Member Reviews
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.
This book was informative and full of great tips for any parent! definitely worth checking out.
This is a great book with tips on how parents as well as anyone who needs to take care of someone at home make a living without leaving the comfort of their abode.
I really appreciate the ideas here.
One of the things I knew I wanted before having kids was this: I want to be there, I want to enjoy them, I want to see them grow, I want to enjoy their childhood, I want to be involved in their life until they become responsible, mature, happy adults. But how!? we know we have to invest a lot to do that, so we have to produce a lot. So I´m thankful for this kind of resources, stories and ideas that light up a bulb in the brain and give us hope to achieve it. Want to continue the discussion? did you read the book? let's talk about it. Book ideas are helpful.
You Can Stay Home with Your Kids!: 100 Tips, Tricks, and Ways to Make It Work on a Budget has some fabulous tips for those who want to stay home with their kids. As a stay at home mama, I found some new tricks on how to save money. This book is a keeper for me.
Five stars.
This guide book to staying home with your kids is helpful and inclusive. While some tips and categories are no-brainers like Distinguishing wants vs. needs, others are more in depth and helpful. I like that Odom includes specific apps and resources for her readers, and suggestions of ways to stay on top of budgeting. Some ideas are more unexpected like bartering for goods or services with friends who have a talent, skill, etc. that you don't have. Bartering is alive and well and we tend to forget about it! I also like that she is bringing back things like keeping a price book for groceries, cooking from scratch, and cloth diapering. She approaches each topic in a manageable way and provides useful examples and reminders to readers. No one needs to be told to identify wants vs. needs, for example, but it does provide a helpful reminder for things we continually (and knowingly!) put off. An example of that for me would be meal planning, not browsing my favorite online shopping sites for deals, and not trying to "keep up with the Joneses". I found myself wishing there were some super inexpensive recipes in here, though there were many DIY cleaner, etc. recipes. Most of the section about cutting expenses on activities was pretty straightforward. Probably the most helpful part of this book was the section on health care. It has a lot of information on traditional insurance and health care expenses and exact resources for where to go. The sections on buying a home and car were also pretty detailed and filled with good ideas. The section on making extra income was also interesting, but I would say there is nothing too earth shattering there. This book mostly has a secular tone, though it is blatantly religious at points. If that is not your thing I would not particularly recommend this one.
Not a bad book. Had some interesting ideas, but not many more than we all already know. It was a pleasant read though, and a very encouraging book for any moms who want to stay home but struggle with finances.
Really enjoyed this book and like that it is in "bite sized pieces"! With small children and so many things going on I don't have lots of time to read long chapters. She gives great advice and practical, easy to apply tips that you can implement into your life.
Lots of good information in here for a parent looking to leave the workforce and stay home with the kids. It was very encouraging and gave me some ideas I hadn't thought of. My only complaint is the fact that there are references to free resources throughout the book that are supposed to be based on her website.. The site is no longer active. This would be disappointing, but halfway expected in an older book, but this book is only just over a year old. Otherwise a very good book for parents trying to stay home.
Erin has so many great and practical tips that are easy to implement. I think this book is something every wife, mom, or even couple should read. There is so much value in staying home with your children, but beyond that these tips are for anyone who needs some ideas to tighten their budget.
This book is easy to read and practical! Just what every hectic mom needs! BUT this book is NOT just for moms, there are a lot of tips in here that my cheap penny pinching college self could have used too! This book applies to anyone trying to make things work on a budget.
It has helpful ways to manage your budget so you can enjoy a life at home while raising your kids.
As a SAHM for 18 years who lives on a tight budget this book really wasn't for me.
A really good book for someone who is truly wondering if they can stay at home with their children instead of returning to work. Lots of tips and tricks and solid advice for that.
So many things mentioned that I would tell a friend about my experience thriving on a tight budget and making life work while I stay at home with my children.
What a easy quick read. I find this book practical—although for some who have read through maybe a few budget type books there are a lot of “I have heard this before”.
I love her DIY section of the book. She incorporates simple recipes for things like deodorant, window cleaner, foaming hand soap and more. I appreciate that.
The topics she talks about are short simple and to the point. With two kids in tow I find it hard to read something intense. This is just perfect for me. At the end of each section is an “action” step to take that encourages you to take a step towards that goal.
I do feel like it is a basic “how to be thrifty and save money” book. For those who have been through books—maybe not the best.
