2016 Changes

brij2006 · December 2015

With the New Year coming up, what changes are you planning to make Financially for 2016?

brij2006 · December 2015

Our biggest financial change we plan to put into place in 2016 is to prioritize with H's overtime income, and my bonuses and commissions.

It fluctuates each month. So far we're planning to first fully fund H's Roth IRA, then save up for our annual family vacation, then for our garage project.

We went over things, and we may end up splitting those out and working toward all of them at the same time, since we have a longer time to fund the IRA and the bulk of his overtime is during the summer months.

Here's our breakdown though:

$5,500 for Roth IRA

$2,000 for family vacation

$1,500 for garage remodel

If he's getting a ton of overtime (like last year), and my bonuses and commissions are looking good, we may begin saving for a kitchen remodel. We're looking at about $10,000 for that.

Oh, and we will tithe 10% on any of that income right off the top.

smetter04 · December 2015

In January we will start living on H's salary only, for two reasons: 1. to see what living on one salary is like and if we can make it work (for when children come) and 2. to save at a very high rate (my entire salary, in theory).

This year we lived liked total DINKS with the rationalization that 'oh we can afford it,' and technically yes we can afford to live without a tight budget, but it won't always be that way and we lived such a consumerist lifestyle that just isn't us. I have the weight gain to show for it.

Xstatic3333 · December 2015

Although we have new goals for this year, I don't think we'll have any major change of strategy. H and I are communicating about our budget better than ever, and I love that when I initiate budget meetings he doesn't tense up anymore, but instead helps and gives input. Slow but steady!

Currently we prioritize retirement above low-interest debt payoff, and we will continue to do so. H is putting about 15% of pretax income into various retirement vehicles now, which is great news since he didn't start until he was 35.

Our #1 goal this year is build our e-fund by $5,000 above its current level. Our #2 goal is get our Care Credit charges paid off well in advance of their promotional period. We're well on target here, and the first charge of four will get wiped off the board next month. Our #3 goal, which I'm really hoping we can find a way to work out, would be to save enough money to have our siding repainted. I'm concerned that our house, in its current state, is bringing down the neighborhood a bit. Now that we've replaced our torn up carpet and our very old stove, it's the next highest priority home project.

We'll pause vacation savings after our March trip since we'll be TTC, and likely only doing local travel for the rest of the year. I am, however, in a wedding in August that we'll need to save for. I've added my projected costs for the wedding to our sinking fund so I can pull from that when dress purchasing and shower contributions come up.

A recent change I'll work to continue is realistic budgeting. I have a tendency to do an overly ambitious budget that we can't stick to, particularly in the grocery and gas categories. This sets us up to fail and isn't worth slightly accelerating our progress.

Edit: @brij2006, your bullet point on the tithe reminded me that I'd also like to budget more for charitable contributions. Currently, I do have a very small monthly contribution set up for a charity important to me. I'd like to do the same for one important to H.

abrewer5 · December 2015

A few of my goals are:

1. Reduce unnecessary spending AKA stick to my budget and stop eating out so much.

2. Pay off my student loan in 2016. If I stick to my budget I will have it paid off by early December 2016. (I know that's forever away, but I'll still be putting at least $200 in savings every month with this plan)

3. Get our e-fund up to 3.5 - 4 months of expenses ($8,750-10,000 total) we are currently at $2,250 and expect a decent tax return that will hopefully bump us up close to $7000. I know, I know not very MM.

4. Save up to pay cash for our June trip to the Bahamas, this really is a non option. I will not finance a vacation. (ETA: If I stick my budget I'll have $1,250 saved for my portion of the vacation which should cover everything)

5. Create a gift savings account or envelope. While we've been trying to pay off debt this hasn't been a separate line item but more and more I realize the need for it, so I'll be prioritizing that this year. The plan is to put $20 away per paycheck/ $520 per year for gift giving.

ETA: Question for Charitable contributions-- once I pay off my student loan and get my emergency fund fully funded (this probably won't happen until 2017) I want to increase my charitable giving. My hope is to be at 10% down the road. Is the 10% from your net or gross pay?

brij2006 · December 2015

@smetter04 We discussed trying to put away my income as well. We have been discussing it lately, and logistically we think it may be best for me to stay home if/when we have baby #2. So we thought about using my income just to pay for daycare and DD's health insurance, and try to bank the rest.

