How Much Does it Cost to Work? A Free Tool for Stay at Home "Wannabes"
simplesahm | October 30, 2007 
Shortly after my daughter was born (over four years ago) I went back to work as a social worker. I was miserable. While I enjoyed my career, I was constantly concerned that I would miss milestones and memories with my child.
My husband was a police officer at the time so making ends on his income alone would be difficult (if not impossible). One evening, when I'd reached my breaking point at work, I grabbed a calculator and tried to figure out what I would need to earn from home to make up for what I was earning as a full-time social worker.
I grabbed a notebook and jotted down expenses like business suits, daily coffees, lunches with co-workers, gas mileage to and from work, parking costs, daycare costs, and all of the other expenses that I'd accrued as a full-time employee.
Then, I added an earnings column that included both my hourly wages plus benefits like healthcare and our 401K plan. While social workers don't make a tremendous amount of money, I was earning an above-average income for my region of the US. I figured it would be impossible to live comfortably with the loss of my income.
When I finished up the totals, I was stunned by the results. When I factored in the costs of working I was actually earning the equivalent of a part-time income. As a child-abuse investigator my career was draining and stressful. Was the stress worth a part-time income? Not at all.
I decided to quit my job with a plan in place to earn at least half of what I'd earned in my career from my home. While I am not raking in the big bucks (yet) I am thankful that I took a few moments to factor in what working really cost. I showed my husband the figures and we both decided it was time for me to begin a career from home.
Many people assume that they could never work from home, work part-time or quit their careers entirely but they also fail to factor in the expenses we incur (like daycare and mileage) when we work. If you are a SAHM or WAHM "Wannabe" take a moment to check out this free online calculator. You may be shocked by the results!
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