Realizing if we have a second kiddo, our daycare bill will be close to $40k a year. We live in a lower cost of living city and go to a nice daycare, but there are plenty that are way more expensive. We both have good jobs with what we consider to be high paying salaries for our early 30s.

How do people afford this? Absolutely insane.

likefunny
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at
Highlighted IconHIGHLIGHTED

The answer is the simple one. People in your financial position just suck it up and remind themselves it’s a temporary expense until elementary school starts (if you aren’t planning for private school). People who can’t afford it have one parent stay home, or have grandparent help, or work part time with nanny help.

like

Dang! Thats awful

like

Everybody has to make their own choices based on ranking priorities. We wanted a big family (5 kids). To make it happen, only one of us works while the other stays home and takes care of, and home schools, the kids. That meant we had to choose not to live in or even very near a large city because costs are way too high. It also means we don't drive new cars or have big new house. For us, it has been completely worth it.

like

That's just it....you have to prioritize things. You want more kids.....its called sacrifice. At least for awhile.

like
Recent IconRecent

Honestly my cost for one kid was probably close to 100k for nanny and preschool in my hcol the last two years before public school kicked in. Bananas. But needed the coverage.

What we’ve run into is the basic public school before & aftercare is 10K/kid. Then add in summer camps and school break coverage, 300-400/week per kid. Totals 28,000/year for two kids. We could save maybe 8K if we sent them to a sketchy charter school with cheaper before & aftercare. But, their class sizes would drama increase, and a much lower quality of education.

The school district used to contract with a group that only charged 7k/year. But they switched to the ymca. This is nothing special, just babysitting a big group of kids at school.

Try reading "The Two Income Trap" by Elizabeth Warren. It clearly describes what you and so many other families are economically facing in the current climate. You may dismiss her for political reasons, but as a former Harvard Economics Professor, she's more accurate in her observations and conclusions than many who are driving our economy today. The book is over 30 years old and was updated, but still relevent.

Our solution was to hire a nanny. It worked out to be less than daycare, and the kids were getting more personal attention. It can be a challenge to find the right nanny, but in the end we found someone that we and the kids thought was amazing. She also helped with light housework and did some of our dinner prep. We still keep in touch with her.

Well, at least you're allowed to work. Despite being over qualified for most of the jobs on here, I never get a call, never get an interview and that's despite many many CV workovers. Nobody is hiring older people.

Our kids are 5-1/2 and just started Kindergarten this school year. We did 5 years of twins in daycare! Everyone has to make the decision of one parent staying home, based on your salaries. For us, the daycare cost of about $28k in Rockford had to make sense for my wife's salary who makes less than me.
We also believed it was important for my wife to work and not lose those years of experience in the corporate world. So, we made it work. Definitely take advantage of all types of FSA's available, especially the daycare FSA, tax free accounts to pay for expenses.
Other than that, I would recommend following Dave Ramsey and his baby steps. It's all sacrifice where it is needed. Payoff debts to free up monthly income. Work side jobs along the way or I donated plasma which gave me another $400 per month if you go twice a week.
It can be done! Now we are on the other side of daycare in a free public school and wondering when we are going to book our next cruise. Keep your head up, it's tough for 5 years :)

One of you should realize it isn't a bad thing to actually raise your own children

I quit my job at Duke after I had two kids 3 years apart 13 1/2 years ago and then we had baby number four twenty months later. I became a stay at home mom for 10 years and then I took a lower paying job in the school system so I could have the summer off with my kids. My husband got sick about 3 years ago and I realized my income was not enough alone to provide for our family of 6, so I went back into the medical field 2 years ago. We survived but it was a lot of sacrifices and budgeting to make it through.

It's not like the cost are unknown. Its a choice you make. Be happy with one kid and more money or have two kids and struggle

This is a little extreme honestly. We will have a population issue if people continue to have smaller and smaller families. But also I can want to have more children but still want to provide financially for them so they are set up as well as I can set them up.

like

@Cheif engineer 1. Tell us more about all the fraud you referenced. Where is all the fraud currently being committed? Is there a link to a report or something that we could look at to be sure it's not happening in our localities?

This was us 10 years ago and honestly, we're probably still paying off the debt we took on to pay for daycare. The cost of daycare was equivalent to what I would have paid if my kids went to a local private high school and was more than what we paid in rent and then a mortgage. Some families switched to a nanny arrangement after the 2nd child, but that wasn't something we wanted to explore. The daycare teachers and the experiences my kids had from 3 mos. to 5 or 6 years old were worth the expense- even knowing the debt we took on to do it.
I honestly think parents should get a tax credit for the cost of daycare (more than the pittance the IRS allows now) and have a percentage of that paid back to the govt once the kids are in kindergarten.

Are you in Canada? Most provinces have $10/day child care now. With 15% tax, that's about $2990 per year.

They make a lot more money or they are in debt. We do not use child care.
It is better for your kids (especially babies for mom to stay home) for someone to stay home and might be cheaper:
Consider the lower earner's (or mother in case of a baby) take home pay hourly rate: after-tax pay divided by hours worked and commuting vs. child care + gas + extra car insurance (if you use a pay per miles driven plan) divided by same # of hours.
Consider the increased time that the at-home person has to complete housework and run errands.

Choose to be a Stay at Home mother, the work load actually decreases as do your expenses! The rewards are generational and you'll never regret it!!! Don't buy the lies...you do not need two incomes if your family and home have a hard working Manager...you :)

Cats instead of Kids

Related Posts

Hi Fishes,
I've got offer from EPAM System and Fiserv. Which one to join in terms of management, appraisal/hikes, benefits and growth? Both are offering similar compensation.

