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I'm a Mom of 3 Young Kids, and We Walk Instead of Taking the Minivan ...
The author lives in the suburbs of Southern California with three kids, but walks whenever she can. Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel 2026-05-03T12:42:01.290Z I'm a mom of three young kids, and we live in Southern California. I used to live in New York City and really miss walking everywhere. Though it may be easier to load them in the minivan, I prefer to walk whenever possible. I joke that the hardest part of having three young kids is getting them all into and out of the car. "If I start loading them up now, I'll be at your house in two hours," I recently joked with my mom, who lives 10 minutes away.But all kidding aside: It takes a long time to get my 5, 3, and 1-year-old in and out of the minivan. Plus, it's physically demanding. No one is stronger than a toddler who doesn't want to be buckled in.Part of the struggle comes from the fact that I used to live in New York City, and I loved the walkability. I'd walk to stores, to the movies, to restaurants, and more. Now, I live in Southern California, where driving is way more common. Sure, people walk dogs and go for jogs, but in the suburbs, where everything is so spread out, walking to get somewhere is so inconvenient. Or is it?Recently, I started putting my kids in the stroller and walking (almost) everywhere. It's one of the best things I've done. I've gotten in shape, gotten my kids outdoors, and best of all, we've made some good memories together. It was hard to find a home with walkabilityAt the end of last year, I started seriously looking for a new home. With three kids, I needed something bigger. But beyond size, my top must-have was walkability. I wanted to take my kids on walks to stores, the movies, restaurants, and more — just like I could in New York.As it turns out, it was a tall order. Most cities across the country zone for residential and commercial buildings, keeping homes in one area, shops in another. In fact, the largest US city without zoning laws is Houston, TX. (Yes, even NYC has zoning laws, though they're different from the rules found in a typical suburb.) Zoning can be great: these laws mean most homeowners don't need to worry about getting a noisy, smelly, potentially hazardous factory moving in next door. But it also means a lot of homes are miles from the closest shopping center.Sure, some homes here in the 'burbs are closer to shops than others. But even proximity doesn't mean walkability.I toured a handful of houses that were less than a mile or so from great shops and ...
How We Live On One Small Income With 3 Kids (2026)
For those of you who are new here, I’m a mom of 3 under 5 and my husband is a resident doctor. We’ve been living on one income even before kids, and anything extra that I made part time went into savings. Having a baby was less financially shocking since I didn’t have to leave a $50K/year job. Because, let me tell you, waitresses don’t make that much! If you are hoping to become a stay at home mom but nervous about finances, read this to see how we make it work. No two situations are the same, but I hope this inspires you that living on one income is possible, usually. I hope you see that money can buy you choices, but it can’t make you happy. Our monthly budget for a family of 5For clarity, the $3,000 we budget is what gets dropped into our account after money for taxes is withheld and a small portion saved for retirement. It is also after his work auto deducts our health and dental insurance costs. So those things are not found in our budget because they come out of his paycheck first.Also, we are not receiving public assistance such as WIC.But aren’t doctor’s wives raking in cash?Now before you go on thinking “O the glamorous life of a doctor’s wife,” I’ll let you in on a little secret. Doctors don’t get a big paycheck till like 15 years after high school. Not to mention if they have kids and a stay at home wife to provide for. They go through 4 years of college, 4 years of med school, and then 3-7 years of residency making less than a 1st-year nurse. And then… time to pay off all those med school loans (average is around $200,000 before interest, which often brings it up to $300,000 or more). Basically it makes it so you CAN’T leave medicine.I am thankful my husband’s salary is enough for us to live on. I’ll show you below how we make it work!This post contains affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking toAmazon.comand affiliated sites.My secret to living on one income with 5 people: Spend lessI know we sacrifice luxuries without a second income, but it’s worth it to me. If you are trying to figure out how to live on one income, I think you can! You will need to:Make a list of all your bills that are the same each month (think internet, rent…)Make a list of all your bills that can change (groceries, etc)Cut out a lot of optional bills. Think subscriptions, eating out, meal delivery, expensive birthday gifts, some travel,...
Three Habits You Should Watch Out For As A Parent
Image Source - CC0 License As a parent, it's your job to watch out for your children in all aspects of life, right? From when they are little to when they are grown, you are still the one that should be there for them, keeping an eye on them as best you can for as long as you can. As such, it's important that you know what kind of habits that you should be watching out for carefully so ...
5 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle as a Mom - Laura Fuentes
Between taking care of kids, managing a household, and doing everything else, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can sometimes seem impossible. But I have good news for you, it doesn't have to be. Today, I'm sharing some personal insights I've learned after having three kids that have helped me live a happier and healthy life. Yes, you can maintain a healthy lifestyle after you have kids!
