My argument as a SAHM

Be warned, this blog is written to defend myself (even though I shouldn't feel the need to defend myself) and in turn may offend others.  This is not my intention, I just feel like I want to get my side of this situation out there.

As one of very very few SAHMs in our small town and even in our area, I quite often hear, "It must be nice to be a stay at home mom."  While occasionally this comment is made as a genuine remark, more times than not it is someone being sarcastic and smart ass-like.  Anyway, my response is always an awkward laugh.  I really want to say, "You can do it too!"  I understand there are some situations where it can't work, but I really believe that most people could make it work if they really wanted it to.  I do also understand that there are a lot of moms that don't want to stay at home and that is perfectly fine also! 

I am fortunate enough to stay at home because my husband and I have created a lifestyle in which it works for us.  We do not have an abundance of money lying around or anything, but our kids always have clothes to wear, toys to play with and food to eat.  My husband is a teacher and no, he does not make hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, but we take the salary he does make and we make it work.  We budget every month.  As Dave Ramsey would say, every dollar we spend has a name to it.  I drive a 2007 van that we own with no payments.  My husband's car and pick up also do not have payments.  We do not have credit cards or student loans.  Sure, I would love to have nicer clothes and designer shoes, but Target and Payless clothes and shoes keep me just as warm!  We own a modest home.  Sure, if I was working, we could afford to build a beautiful new house, but the one we have has more than enough room for us.  Even though we are on a budget, we still are able to attend concerts and movies.  We go out to eat occasionally. 

Anyway, I don't really know for sure what I am getting at, but I just know it really annoys me when people think we are super rich or something and that is how I stay at home.  We just don't live beyond our means.  We don't spend money that we don't have.  I am not knocking anyone's lifestyle or ridiculing anyone for how they live, I am just so tired of hearing, "Oh, you don't work?"

OK, venting done.  Thank you and have a nice day!  I guess I will just go and put my feet up and watch Oprah and eat bon-bons now because that is the other thing SAHMs do, right?  :)