Hi Fishes, I am recently working in Citi Pune. Need referal to Dell as a senior java developer working remotely. Skills: java , spring boot, microservices. 5.5 yoe
Thanks!
Remote

funny

If you could go back and start over would you still choose this path? Or would you choose a different career and/or a different time to have children? I accidentally became a working parent in law so while I love my job and my children I don't think I would have planned it quite like this.

like

Is it the smart move to take a pay cut and clerk for a judge?

Little context: I was an ED student, full time paralegal/clerk throughout my law school experience, and a single mother. I did not take advantage of the law school extracurriculars and missed out on clerk application deadlines my final year (2020). Would it benefit me to take a pay cut as a transactional clerk by about $20k to work as a clerk for a year then re-enter firm life? I’m transactional and enjoy that line of work.

like

How is the culture on Ketchum’s healthcare team right now? Any insight would be great. Thanks!

like

Hi everyone, I've been offered a manager role in a regional office in Deloitte, starting salary of 50k plus 6k in benefits. Does this feel right?

like

Who is looking for a new sales opportunity?
I have openings on our sales team. High intensity environment, startup culture. Great for someone looking to build new skill sets or recent grad looking to move into sales. Holding brief 10 minute calls to go over more details. $60K base, full benefits, uncapped commission. Must be NY based. Comment if you’d like a DM to discuss more

like

Does anyone need a hr coordinator, or entry level talent acquisitions coordinator that is 100 remote? Remote jobs are extremely competitive and when I find job posts on LinkedIn there are already over 100 applicants. Very competitive!I am open minded about salary,I have so much interest in expanding my skills. I have about a year of recruiting in the staffing industry and 6 months as an hr assistant for a corporate/manufacturing company. MA in Hr and will be testing for phr in July. Thank you

like

Hi! I am 4 years into Healthcare Marketing with most of my experience being in design, social media, and content creation. I also do a lot of blog writing and collateral creation. I am currently with a company that is working on a new role for me and I was previously at another company doing more recruitment-oriented marketing. I'd say that now I have quite a bit more I can offer. I am working remotely and love this job. What is a fair salary for the skills and experience that I have?

like

Has anyone set up an NY 529 for their kids? Know there’s a 10k tax exemption for NY state taxes, but does anyone know if that per child, or across all children?

like

Aside from pwc, are there any other big4 that are offering fully remote positions for external or internal audit? Don’t see any remote positions on the career pages.

like

Hey 🐟 fam. I’m starting a new gig next week that’s 90% WFH. I’d love some recommendations on a second monitor. Nothing crazy pricy, but something that’ll work well with my MacBook Pro. Thanks y’all.

like
like

New client looking to switch from Simple to Safe Harbor 401k (needs safe harbor because owner makes 5x what employees make(dentist office )Does anyone know if there is a custodian who offers this?

I work in deloitte USI. I have a medical condition can I request for a permanent WFH?

like
like

I am an senior associate at a small (8-10 attorneys) immigration firm in NYC. My base is 110k and I get 30% for the cases and clients I bring in. My revenue was 370k last year and I did 250k till April this year.

My issue is, I have so much firm's work that I have hard time to work on my cases/clients. It feels like my cases are supposed to be done after hours (like after 6 pm). My work hours are crazy. I feel this is unfair and since my firm's taking 70% of my sales. Should I ask for a raise?

Any IQVIA folks in the healthcare space that I can speak to? Might also need a referral. Thanks in advance!

like

Big 4 partners, can you provide any insights into the Partner v MD decision when you were up? Were you given the option? Can you share the pros v cons, especially from salary and pension standpoint.

likehelpful

More Posts

Mostly just here to that it’s tough dealing with time differences for int’l clients... any tips on being appropriately responsive in the evening? I’m ET and the clients are all over Asia and Europe

like

Hi Fishys,
I'm looking for a trainers on urgently Who can provide online training Full Stack Developer, Python Developer, Web UI Developers, and Mobile application developers with Blockchain technology. Please contact me @ +91 6360246548

Hi All,
Please help

I recently moved to a different district and am starting to plan ahead for next year. What novels and plays do you think are worthwhile and essential for 10th, 11th and Pre-AP? I have many in mind that I have used before but am really looking for some fresh ideas!

like

What’s the average length of time a PM stays at an agency these days? What’s the longest you’ve been anywhere?

Does enjoying investing your own personal capital translate to enjoying working in investment management?

likesmart

Anyone use Freedom Boat Club or another boat membership in Chicago? How much is it and any pros/cons?

like

I am a Technical Project Manager and Certified Scrum Master with cloud computing and migration experience. I am looking for referral primarily in Atlanta, GA but will also consider remote elsewhere.

like

12b6 always be tellin’ it like it is

Post Photo
likefunny

I am looking for refferal in KPMG. Can anyone help?

like

What would be the impact of EY Spin off on: career growth-
Increment-
Work Flow-

like

How in the world do you eat the recommended amount of protein? Do you snack on ground beef? Have chicken breast for breakfast? I’m 130lbs and struggle to eat more than 50 grams on a good day.

likefunny

Started a new job search about 2 weeks ago. Of the 14 recruiter screening calls I’ve gone through, all went amazingly well, and I’ve only heard back at all from 4 since the calls. Why?

like

Hello All,
I am Vivek Gaikwad from Pune, Maharashtra
I am looking for job opportunities in field of SCM/Procurement
I have experience of 5.5 years in procurement of Raw Material, Production and welding consumables, safety item etc.
i am willing to diversify my profile and open for any industry
Looking forward for your kind support

Regards,
Vivek Gaikwad
9860619675

like

Hello Fishes, Can someone give a referral I'm looking for job change. Current company:Cisco Domain: Networking protocols testing/design/validation/troubleshooting/consulting. YOE: 12 Exp work location: Bangalore

like

Happy Diwali! What’s everyone making today?

Post Photo
like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal