A blog post written by a Texas man about the value of stay-at-home moms is getting a lot of attention, including here in New Jersey.

Pregnant Mother on Telephone Baking Muffins
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Steve Nelms of Plano, Texas estimated it would cost about $80,000 a year to hire a full-time child care nanny, a cook, house cleaner and someone to do all the shopping -- jobs his wife, a stay-at-home mom, is doing now for free.

In New Jersey, a full-time nanny and additional workers to run a home would cost at least $20 an hour, which comes out to somewhere between $83,000 and $100,000 annually.

Many Mercer County shoppers think that sounds about right

"It's almost impossible to put a dollar value on it," said one man, "but having said that, they're invaluable, especially in this day and age."

Sheri of Hamilton pondered the $80,000 figure Nelms estimated on his blog.

"If you think about all the work they're doing, especially watching a small child all day, it's worth it!" she said.

Another shopper said having a stay-at-home mom is probably worth $85,000.

"However, most of the stay-at-home moms that I know would be willing to cut their fee for family."

Frank from Trenton said the value of a stay-at-home mom would be difficult to calculate.

"A stay-at-home mom, that's a tough job," he said. "They're always on duty, and when they finish working all day, sometimes they have to get up at night to take care of a baby or toddler. I think it's least like a full-time job, if not more."

Not everyone agrees with this, however.

"As a working person, I don't know that I feel that a stay-at-home mom should be getting a salary," said one young woman rushing into a supermarket, "because they could go out there and earn it like the rest of us."

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