I know everyone is struggling these days with inflation, shrinkflation and the supply chain shortages. I got a new car about a year ago, and when I first got it, I could fill the gas tank up with about $25 and it lasted longer than my previous car! Lately it’s been costing between $40-$50 and I know I’m lucky with those numbers!
I’m going to outline what an average week for us looks like.
My schedule rotates biweekly, so week 1 I work Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Week 2 I work Wednesday and Thursday. My shift starts between 0630-0645 and goes until 1900. Maddie’s school opens at 0600 so I typically get up at 0400 to get my day started and I aim to get on the way to her school at 0545. The cost for a week of her school is $190. The school closes at 1800 and I don’t get off for an hour after, so I need a nanny to help out with that- and these days finding someone good who will accept $15 an hour is a struggle! Add in that most people need to work more than 1 or 2 hours a day, so sometimes her nanny gets her around 1600. Some nannies will bring her back to our apartment which is just 10 minutes from the hospital, but some bring her back to their home. So before anything else: this week is already costing $190 for school, $180 for nanny aftercare during the week and another $400 for a nanny for the weekend.
Childcare total: $770
Sunday; I get a text from Maddie’s weekday nanny about how badly her stomach is messed up, she can’t watch Maddie all week 😫
Monday: I get a text from my weekend nanny of the receipt from the zoo the day before (I wouldn’t normally even mention this, but I have a membership there and she grabbed the wrong cards so I reimbursed her $47!!! And I know I could have made this a thing, but honestly, I’d rather keep the good people I’ve met happy with our arrangement than nickel and dime them) 🤷♀️
Tuesday: dentist for broken tooth- (would have been $223 if they could have extracted the tooth with local anesthesia)… spoiler alert: they couldn’t 😫😔 so I had to make the appointment for sedation… AGAIN. (Add $250 for the deposit). I also promised my girl I’d buy her a new toy if she let the dentist try to mess with the tooth 😳😫😔 (add $45 for a quick trip to Walmart for a toy and ice pops 😳.)
Wednesday: stayed home to avoid any additional expenses… the apartment was a mess and I had no brainpower for cooking, so I ordered lunch: ($49 for uber eats-a cheeseburger, 5 wings and kids mac n cheese meal! I discontinued my ubereats membership bc it’s insanely expensive!) It really helped my stress levels though 🤷♀️ My mom also flew in to help me with childcare for my work days!
Thursday: I worked, my mom and brother watched Maddie… finally a break! 😃
Friday: Also worked… also nothing major to report for spending. Mom and brother helped with Maddie again.
Saturday: My brother and I were both off, so we wanted to take Maddie to do something with mom. I first had to find a notary to send something to my best friend- the first place I went to didn’t have a notary there. I called another place and they didn’t have immediate availability, plus wanted to charge me $35 just to walk through the door 🙄🤦♀️😳 I then found a UPS a couple of neighborhoods away that had a notary there! He actually only charged me for the expedited shipping (which was a nice surprise, since shipping was just under $30 😳😳)
So this particular week added up to $1190! Of course the weeks that I work more days will be more costly, but it’s still a ridiculous amount of money to spend in one week!
For everyone who thinks they have more money saving tips for me:
- Thank you for any potential advice
- I always check the sales at the local grocery stores.
- I have already eliminated cable, combined my cellphone and internet.
- I have eliminated almost all my debt (besides one card that I’ve had for over a decade with a low balance for credit building).
- I have reframed what meals look like to accommodate the prices and lack of kitchen.
- I try to drive only when necessary.
#Singlemama #girlmom #thestruggleisreal #momlife #parents #parent #singlemom #financialproblems #unevensupport #unfair #motherstypicallysuffer #momssuffermost #supportmothers #supportmoms #supportwomen #supportgirls #girlpower
Once Upon a Lifetime 