Stay-at-Home Moms – What are they Worth in New Jersey?
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.
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."