Help me think, please

[Cecilia]

Next week will be my last one at work and then I'll be a SAHM We've done quite a bit of preparation and some savings as well, so I feel OK about the financial unsecurity to come.

BUT, now I have these questions coming up in my head.. should we buy certain things before my last pay?!? This would mean taking some of our savings out again. Here are some more specific issues: Our TV is really old. I think we bought it in 1988 so theoretically it could die any day. Same goes for my sewing machine. Bought that one in 1987 and it really needs some fixing up (although I mostly do repairs with it). Our car needs some new tires both for winter and summer use. Should we get the winter tires now and the summer tires later or try to get a good price buying all tires at one time?

SO, should we buy all these things before I "officially" become a SAHM or should we wait until they really doesn't work anymore??
We have about 4500 US dollars worth of savings and no debt besides our morgage.

[Darlene]

First of all, I'm so happy you are going to do this.
I'd wait on spending the money & save for that rainy day and that rainy day isn't here.
Don't know where you live but do you really need tires for winter & summer? Ours are all season. Might save you some $$

Enjoy your homemaking time Cecilia!

[Cecilia]

Well, we live in Sweden, way up in the nordic countries. Here it's the law to have different tires for winter and summer use. And right now our winter tires are really bad...
If you drive on all seasons tires all year... doesn't your car need more gas??? I think summer tires are more economic if the weather is right.

[Darlene]

If your tires are bad, yes I'd get new ones. Safety comes first. While your buying them, see if you can work a deal to get the summer ones at a discount since you'll need those too.

I don't think there is much diff in the tires vs. gas with our tires but I could be wrong.
Again, I'm so happy for you!

[AmyMCGS]

I second everything Darlene said, lol! I'd wait until the big items are needed and see what kind of bargains you can get then. I also have year-round tires on my car (SUV) and don't know of any difference in the gas prices. Around here, in Ohio, the only people who buy seperate snow tires are the ones who drive small cars (prone to sliding in winter) or huge trucks used for plowing. Enjoy your time at home-- it's a whole new world when you're there most of the time!

[PrairieRose]

WTG Cecila on taking the big step to stay at home. Can you prepay for any large purchases like home heating fuel or wood or whatever? That might help as I'm sure you still have some cold weather ahead of you yet. I was thinking that your tires make the most difference in gas mileage when they don't have the right amount of air in them..... . Have fun staying at home, enjoy your last week at work. Hope to see more of you here

[rebecca]

Congratulations on becoming a SAHM! I'm jealous! I'm the sole breadwinner so I have no choice but to work full-time. Congratulations. I agree with some of the other's that I would save the money for a rainy day because Murphy always wants to visit everybody's house.

[dolphin]

I also agree with the others. Buy your tires now but save the rest. A new TV would be nice but now you will have time to shop around and find the best deal you can. If you only use the sewing machine for repairs and you can muddle through with it then I wouldn't buy a new one right now. Maybe keep an eye open at yard sales/boot sales or ask friends if they have one they want to get rid of.

I hope you enjoy being a SAHM.

[forestdale]

whoa! a swedish member! I love it. I'd love to travel to sweden, cecilia. I had a swedish grandmother.

Congratulations on your move to being a SAHM. I'm sure you'll love it.

I kind of agree with the other ladies. I'd look around for a new TV but wouldn't buy one until I found a really good bargain on a good quality TV. It might last you another 17 years. With the sewing machine, I'm in the same position. I was only using mine for repairs, I bought mine in 1980. Instead of getting a new one, I had mine serviced. It cost $90 and it's now working like a dream and it's still perfectly fine for straight sewing.

Have you started a stockpile of groceries and supplies for your home? That would be a priority for me. I'd also start a change jar and emergency fund.

Good luck with your new lifestyle. Let us know how it goes when you give up working outside the home.

[dmvezina]

I agree with Darlene!!

The tv could last you 5 more years, who knows!!
I think all season tires are better too!

Good luck and congratulations!! At first, you'll probably be "bored" but then you're going to love being a SAHM!!

[Cecilia]

Forestdale - I didn't expect one could find any Swedish grandmothers Down under... I thought they all went to Minnesota USA in that generation. Well at least some of my relatives did. I have a ds who would just love going to your country. Well, we've told him it's a bit far away and a bit too expensive right now
I have started to stockpile my pantry and freezer. I make a lot of meals ahead right now so there will always be something to eat when the baby will be around. Not much time to cook with a baby, a three year old and a six year old...

dmvezina - what made me think about changing the TV was merely that when we turn the satellite on it sometimes only shows us programmes in black and white. My kids think that shows from other countries only comes without colour *lol*. But sure we can probably make it last another 5 years.

About the tires ladies.. I really have no choise. The law says winter and summer tires here, so we need to have both kinds. And today I sure wish I had had my winter tires changed. It's kind of a snow storm approaching for this afternoon
I think we'll try to get a good deal for both winter and summer tires at the same time. That should last some years...
Thanks for all the input!

[bmma]

I think savings should be the goal. And you'll need to start adjusting your views of wants/needs in order to support being an SAHM.

I know most people today don't even considering repairing Tvs. But ours is 15 years old, and recently starting acting up. Since we really couldn't afford a new one, my husband went in to a TV shop, described the problem, and asked if they thought it was something that could be fixed. They had a guess, told him what it would cost if that was the problem ($100). So we took it in, paid $29.95 for the estimate and they applied that to the $79.00 repair and it's as good as new. This was an inherited TV from my husband's grandfather 10 years ago. The repairman said that a good quality TV (this is a Sony) can still be repaired.

[Shell]

I would by tires first and see how long the tv & sewing machine last. Safety is number one!