Run a calm home on one income and one pair of hands
The Single Parent Household Kit gives you the whole system: a must-pay first budget, a safety net, routines the children help run, a support village, childcare back-ups, words for hard conversations and time for you.
- Solo Household Hub workbook: 15 sheets, from a one-income budget and benefits tracker to a village coverage check and special time by child
- Four fillable PDFs: weekly reset and self-care plan, support village plan, emergency childcare plan, monthly money check-in
- 42 scripts and 6 ready-to-send letters for asking for help, your employer, school, your children and family
- A four-week set-up calendar, 7 pages of routine and chore cards, and a plain-English e-book of about 9,500 words
The Single Parent Household Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 129 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do you run a single-parent household on one income?
Pay must-pays first, the day after payday, and build a small emergency fund. Move work out of the morning rush, give children real jobs, grow a wide support village and keep a Plan A, B and C for childcare. The Single Parent Household Kit from Bodhih Training gives you the workbook, forms and scripts to do each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Run a Single-Parent Household on One Income.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
The end of the month feels like a cliff edge
There is no second salary to absorb a bad month. Small, reasonable spends add up, and payday always seems a week too far away.
One sick child cancels your whole day
When the childminder rings at 7am, there is nobody to tag in. You either let work down or scramble through your contacts in a panic.
Mornings run on adrenaline
Every job between waking and the school gate lands on you, in sequence. The missing shoe is always your problem.
Asking for help feels like failing
People say 'let me know if you need anything', and you never quite know what to ask for, or how often you can ask.
The hard questions arrive at the worst times
Children ask about the other parent in the car or at bedtime, and you want words that are honest, kind and keep them out of the middle.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine a Sunday evening a month from now. The children are in bed. You sit down with a cup of tea and open the weekly reset page. Thirty minutes later you know the money for the week, every pick-up has a name next to it, five dinners are planned and each child's special time is in the calendar.
On Monday at 7.10am the phone rings: the after-school club is closed today. You don't scroll through your contacts in a panic. You open the Childcare Back-up sheet, see that Joanne from Theo's class is Plan B on Mondays, and send one message. Then you tell work early, using the words in the script library.
As you open the Solo Household Hub on payday, notice how the must-pays have already gone out, the emergency fund has grown a little, and the Dashboard shows what is left for the week, guilt-free takeaway night included.
Whether you start with the budget tonight or the village map at the weekend, each piece you set up makes the next week a little steadier. The kit does not take the work away. It gives the work an order, and gives you somewhere to put it down.
19 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Single Parent Household Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: the single-parent household map
The whole job on one page, step by step, with the file to open for each step, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day use plan.
Solo Household Hub workbook
15-sheet workbook: settings, one-income budget with must-pays first, money summary, benefits and support tracker with renewals, emergency fund plan, debt plan, weekly routine, support village with coverage check, childcare back-up matrix, chores by age, special time by child and a dashboard with a chart.
Weekly reset and self-care plan
Three-page fillable form: the 30-minute weekly reset (look back, money, calendar, food, children, you) and a self-care plan with tiny daily, weekly and monthly commitments.
Support village plan
Two-page fillable form: your three rings of support, who has said yes to what, how you will give back, and a one-page list a helper can use.
Emergency childcare plan
Three-page fillable form: Plan A, B and C for every slot, your sick-day rule, school holiday cover with gap checks, and a page for helpers.
Monthly money check-in
Two-page fillable form for a 30-minute monthly check-in: income and must-pays, support and renewals, emergency fund, debts and one decision for next month.
Script and letter library: 42 scripts and 6 letters
42 ready-to-adapt scripts for asking for help, employers, school and services, your children and family, plus 6 ready-to-send letters.
Childcare swap agreement
A friendly one-page agreement between two families who cover each other's children: times, collection, food and allergies, first aid, rules, emergencies and how to pause.
Guardianship wishes: notes for a lawyer
Structured notes on who you would want to care for your children if you could not, why, who you have asked, money for their care and the other parent's position, to take to a lawyer.
Family rules and household agreement
A one-page household agreement written with your children: five to seven rules in positive words, consequences and repair, jobs by person, special time and screens, signed and reviewed each school year.
Worked example pack: Sam's household
Every main form filled in for one composite family: Sam, a single dad in Leeds, with Ada (11) and Theo (6). See what good looks like before you start.
