Working From Home – Is It Right For You Single Mom?

Single moms usually do not get the luxury of being stay at home moms (SAHM), because they need to work to provide for their growing children. But what many single moms don’t realize is that we too can stay at home with our kids, and still be able to provide for them by being a Work at Home Mom (WAHM).
Working from home allows you to make your own schedule. It saves you tons of money and time, and it allows you to successfully fulfill your role as a parent. If any of this has your wheels turning, check out this post. I’ll explain both the benefits and disadvantages of being a single work at home mom. Then you can decide for yourself if it is right for you.
Benefits of Working From Home
1. Availability For Your Children
The greatest benefit of working from home as a single mom, is that you are more available for your children. If they are young, you can be home with them, instead of being gone all day away from them. You will there to witness first steps and hear first words. Additionally, if your children are in school, you can be the one picking them up and dropping them off to school or the bus stop everyday.
2. You’re The Boss
If you start your own business, you are the boss. Imagine knowing that you are working hard for yourself – what a great feeling and hard to beat! It has good and bad days but you are taking responsibility for your own success.
Even if you are employed by someone else, there is still some freedom that you don’t have when working inside of any office building everyday.
3. Saving On Childcare Costs
Most single work at home moms don’t have to pay for child care, especially if your children are school aged. It gets a little trickier when you have a infant or a toddler. But many moms learn the fine art of working while their child is asleep or engaged in play. It also helps if they have older siblings to keep them entertained while you work.
When I began working from home, I immediately saved $800-$1000/monthly on childcare bills for my then toddlers. At the time that was 1/3 of my income. I did, and still do occasionally pay for childcare and summer camp, but it by no means consumes 1/3 of my check.
You can also partner with other moms (single or otherwise) and trade babysitting duties to help save on childcare costs. No money exchanging hands, just a small amount of your time.
4. Tax Benefits
An often overlooked benefit of being self employed and working from home is that you can write it off on your taxes. Most expenses related to using your home as an office can be itemized on your federal taxes. You can deduct the percentage of your home that you use, and you can deduct a portion of the utilities as well.
5. Saving $$$$
I can’t begin to tell you how much money I save working from home. I no longer spend money on gas commuting everyday. I don’t buy lunch at restaurants and food trucks everyday. I eat the food I have in my house. I don’t feel compelled to participate in every co-workers child’s fundraiser and I save a ton on clothing by wearing the same clothing over and over again. Because who sees me on a regular basis besides my kids..lol
6. Flexibility
Don’t want to comb your hair today? – Don’t! That is the beauty and flexibility of working from home as a single mom. I love the fact that I can lay in my bed or sit at a desk and work if I choose to. I love the fact that I even get a choice. I constantly where my hair in different colors (some days blue….some days purple..some days burgundy). And there is no one there to tell me that isn’t professional.
If you want to work from the beach in Madagascar or a coffee shop down the street. You can do so… You don’t have to wait for vacation days. Work while you travel!
Disadvantages of Working From Home
While working from home as a single mom has has many advantages, it can also have its downside. Among them are:
1. No Paid Benefits
If you choose to freelance or start your own business, you will miss out on many company benefits you may have had. Among them: paid vacation, paid holidays, sick days, health insurance; which all may have been available had you been employed by another company. You’re on your own now and you suddenly realize just how many those benefits were worth.
2. Lack of Social Interaction
Little adult interactivity and support is another disadvantage of working from home as a single mom. You miss out on connecting with co-workers every day. When you work from home almost all your communication with anyone other than your immediate family is on the computer and the telephone. You have to work at scheduling enough time to even have lunch with a friend.
3. Distractions
Your toddler doesn’t care that you are trying to earn funds to keep them alive. Imagine you are a work at home mom, trying to finish a project for a demanding client who needs it in the next few minutes and your child is calling your name for the 5493343 time in 5 minutes. It can be a bit frustrating.
4. Not Making Ends Meet
Working from home has it ups and downs. Sometime the money pours in and sometimes you are scraping up pennies to pay for your internet service.This could lead to you being forced to find outside employment.
In conclusion, working at home as a single mom has the potential to be something awesome for both you and your family. But we should always consider the pitfalls, so we can weigh the pros and cons and see if working from home is for you, single mom.
Comment Below and Let Us Know Other Pros
and Cons of Working From Home
A great field for working from home is what I do: Technical Publications. It may sometimes take a while to get to the level where you can work from home (it can depend significantly on the employer) but it can often come with benefits and a high salary, even as an offsite job. Pros: Flexible. Well paid. Interesting and challenging work. Cons: Working offsite sometimes leave you at a political disadvantage (this can also be a nice way to remain insulated from them!) It may also mean a less competitive salary. It can be hard to stay focused when you work from home, with temptations to distract. But, you can get better at that with practice. Also, even if your kids are not home during the day, it can still save you a ton of money to telecommute full time (or most of the time) and give you flexibility for when kids are sick, or need appointments, or need to be picked up unexpectedly. Great subject for discussion!
I’m not a single mom but I think you outlined the pros and cons of working from home really well. This is my first year working from home and I love the flexibility but it can be lonely so I appreciate you showing both sides of what it’s like!
I think these are so applicable to any parent who works from home! Great post!
I work quite a few single moms who are older and their children are grown now, but BOY they could have really used reading this article back then. So many amazing tips!
I think you hit every point! It’s definitely a tough choice, but I would choose work from home.
I totally agree with these points. I’ve been back and forth on deciding if becoming a WAHM is the right move for me. Would love to see what are some ways you work around no longer getting benefits/health insurance.
As mom who has worked from home for four years I can def. say that it’s not for everyone. It takes a lot of self-discipline and guidance! Some ppl think I’m just sitting around all day. No maam I’m not. I’m WORKING!
I can definitely relate. People automatically assume that because I work from home that I can stop at a moment’s notice to cater to their every whim…
I am a single mom but I have not been able to transition into working from home. I would be concerned with the home/ work division. I enjoy having that dividing line between being at work and being mom.
Definitely feel privileged to have been able to work from home. I’m pretty disciplined with 9 to 5 work, but have the freedom to attend appointments with my daughter without ever feeling I have to explain myself.
I love being able to work from home. It gives me such pleasure to be able to stay home with my little man and watch him grow everyday!
I’m just beginning my work from home journey. I’m hoping to make enough money to do it long term. There’s nothing more precious than sharing important milestones with your kids.
I think you outlined the pros and cons of working from home really well! I really enjoy the flexibility of working from home!
This post is so on point with everything! It takes a lot of will power to be a work at home parent and it’s not for everyone.