So you may be on board with the whole embracing slow thing, sounds great, but....is it really possible? We need to work to make money to pay for our home, keep our family fed, clothed, warm and dry. This is true. It tends to be one of the biggest reason we are so busy. We all have expenses that need to be taken care of. I've found that there are almost always ways to cut costs and slow down. Often these two things almost go hand in hand. If you are wanting to embrace a slower paced life you can also cut out a lot of expense. You'll have more time on your hands to be able to do some of the things you weren't able to do before and therefore had to pay extra for.
It seems like we've tried it every way in our household. We started with both my husband and I working. Next I took a year off with my first born son while my husband worked. Though having a newborn was an adjustment, I could take care of a majority of the household making it more relaxing for my husband and myself. After the year was up (my maternity leave ended) we both worked while our son was in daycare. This was a rush, and I didn't like it. We did this for a couple years. I had my second son and took the year off again. This is when we really noticed how much of a difference it made to have one person home, to take care of the kids and the house. We decided at the end of the year I would go back to work full time and my husband would stay home. Since both my husband and I have been on both sides of the stay at home parent verse working outside the home we had a greater respect for what the other was going through on a daily basis. We also realized as long as one person is home it makes a world of difference and creates a much more relaxed environment over all.
We found it is possible to live on one income. There are a lot of costs you can cut out to make it possible. There are a lot of ways to slow down and create a sense of calm in your life.
In a slow paced life style there's almost always time to cook your own food. You have more time to think about it and personally I believe that makes a huge difference. It's incredibly hard to rush home from work, look in the fridge and come up with something healthy to feed your family on the spot. Something that cooks in 20 mins or less to top it off. I remember nights like that, we ate a lot more chicken nuggets, frozen french fries, frozen pizzas, spaghetti, and stir fry. It was quick and easy and didn't take much thought. Of those meals I still enjoy a good healthy stir fry and the occasional plate of spaghetti (it was always my favourite growing up). I can't remember the last time we had chicken nuggets, a frozen pizza, or french fries from frozen. We have more time to think and plan out our meals now that it's not so rushed. It's also not as expensive. We still like fries, but they are now made with potatoes, chopped into wedges and baked. The boys still go crazy for pizza, but we make it completely from scratch. They love to help make it and "decorate" it as they call it. It takes a little longer to make, but when your mind isn't going at a rapid pace it's easier to focus and enjoy the process.
Instead of rushing around in the morning trying to get everyone out of the house. It's only the working parent that has to get ready and be on time so that becomes a priority. It makes it a lot easier on the working parent to only really have to worry about getting themselves ready. The stay at home parent is there to help. Of course the rest of the family still needs to get ready and get on with their day, but the timeline and stress isn't the same.
Depending on your circumstances you may only need one car. This can be a huge money saver!
Not paying for daycare, also a huge money saver!
Most people that work outside the home have "work" clothes and "regular" clothes. Not having to purchase two wardrobes also saves you money.
This slower lifestyle allows you to cut costs. So yes, you may not make as much financially, but you won't need to spend as much either. You are also rewarded with a slower paced life which from my perspective is a huge blessing for you and your family!
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