But I do think this is perfect for a young couple who are looking to save money that to them this sort of living might be entirely new concepts. It is not a very deep intense look at budgeting, which might be a good fit for a reader looking for broader General money saving tips. This book hits on a variety of topics quickly and for me I like it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book is a helpful guide to alternative ways to earn income while staying at home with your kids. Essentially, it has ideas and tips for being a work at home mother as opposed to a stay-at home mother.
This was an encouraging and inspiring book. I’m so glad I read it and highly recommend it to any Christian mom!
This was a organized and concise book. The tips are helpful and can be applied to a wide audience and don't feel like they'll be immediately "dated".
This book is written by an author who has clearly thought out all sorts of different ways to save money, based on real life experience. It is arranged in sections such as "curb spending", "eat well on a budge", "DIY household products", "shop secondhand and sales," and more, with a total of 100 tips and tricks, that all have good advice and action steps. I liked that the advice was short and to the point. Although my husband and I are both working and don't have kids yet, I learned a lot from this book about ideas for saving money now and in the future when we have kids and want to buy a house.
This book is both practical and encouraging...which is perfect. If you want to stay home with your kids, but do not see how it will work you will need both practical tips and encouragement! It's not always easy, but it's SO worth it.
Erin includes suggestions that I already implement, a few unique ideas I had never thought of, and a few that don’t fit my needs. As you read through the book, find the tips that will work best for you and your family. That is the beauty of this book. There is no pressure to implement all 100 tips, just find the suggestions that make sense for you and your family and make your plan.
Erin doesn't gloss over the fact that it takes the desire and commitment to make it work, but staying home with your children is a decision you will never regret. If you want to make it work, I would encourage you to pick up this book and start applying the tips.
The sections on Curbing Spending, Eating Well on a Budget and Creating More Income had the most practical tips that may have a big impact. I also enjoyed the suggestions in the Entertain Your Family Without Spending a Fortune section.
If you have wanted to stay home with your children, but do not know how you can make it work this book is for you. If you think "well, that would never work for me", get this book! When there is a will, there is a way. This book will help show you the way to making it financially feasible for your family.
I received a review copy, but was under no obligation to leave a positive review.
As a stay at home, homeschooling mama, things can be tight sometimes. Therefore, I'm always looking for ways to save money. Erin Oden's new book, You Can Stay Home with Your Kids, is a fantastic tool that fits the bill. Filled with practical and easy to implement tips, it's a wonderful book to have on your shelf.
The book is arranged in eight sections: Curb Your Spending, Eat Well On a Budget, DIY Household Products, Entertain Your Family Without Spending A Fortune, Shop Second Hand Sales, Provide Health-Care Needs, Hunt Houses and Vehicles, and Create More Income. Within each section, there ar action steps that pertain to each sction's subject. Some of the tips, I already had been utilizing, and some are common sense. Yet, the vast majority of them were new things I'd not heard before.
Erin writes in an engaging, and well organized manner. The book is also very clearly researched. The book itself is a pretty, compact addition that I think would be a fabulous gift for the newlywed, or expectant parent.
I would reccomend this book to anyone entertaining the thought of resorting to a single income to stay with their children. If you follow any combination of the ideas, you will save money as I did.
You Can Stay Home with Your Kids! by Erin Odom is a guide that attempts to explain how to do just that-- stay home with your kids. The book is full of different ideas from cutting extra costs to developing revenue streams to supplement your income. The ideas are good, but they are basic common sense ideas. It is a good book for anyone overwhelmed by the idea of staying home and needing a place to start from. I received a digital copy of this book. These opinions are entirely my own.
I never expected to be a SAHM, much less a homeschooling/homesteading mother of four! I was raised by a working mom and spent much of my childhood in an excellent daycare. I expected our family would take the same route. My firstborn arrived just months after my grad school loans came due. My starting salary was exactly that of our child care costs. We would break even financially and I would spent my days away and from the chubby-cheeked wonder that consumed my days. Now twelve years in, I teach my kids, work one night a week, live a crunchy, frugal life and marvel at how homemaking has worked out, careerwise. Like many of my generation, I was not prepared for this career, and need all the help I can get! Erin’s book is chock-full of solid advice from a SAHM who has made it work. I thought I was the DIY queen, but she had tips, tricks and recipes that were entirely new to me. I especially appreciate the income-generating ideas as I have been exploring opportunities to increase my side-hustle contribution to our family. Erin’s enthusiasm is contagious, but it’s not hype. She has struggled and succeeded at her dream of being a SAHM. I am so thankful that she’s been