Make More Money AKA Secure the Bag!
This is a manifesto; a heart cry from me to you. Motherhood is a lot of things. It’s amazing, it’s exhausting, it’s fulfilling and it’s all of those things at the same time. If you’re reading this then I know that’s not news to you, so let’s talk about the other thing that motherhood is, which nobody actually ever talks about - motherhood is expensive. Not just the money expense (although more on that later), but motherhood costs your time, your body, and sometimes even your dreams. If I had to say one key thing that I’ve learnt on this motherhood journey so far, it’s that there are some expenses which would be all but eliminated (or at least made a heck of a lot less difficult) if I had more MONEY!!!
It is pretty well documented (literally everywhere) that men’s earning potential increases when they have a partner who does the majority of the home labour (cite article).
Annoyingly whilst they flourish outside the home and their earning potential increases, ours tends to dwindle as we are forced into compacted hours (exhausting!), working after the kids are asleep (exhausting!), working part time (reduces income), or leaving the workplace altogether!
Then there’s school pick ups, drop offs, clubs, parent’s evenings, spending quality time with the kids, and everything in between. Let’s not even start to talk about the laundry or cleaning which literally seems to end...
Some day the world will figure out how to equalise the dynamics of power and labour but until then, I STRONGLY believe mothers need to make more money, and the faster we all do so, the faster our motherhood journey can become just a little bit easier. We all know that our little (or large) blessings will always certainly be hard work but, getting the additional support we need to not just survive but thrive could be the “village”our grandmothers and great-grandmothers enjoyed all those years ago.
Whether that’s nannies, child minders, baby-sitters, cleaners, chefs (or deliveroo!), spa days, gym memberships, kids clubs, hair appointments, holidays or whatever you need to feel like a normal (non-stressed) and less stretched human being, it costs MONEY!
With less time on my hands than ever before, and constant exhaustion or mummy brain, how on earth can I make more money without being even more stretched I hear you ask? Good question. I’ve pulled out the top 10 ways I supplement my income, which don’t really take much more time out of my day than my normal day-to-day activities. I’ve been trying these out for a month or two now so I’ve ranked them in order of preference
