Going Down to One Income: Step 1
The first step in going down to one income, to be a stay at home mom, is knowing why you want to.
What are your reasons for going down to one income? Why do you want to stay home to raise your children? Why is it so important to you?
You need to know those answers before anything else. If you don’t know WHY you want to do this, honestly, you most likely will fail. It’s the same for running a race, or losing weight, or anything that takes a significant commitment.
Choosing to stay home with your children and going down to one income is a challenge, so making sure you have a good reason to do it is pretty important. And remember, just because something is challenging, it doesn’t mean it is not worth it, in fact, sometimes the BEST challenges have the best rewards.

Before I got married, I already knew that I wanted to stay home to raise our children. I knew that I wanted to be the number one influence in their life, so that I could help steer their character, teach them about Jesus, and help them be good citizens.
I also wanted more TIME with them. It is such a short season, that I just wanted to soak it all in as much as I could. I only get them this little once, and I don’t want to miss it.
Have you thought about why you want to stay home to raise your children? Or if you already are, do you remember what your biggest reason to say home was? If you are still in the brainstorming process, and are not sure if you want to stay home or not, you might find my ebook, One Income and Thriving, useful. I have a whole chapter on helping you find your ‘why’, filled with useful information and guided questions to help you narrow down your thought process and be more confident in your decision making. Because the more confident you are, the easier it will be to talk to your husband, or future husband, about it. Talking to him is the next step which will be outlined in a future post.
Hi Jillian! I found you on the CYDB FB group. I loved reading this post. It brought back great memories. My story is similar to yours in that I left my career in professional ministry at 35 after my third child was born. I had just finished my doctoral degree and made quite a bit more than my husband. It was a big step of faith but the best decision we ever made. I enjoyed every minute as a SAHM homeschooling mom. (I started my blog as a creative outlet in 2012!) The Lord always provided what we needed and more. I’m about to be 59, our children are all happily married, we have 2 grandchildren, and 2 on the way. I work with my husband in our counseling practice 3 days a week. I still identify as a homemaker. What a joy! Blessing to you on your motherhood and blogging journey.
Thank you for that Stacy! It is so encouraging to hear others that went through a similar journey! Blessings to you and your family.