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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Staying Home Costs More Than Daycare!
Blackcat31 02:33 PM 07-20-2016
Well, this is a new approach to the high costs of child care I guess...

It's truly interesting what you read on the internet these days.... Daycare costs too much. Staying home costs too much, working costs too much, clothes, toys, diapers etc cost too much.

Wonder when they are just going to come right out and say what we've all been saying all along.....

KIDS ARE EXPENSIVE!

No matter what choices you make.

http://fortune.com/2016/06/22/stay-at-home-parent-cost/
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Mandy 02:40 PM 07-20-2016
That article surprises me . I'm not sure why, but I think it's an era change yet again. Today's era seems to be more into complaining than anything else (Not directed at you I am referencing the fortune article) . Reminds me of what my father said to me a few months ago. He said "The second you have a kid, you are responsible for their life. It is a commitment." Also, the Internet articles are really good at overemphasizing things. If the mom looked at how much she was spending on food, gas, and other things, and then tweaked her budget, I'm sure she would be fine .
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Mom2Two 02:54 PM 07-20-2016
I think that this ($500 K cost of taking a five year break) depends on what kind of career path you were on in the first place. And, what is the cost to your children and family to not be as involved with them? So many children need extra help and attention along the way.

I'm sorry, but I dislike the focus on money that our society has. There are huge benefits to parents who have quantity time for their children, not just "quality time." And who are we kidding? It's hard to ever have time for your children when both parents work full-time outside the home, unless you have the money to hire out tons of life's little chores.

Rant over.
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laundrymom 03:00 PM 07-20-2016
I think simplification is the key. It seems many families today are doing Disney or great wolf lodge at least once a year. And then complaining that the bills are outrageous.
Or that their cell phone bills are high. Or data fees are crippling them.
But their three year old has a better phone than I do.
And I'm sorry, but we've had three giant vacations in 20 years. All planned and anticipated.
We didn't need to be entertained every second or demand time in an expensive resort. We had fun. We made memories. But we lived a simpler life.
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Mom2Two 03:44 PM 07-20-2016
Originally Posted by laundrymom:
I think simplification is the key. It seems many families today are doing Disney or great wolf lodge at least once a year. And then complaining that the bills are outrageous.
Or that their cell phone bills are high. Or data fees are crippling them.
But their three year old has a better phone than I do.
And I'm sorry, but we've had three giant vacations in 20 years. All planned and anticipated.
We didn't need to be entertained every second or demand time in an expensive resort. We had fun. We made memories. But we lived a simpler life.
ITA We use Net10 Prepaid for our cell phones ($15-20 per month) and we use magicjack for our landline (all but free). We do half or more of our vacations tent camping (I know that's not for everyone) and we are planning to put up a clothesline. We grow vegies, I cut everyone's hair, cook rolled oats, buy clearance food way cheap etc etc. My kids are learning these skills, and it helps keep us independent. People don't know these skills anymore.

I know that it's not the whole answer, but it is part of the puzzle.

I'm really glad that so many well-paying jobs allow for flexible hours for moms and dads. That's also part of the puzzle. A lot of jobs just don't work well for parents who want to be involved with their kids. And I did one of those full-time, inflexible jobs for a while back when I was getting divorced from my first husband. And it really was hard.
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Thriftylady 03:59 PM 07-20-2016
Originally Posted by Mom2Two:
ITA We use Net10 Prepaid for our cell phones ($15-20 per month) and we use magicjack for our landline (all but free). We do half or more of our vacations tent camping (I know that's not for everyone) and we are planning to put up a clothesline. We grow vegies, I cut everyone's hair, cook rolled oats, buy clearance food way cheap etc etc. My kids are learning these skills, and it helps keep us independent. People don't know these skills anymore.

I know that it's not the whole answer, but it is part of the puzzle.

I'm really glad that so many well-paying jobs allow for flexible hours for moms and dads. That's also part of the puzzle. A lot of jobs just don't work well for parents who want to be involved with their kids. And I did one of those full-time, inflexible jobs for a while back when I was getting divorced from my first husband. And it really was hard.
We do many of these same things. It is amazing how you can save money when you really need to.

But what I noticed about the article is that really all it does is factor in the income one may loose. I mean duh, if you stay at home you will loose income. But in some cases, those same people are just spending more because they make more. In that regard, the extra income or loss of is a moot point I think. This article over simplifies the whole discussion.

DH and I have made sacrifices since we married in 2000 to have me at home. Much of that time I have worked from home, but may have had a lower paying job than I otherwise would, but not always perhaps. There are other costs involved with working though. If I worked outside the home, I would be buying more gas, using my vehicle much more, buying more "lunch foods", spending more on groceries for hubby to take on the road in the semi, because he wouldn't be taking home cooked foods. I wouldn't have a garden at all (even though the one I have now is small). I would for sure spend more on clothing. So those things have to be factored in as well to get true numbers.
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rogerfedrer 02:51 AM 12-01-2018
Child care, or otherwise known as daycare, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose age ranges from six weeks to thirteen.
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Mike 06:24 AM 12-01-2018
It's today's lifestyles that are expensive.
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Rockgirl 07:34 AM 12-01-2018
Originally Posted by rogerfedrer:
Child care, or otherwise known as daycare, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose age ranges from six weeks to thirteen.
We’re familiar with the concept!
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Tags:2016, cost of child care, kids are expensive
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