Does It Pay to Work Outside the Home?

Perhaps you would like to stay at home with your little ones, but you can't see how your family can manage without the extra paycheck. If home is where your heart is, but a job is where the money is what do you do?

Many women discover that it is not accurate to think of one's take home pay as pure profit. Often the cost of working off sets what "profit" you may think you are making. The cost of daycare or a sitter, the wardrobe, fast food, transportation to and from work should be figured and subtracted from the anticipated profit. Many mothers find that when all of these costs are subtracted there is no profit. You may also find that you drop into a lower tax bracket if you chose to stay home, thereby increasing your husband's take home pay.

Jonathan Pound of Financial Planning Information, Inc. in Boston writes:
"First of all in the USA, the government taxes about 40% of the second income right off the top." (More information can be found in the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding p.170) "If more women knew this, they'd think twice about going off to the job."

Today there are many options for working part time, or at home. My favorite is keeping other children. It gives you cash income, keeps your children entertained and allows you to devote your talents, and energy to good parenting.

What's your idea for earning extra income? Share it here, we'd like to hear from you.