@cellomom – I've been saying the same thing ever since I was let go! Had my employer not laid me off I would've returned to work after 10 weeks. Since they did I get a chance to step back and weigh my options.

@Jane – I think it's great that you and your husband are trying to live off of one salary. I wish my husband and I had been more aggressive about that in the past. Although we saved a lot of money I know we could have done a lot better!

Here is the new angle: Living on one salary means that we are only dependent on one salary. If I should loose my job there are two of us to look for work. We double our chances of finding work. Or we could maybe both work part time.If he was offered a great job, then I could stay home. I am not one hundred percent sure if this is actually financially sound, but I feel good knowing that we really don't need as much money to live well.

We have done lots of things to save money now that we have a child. We use hand-me-downs almost exclusively. I have not bought our daughter any clothes. This can be a hard temptation to resist, but thankfully her cousins and our friends all had great tastes. We are using cloth diapers-which were also handed down. We love them! I love knowing that we are saving lots of money and she has been diaper rash free so far. They haven't been too much work at all. We are also breastfeeding and I plan to do that as long as I can.

But when my youngest was two, I was laid off. It was the best thing they did for me since they hired me.

Maybe I'm strange, but I didn't cry on my first day back to work. And she really like going to daycare because there are other babies to play with and much cooler toys than the ones in our home 😉

I might not feel the way if I had to be in the office 5 days a week with a one hour commute each way, but I really think part-time work or some work from home work is the way to go if at all possible. It seems like something you could look into since you seems to work in software/computers (I think).

I always hoped that when my boys got too old for daycare, there could be a parent or grandparent in the house for them to touch base with. I am now fortuante that I have started off the new year with a job where I work remote, that is from home. While my boys have done Ok, my 12 YO has spent way too much time on his own the past 2 years. I am thrilled to be able to be at home for him, to make sure he dresses appropriately for the weather, eats health food before his sports practices and events, and see who he is hanging out with.

Good luck with your choice. I don't regret the situation when my kids were younger, it was right for my family. Find what is right for your.