AI prompt pack: 28 prompts for single parents
28 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by step of the job (first weeks, money, routines, village and childcare, work, children, you and the future), each with what to paste in and what to check.
Routines that run with one adult
Two-page cheat sheet: the three daily anchors, the night-before ten minutes, the launch pad, children's jobs by routine and age, and the 30-minute weekly reset.
Decision card: say yes or protect your energy, plus the money safety net
If-then rules for requests on your time and energy, three ways to answer, and the money safety net card with the order to build it.
Single-parent mistakes to avoid
Fifteen common mistakes, why they hurt and what to do instead.
Four-week set-up and weekly reset calendar
35 calendar events: a four-week set-up plan, twelve weekly resets and three monthly money check-ins, each naming the file to open.
Solo household task board import
26 set-up tasks as a CSV ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira, with week, due date, minutes and label.
Family routine and chore cards
7 colour pages to print: morning and evening routine charts, a weekly reset poster, chore cards by age to cut out and special time tokens.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + ICS + CSV + printable PDF
- Files
- 19 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 56 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, GoodNotes, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion
- Best for
- Single parents after separation, bereavement or by choice, in any country and family shape
Steady the Ground First
Triage for the first weeks: safety, money for 30 days, children's basics, your basics, and a Not yet list for big decisions.
Money on One Income: Must-Pays First
A must-pay first budget that pays the floor before the furniture, with income converted to monthly figures.
Your Safety Net: Support, Maintenance, Savings and Debt
Support you are entitled to, child maintenance in general terms, a two-stage emergency fund and a calm debt order.
Routines That Run With One Adult
The night-before ten minutes, a launch pad, daily anchors, children's jobs and a 30-minute weekly reset.
Build Your Support Village
Map a wide, light village in three rings, make specific asks, give back and set up childcare swaps.
Childcare and the Back-Up for the Back-Up
Plan A, B and C for every slot, a sick-day rule decided on a calm day, holiday cover and a page for helpers.
Work That Fits Family Life
Flexible working requests with a business case and a trial, and what to tell your employer.
Children Who Help and Feel Seen
Chores by age, short one-to-one special time for each child, and a few clear family rules.
Talking About the Other Parent, Grief and New Partners
Honest, child-centred words about separation, death and an absent parent, plus celebrations and dating later.
You Count Too: Self-Care, Help and the Future
Self-care that fits, when to ask for professional help, and writing down guardianship wishes for a lawyer.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- The Single Parent Household Kit e-book: about 9,500 words, 10 chapters, 6 illustrations, dated country notes for the UK, US, Canada, Australia, India, UAE and Singapore
Start here
- Start-here map: the whole job on one page, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day plan
Spreadsheet
- Solo Household Hub workbook (15 sheets): settings, one-income budget, money summary, benefits and support tracker, emergency fund, debts, weekly routine, support village, village coverage, childcare back-up, chores by age, special time, time by child and a dashboard with a chart
Fillable PDF forms
- Weekly reset and self-care plan
- Support village plan
- Emergency childcare plan (with holiday cover and a page for helpers)
- Monthly money check-in
Word templates
- Script and letter library: 42 scripts and 6 ready-to-send letters
- Childcare swap agreement
- Guardianship wishes: notes for a lawyer
- Family rules and household agreement
- Worked example pack: Sam's household, every main form filled in
- AI prompt pack: 28 prompts for single parents
Cheat sheets
- Routines that run with one adult
- Decision card: say yes or protect your energy, plus the money safety net
- Single-parent mistakes to avoid
Plan and print
- Four-week set-up and weekly reset calendar (35 events for Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar)
- Task board import (26 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira)
- Family routine and chore cards (7 colour pages: morning and evening charts, weekly reset poster, chore cards, special time tokens)
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- You will be able to build a one-income budget that pays must-pays first and shows what is left
- You will be able to track every support scheme, renewal date and maintenance payment in one place
- You will be able to plan a starter emergency fund and a calm order for paying down debt
- You will be able to run mornings and evenings with one adult, with real jobs for each child
- You will be able to map a support village, make specific asks and set up a childcare swap
- You will be able to name a Plan A, B and C for every childcare slot and decide a sick-day rule
- You will be able to prepare a flexible working request with a business case and a trial
- You will be able to answer your children's hardest questions in honest, child-centred words
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
A taste of Chapter 2
