A YOUNG mum has hit back at trolls after being slammed for letting her husband do all the work whilst they have to stick to a strict budget.
Paige, 22, has revealed that her family of five manage to survive as a family by “leaving within” their means.
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This means that their accommodation is small, and they don’t fork out on new products like cars and have a strict budget in mind when it comes to doing the food shop.
People are often asking her how she “affords” to be a stay at home mum.
Paige replied in a video and shared it to her 79.9k TikTok followers.
The mum of three said: “The simple answer is you just need to live within your means.
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“We live in an apartment, and yeah, it’s not a house, which I wish we had a house, but as of right now, we can’t purchase a house, so we live in an apartment.
“It’s big enough for our family, it’s nice enough for our family, and I’m okay with that.
We don’t have a fancy car because we can’t afford a car payment.
“So we have a 2001 car that might be a jump scare to some of y’all.”
But Paige and her family are content with that, as the car has heating, working windows, along with seat belts which makes it “safe.”
She also explained how eating out will take their entire paycheck, so she is savvy when it comes to buying her food shop.
Experts say that supermarkets adopt shopping habits to get people to buy the deals.
Buying food is a really easy way to make people feel happy, which encourages supermarkets to help make it an enjoyable, fun experience for customers.
Budgeting or doing a shopping list makes them feel as if they are denying themselves.
So they need to adopt good shopping habits and find other ways to reward themselves rather than using food.
But Paige doesn’t allow the supermarkets to distract her from her budget.
Strict budgeting
Paige will only spend £39 a week on her weekly food shop for her family of five.
This includes a loaf of bread, nuts, long grain rice, sausages, ham, cheese, mixed vegetables, milk, yogurt, and Kool aid.
Paige added: “You need to learn how to grocery shop and cook food for your family.”
She also explained how she doesn’t have “a million subscriptions” to TV channels.
Paige said: “Like, we have Netflix, we have Disney Plus, and we have food and that’s it.
“We don’t even pay for Netflix because it goes through our phone plan.
“Things like that will run your money up.
“We might not have the nicest things, but we definitely have everything that we need and my kids have everything that they want.
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“People just aren’t okay with living like that, but I definitely am.
“And my kids are happy, I’m happy, and that’s all that matters to me.”
Paige is a stay at home mum with the help of her partner who works.
She continued to say in the video: “I have the opportunity to stay home with them.
Four easy ways to get your kids involved in sports for cheap
- FITNESS CLASSES: Healthcare charity Nuffield Health runs free weekly fitness classes for girls aged 11-16.
Its Move Together sessions are designed to build strength and confidence and are suitable for all abilities. - FUN RUN: Junior Parkrun is a free community event that takes place at almost 500 locations across the country on Sunday mornings.
A route of 2k is marked out and anyone aged between four and 14 can take part. Register for free at parkrun.org.uk - SWIM SESSIONS: Many councils run free lessons or sessions for children, so it is worth checking what’s on near you. Have a look on your council’s website.
- TENNIS TIME: Charity Tennis For Free runs sessions for anyone wanting to pick up a racket. Some sessions are for ages 12-plus, but there are also dedicated family times.
Search for your nearest group at tennisforfree.com/sites.
“So I’m going to take that opportunity and do it because I’d rather be home with my kids, raising them, and making them homemade meals, instead of them being raised in a daycare and eating fast food every night.
“And I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with being a working mum, because once upon a time I was a single mum and I had to provide for my family, so all I did was work.
“And some people simply want to work, which is fine too.
“But personally, like I said, if I have the opportunity to stay home with them, I’m going to do that for them because that’s what I want and I feel like that is best for my family.
“I get a lot of hate comments that I am a stay at home mum, that I let a man take care of me.
“I don’t get it. I don’t even care about those comments, because this is the life I chose and this is the life I want.”
In another video, Paige revealed how she used to be a single working mum but is now with her partner who works.
The video she shared went viral, with over 2,000 people rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One wrote: “It’s amazing how many of us truly don’t know how to grocery shop. I literally just learned how to this year.”
Another added: “Same! In an apartment with a paid off 2007 car, but I get to be with our babies.”
A third said: “I feel shamed because I’m a stay at home mum.
“Sometimes those comments from family members get to me, but I’m not comfortable with daycare. Not a lot of nice people in the world.”
