Etsy :: The Storque :: Spotlight :: Quit Your Day Job: realisationcreations, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.
For me to quit my day job I would need to be earning enough to cover the costs of
- full time out-of-school care for a kindergarten student,
- a weekly or twice weekly cleaner to keep the house habitable and hygienic
- either a cook for meal prep or a meal service or eating out every day
- a domestic administrator to deal with the household finances, social calendar, budgeting and provisioning
... and that's probably not all!
Currently according to the Etsy definition I have in fact quit my day job since I am running a home-based craft business around my family, supplementing the income my husband brings in. But since my day job is being a SAHM who crafts in, around and in spite of family life it would be extremely difficult for me to quit it, pay someone else to do it for me and still contribute to the household income.
Naaah! I think I'll continue doing things my way and call it supplementing the family income while continuing to be the stay-at-home parent.
It's more like "Double Your Day Job" in reality.
4 comments:
Funnily, my creative self-employment (doing a variety of things - whatever pays the bills but mostly web development/graphic art and clay) is the sole income for us. And some months Etsy could pay all my bills.
But Etsy keeps shooting itself in the damned foot with this series just by virtue of it's title. If it just used it as a way to profile sellers making a good part time or full time (first or second or third job) income from their Etsy that would be so much more honest!
ah well. Marketing doublespeak.
My first aim, now that I've paid off all the supplies etc I've bought to grow my business, is to be able to pay the out-of-school care I 'treat' myself and the Wee Guy with once a week. It enables me to get down to some longer projects without having to ignore the boy, and also gives him some alternative socialising. Since I cannot afford any more child care my business is going to have to stay small but I hope that one day it can contribute a lot more to the family budget.
Oh my goodness - just found this post, and just...so very well said.
thank you. I'm very proud that my crafting business pays its way without dipping into the household budget. what i resent most about the etsy QYDJ articles is the way that being a stay-at-home parent is completely dismissed as a job - i take the insult very personally and am surprised that more readers don't lob the cupcakes back over the wire
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