more about your working at home as well.

      MB

  2. Jeff

    Pretty cool. Too bad my wife doesn’t collect the $114,000 she’s earning with the 2 kids under 3 that she’s raising everyday.

    Nice post Funk.

    1. money funk

      You mean you hope to be a PAID SAHM when the time comes. LOL. I’m thinkin’ the higher the number, the more I need to find mini-ways to destress!

  3. Bytta@151 Days Off

    Well, I have no kids, but the regular hourly and overtime rates ($40 and $60 respectively) for the household works seem attractive. If only it were realised. I read a while ago that in some Scandinavian countries (was it Sweden??) the housewives are paid allowance by government. Probably in a form of tax break to their spouses or maybe other way, I’m not sure.

    Nobody argues that being a wife and a mother is a really hard job but ironically putting monetary value on the efforts can be seen as offensive to some (while complaining about not having her own money at the same time). I don’t get it. I probably would understand later.

    1. money funk

      Hi Bytta, thank you for stopping by! You are right, the Sweden Family Policy. Neat. I think it is important to be around your children, especially when they are young.

      I am fortunate to have a husband that helps out a lot around the house. And he cooks, too. But for most people, I don’t think it is realized by one or the other in the amount of work that goes into to maintain a family.

  4. Ken

    I appreciate my hard working wife more today. Thanks for the reminder. She is HARD WORKER for sure. I’m blessed to have her.

  5. youngandthrifty

    Wow $80,000 (it’d be nice if our spouses paid us that eh?).

    I seriously commend working moms (and dads)- it’s a full time PLUS job. I honestly don’t know how my colleagues with children do it. It sounds ‘nonstop’!

    You (and all moms and dads that work full time AND have a brood to take care of) should give yourselves a pat on the back. =)

    1. money funk

      It would be SWEET! πŸ˜‰

      Have you seen that family with like 12 kids (and another on the way)? I commend the parents, as they have every child working to help maintain the household. It takes me yelling a few times just to get my kids to do one thing! *spoiled*

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