Thanks Obama, Daycare cost is ridiculous.

[bigboxes]

This is one (of many) reasons why I don't (and won't) have kids.

Can't give up that supercomputer of yours.

 

[mugs]

If I have two kids, I'd be paying $3500 a MONTH. That's someone's $50-55K salary before taxes, full time.

I think you must mean after taxes? How do you fuck that up?

I live not too far from you (same state). I send my kid to the best Montessori school in the area. If I picked her up at 6:00 every day I'd be paying what you're paying. I pick her up at 3:00 so it's ~$16k for the year (including summer). But I could send her to the chain daycare for $1200/month or in-home daycare for $1000/month.

I doubt very much that you can't find childcare for less than $1800/month for a toddler.

 

[John Connor]

Currently paying $1800 for my toddler. If I have two kids, I'd be paying $3500 a MONTH. That's someone's $50-55K salary before taxes, full time.

And ATOT parents know that this is the norm. My friends pay similar up in Boston, and even down in south- ATL.

The friend of mine in ATL makes similar salary as mine, but the low CoL is amazing. 6 bed, 5 ba house for 650K...AND he still gets to enjoy all the cosmo/trendy/metro scenes the Atlanta offers as a city.

You know what the source of the problem is? The simple fact the politicians have turned this country into a waist land of no jobs and no pay that meets a real living standard anymore. Now a days both parents have to work where is once upon a time the woman stayed home and took care of the kids. Although, in this day and age sometimes that can be the man. If your wife is lucky enough to make a decent wage that supports the whole family.

There's a rhyme and a reason to everything and like Newton's third law of motion, for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. And in politics it is very evident. That much is for certain. I often wonder why people use their one and only fought and died for vote to reelect the same policy maker in office term after term after term. It's kinda like the definition of insanity when you think of it. Doing the same thing expecting a different result.


Anyway... That's my piece.

 

[John Connor]

I hear a lot of Nordic countries include this already built into your taxes. I imagine for many you're left with more money after being raped on taxes than you might be in the US after having to pay for everything.

Not what my mom has told me. She has friends all around the world and in other countries you don't have much to indulge yourself with after the massive tax taken from your pay check which I think can be upwards of 50%. A lot of people live simply and have simple, smaller houses than us fat ass Americans. But I wouldn't have it any different if you ask me. I just don't believe in that philosophy of the government taking care of the citizen. I refuse. I want to be free and independent. And it is this very thing as to why some people immigrate here.

Look what's happened in Greece or the EU for that matter. Socialism is a tried and failed experiment. Well, in the sense where it's your primary central government. Here in the U.S. we have socialism-like programs, but it's not the overall structure of who we are as a people of some 320 million. Unlike a smaller European country that can manage to have such things as socialized medicine, etc.

 

[sdifox]

Double the love. Grats X 2.

IVF twins, truly a First World Problem

 

[walrus]

27 years ago I had two kids in daycare. I spent over $11,000, that was a lot of money back then. In most of Europe and all of Scandinavia, daycare is free and much better. But in Europe and Scandinavia the rich pay taxes.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Wow did not realize daycare was THAT expensive, it almost makes it pointless for both parents to work, may as well have one that stays home. Another thing to add on my list of why I don't want kids.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Wow did not realize daycare was THAT expensive, it almost makes it pointless for both parents to work, may as well have one that stays home. Another thing to add on my list of why I don't want kids.

My wife could pull int 100k (with her doctorate); but she's trained (masters) to help kids with autism and it would mean we'd have to hire someone for my son. (30% marginal + 5% payroll + income-based student loans 15%) = 50k - daycare (10k) autism-behaviorist (16k). My wife would be working for an extra 2k/m

 

[jpiniero]

Wow did not realize daycare was THAT expensive, it almost makes it pointless for both parents to work, may as well have one that stays home. Another thing to add on my list of why I don't want kids.

Except in large portions of the country, you need two salaries now to be able to afford something like a SFH. I don't think it's a problem at all if this discourages people from having kids... there are far too many people in this world.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Except in large portions of the country, you need two salaries now to be able to afford something like a SFH. I don't think it's a problem at all if this discourages people from having kids... there are far too many people in this world.

Additionally what a 'minimum' starter home is like varies dramatically based on how you were raised: and what kind of job you have.

The facts of regression toward the mean are that if you came from very wealthy parents you are likely to do less-well BUT still have more wealthy tastes; on the other hand if you came from a very poor family you are likely to adopt more wealthy tastes.

This leads to an 'upward sticky' demand curve for premium goods: like nicer housing.