This is how I’m able to be the breadwinner as a stay-at-home mum

“Know your worth, then add tax!” 

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but the highest display of intelligence (so they say) – which is probably why mums use it.

For example, mum Amber Audrey, recently posted a cheeky video dripping with sarcasm; but it also cleverly shed light on a brutal truth about unpaid labour and the mental load for many mums everywhere.

In her TikTok, Amber starts to explain, mostly tongue-in-cheek: “This is how I’m able to be the breadwinner as a stay-at-home mum."

She's living the dream! But how?

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"I charge $200 to breastfeed our baby"

“This is everything I charge my husband for my stay at home mum services,” Amber's clip begins.

“My husband gets paid tomorrow so that means he can pay me out tomorrow as well.” 

From a list in her hands, she recites her standard invoice... and yes, it includes $200 for breastfeeding their baby.

For a load of dishes, $20. She estimates that’s $300 a week, due to the frequency of the job (2–3 times a day).

$35 for a load of laundry, $50 for car shuttle services, $75 for grocery shopping, and $50 for cooking.

“I charge $100 to clean all the floors. That includes sweeping, the mopping, and that includes every bedroom,” she adds.

One of the biggest ticket items by far is education.  “I homeschool the kids, so I charge $400 tuition per kid, each week. So, that’s $800 a week,” Amber explains.

“The total that I charge my husband every week for all of my stay-at-home services is about $2,700. If he wants to save money, he can help me do any of these .

She adds that while it may leave her husband with little left to treat himself, it gives her the money she needs to cover the mortgage, car payments, and utility bills.

Image: Amber Audrey/TikTok

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"Know your worth. Then add tax!" 

Her comment section was split, with many getting the punchline and others believing her husband has the raw end of the stick.

“Divorce is your future if not the paperwork is already filed,” one commenter wrote.

“Child support looking good to him right now,” another said. 

Others saw the humour in the joke.

“My husband was listening as I watched this and said, ‘I don’t know what you’re watching, but you should probably keep scrolling,’” one woman joked.

One person praised: “Know your worth, then add tax!” 

But it was one commenter who pointed out the biggest message of all: the hidden cost of motherhood.

“I know this is satire, but it really does change your perspective on how much SAHMs contribute to the welfare of the family and home,” she wrote.

The tone from which Amber is speaking makes it clear that her list isn’t accurate, but the workload she takes on absolutely is. 

Mum life isn’t just unpaid labour, it’s an unpaid empire.

Originally published as This is how I’m able to be the breadwinner as a stay-at-home mum