Wanjiru in Nairobi opened her banking app on the 24th of the month and stared at the balance. Payday was on the 28th. She had paid everything, she thought, and yet there was less than the cost of a week's shopping left. When she scrolled back, she found it: two subscriptions she had forgotten, a school trip, a birthday present, three taxi rides on the evenings she was too tired to wait for a matatu. None of them was a mistake on its own. Together, they were the reason the end of every month felt like holding her breath. On one income there is no second salary to absorb a bad month. That does not mean you need a perfect budget. It means you need the right order.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | A blank monthly budget that assumes two incomes | Must-pay first tiers, any pay frequency, any currency, alerts and a dashboard |
| Support and benefits | One country's rules, often out of date | A tracker with renewal flags and dated notes for seven countries, pointing to official sources |
| Childcare | A list of emergency numbers | Plan A, B and C for every slot, a sick-day rule, holiday cover and a swap agreement |
| Help | Advice to 'build a support network' | A village map with coverage check, give-back tracking and 42 exact scripts |
| Children | A chore chart | Chores by age, special time by child, family rules and words for questions about the other parent |
| Safety | Rarely mentioned | If you are not safe boxes, financial abuse guidance and no joint processes where there has been abuse |
Made for you if…
- Newly separated parents setting up a home on their own
- Widowed parents and bereaved families finding a new rhythm
- Parents by choice who want a system that assumes one adult
- Grandparents and relatives raising children alone
- Parents co-parenting across two homes who run their own home solo
- Friends, family and employers who want to support a single parent well
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for legal, tax, benefits or therapy advice for their own case: this kit is educational and points you to qualified help
- Couples planning shared money and roles: see The Couples Life and Money Plan
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Give your household an order tonight
Open the start-here map, write your Not yet list and put this month's must-pays in the workbook. Whether you start with the budget tonight or the weekly reset on Sunday, the next week can be a little steadier than the last.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
The Household Money Hub
The household budget system.
Hard Talks, Good Outcomes
Scripts for hard conversations.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Single Parent Household Kit: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkIs this kit legal, financial or therapy advice?
No. It is educational and practical. Family law, child maintenance, benefits and tax differ by country and change often. The kit explains ideas in general terms, gives dated pointers to official sources, and tells you when to speak to a family lawyer, mediator, legal aid service, debt adviser or counsellor.
Does it work outside the UK and US?
Yes. The workbook works in any currency and pay frequency, examples come from many countries, and the e-book's country notes cover the UK, US, Canada, Australia, India, UAE and Singapore, dated October 2026, with official sources to check.
How do I budget as a single parent on one income?
List every income and outgoing, sort outgoings into must-pays, should-pays, saving and nice-to-haves, and pay must-pays first by automatic payment just after payday. Count only income you can rely on. The Solo Household Hub does the monthly conversions and shows each tier as a share of income.
What if child maintenance is irregular or the other parent does not pay?
Budget without it and treat it as a bonus when it arrives. Record every payment and missed payment in the Benefits and Support sheet, and use the official child maintenance or child support service where you live. If there has been abuse, use the official service rather than dealing with the other parent directly.
How do I ask for help without feeling like a burden?
Make asks specific and limited, spread them across many people and give something back. The Support Village sheet tracks asks and give-backs and tells you when someone needs a rest, and the script library has the exact words for first asks, swaps and thank-yous.
What should I tell my children about the other parent?
Simple, honest words at their level, without blame, and the three messages: it is not your fault, you are loved, you will be looked after. Chapter 9 and the script library have words by age for separation, a death and a parent who has never been involved.
I am not safe at home. Is this kit right for me now?
Your safety comes first. If you are in danger, call your local emergency number. The e-book lists national domestic abuse helplines checked in October 2026, and it never suggests joint processes such as mediation or shared apps where there has been abuse.
How do I measure my starting point?
Before you begin, you can take the AssessAll Money Decision Judgment, Resilience & Stress Management or Time, Priorities & Focus assessments to see where you stand. Retake one after 90 days with the kit to see what has changed.
How do I turn the kit into a development plan that sticks?
Write your new routines as if-then plans, such as 'If it is 8pm, then I do the night-before ten minutes'. Jobulary's guide to if-then plans explains why this works and how to write them.
Can I share the kit with a friend or my support village?
The licence is for your own household. You can share the forms you fill in, such as the helper page and the swap agreement, with the people who help you. Please don't share or resell the original files.
How much does The Single Parent Household Kit cost?
₹799 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $24 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