It's so hard to no longer live like DINKs, and focus and prioritize on other things instead. Our waistlines have shown our expanded eating out budget and grocery budget to include liquor and convenience foods. It's not pretty.

smerka · December 2015

I am going to be working more hours this tax season since both my kids are now in school full time. We need to beef up our emergency fund and figure out what to do about my car. It is pushing 11 years old and needs some work. Or we need to get something else.

als1982 · December 2015

We prioritize both debt payoff and retirement savings. If we're able to stay on track, we should have our student loans paid off by summer. (Over $85,000 total in three years, so we're pretty proud!) Once they're gone, our plan is to upgrade our cars, paying cash, in the $10-$12,000 price range. After new cars, we'll start thinking mortgage. We just refinanced into a 15 year, and I'd still like to pay off early, but I'm undecided how agressively we should do this. We're also planning to max out all available retirement accounts in 2016. I think the big unknown is whether we're able to get pregnant. If that happens, we'll want to redirect our debt payoff to beef up our liquid savings and e-fund.

short+sassy · December 2015

Xstatic3333 said:

Although we have new goals for this year, I don't think we'll have any major change of strategy. H and I are communicating about our budget better than ever, and I love that when I initiate budget meetings he doesn't tense up anymore, but instead helps and gives input. Slow but steady!

Currently we prioritize retirement above low-interest debt payoff, and we will continue to do so. H is putting about 15% of pretax income into various retirement vehicles now, which is great news since he didn't start until he was 35.

Our #1 goal this year is build our e-fund by $5,000 above its current level. Our #2 goal is get our Care Credit charges paid off well in advance of their promotional period. We're well on target here, and the first charge of four will get wiped off the board next month. Our #3 goal, which I'm really hoping we can find a way to work out, would be to save enough money to have our siding repainted. I'm concerned that our house, in its current state, is bringing down the neighborhood a bit. Now that we've replaced our torn up carpet and our very old stove, it's the next highest priority home project.

We'll pause vacation savings after our March trip since we'll be TTC, and likely only doing local travel for the rest of the year. I am, however, in a wedding in August that we'll need to save for. I've added my projected costs for the wedding to our sinking fund so I can pull from that when dress purchasing and shower contributions come up.

A recent change I'll work to continue is realistic budgeting. I have a tendency to do an overly ambitious budget that we can't stick to, particularly in the grocery and gas categories. This sets us up to fail and isn't worth slightly accelerating our progress.

Edit: @brij2006, your bullet point on the tithe reminded me that I'd also like to budget more for charitable contributions. Currently, I do have a very small monthly contribution set up for a charity important to me. I'd like to do the same for one important to H.

We replaced our siding a couple years ago and, hence, it had to be repainted. I don't know what kind of time you and your H have, but we repainted the house ourselves. It was time consuming, sure, but not that difficult. The house is 2,000 square feet (one story) and, to have hired someone to do it would have been $10K+. Maybe cheaper for a more handyman-type, but still.

My H was unemployed at the time and got the majority of it done in about two weeks, though I helped on the weekends. In full honesty, we still need to paint the back of the house and a little bit above the awning on the front (only the sides had new siding), but got sidetracked with other things and never quite finished. But the main front of the house and both sides were done more quickly and easily than I expected.

I don't know if this is common in other places, but where I live people joke about a "New Orleans paint job". It refers to when someone paints JUST the front of the house that faces the street, but not the sides or back. Its pretty funny how often you'll see that configuration.

julieanne912 · December 2015

I need to readjust my budget for 2016, since I'm finding I'm having to dip into savings too often to come up with extra money, which means my budget for spending is too tight. I'm also going to save up money for things that I know are coming (like Thanksgiving and Christmas) so I'm not scrambling at the last minute.

2015 was a great year personally, but not so much financially. We bought the house in February, got engaged in February, I changed jobs in June, and the new job meant I had to eliminate my "side income" stuff, so I'm actually making less money than I was. But the income potential at this new job is much better than the old one, I had kind of hit the ceiling there. Then, we got married in September, so it just felt like we were hemorrhaging money all year long. So, 2016 is the year of getting back on track and starting to prepare for our future, which includes a kid... right now the plan is to start TTCing next fall/winter.

als1982 · December 2015

brij2006 said:
@smetter04 We discussed trying to put away my income as well. We have been discussing it lately, and logistically we think it may be best for me to stay home if/when we have baby #2. So we thought about using my income just to pay for daycare and DD's health insurance, and try to bank the rest.
It's so hard to no longer live like DINKs, and focus and prioritize on other things instead. Our waistlines have shown our expanded eating out budget and grocery budget to include liquor and convenience foods. It's not pretty.

You can totally do it!! You've made a similar commitment before, it'll take the same dedication but also offer the same reward.

cbee817 · December 2015

2016 plans are mainly:

1. Retirement building- DH is 5% to 403B, fully funds Roth. We'll probably change his contribution to 10% starting in Sept (new school year and DD#2's last year of day care!). I am 11% 401K, fully fund Roth. I'll be going to 12% in April when I get my yearly raise.

2. Home improvements- gut upstairs bathroom (hoping it'll be $6,000 or so) and repaint the girls' walk in closet, probably remove the carpet in there (hardwoods are underneath but in bad shape) and paint the floors. DH has some wood siding to replace on the front of the house and we're thinking of getting exterior painting estimates too... we'll see.

3. Vacation! We're actually going to use some of our vacation fund $ (current balance is $8,500) to go to Disney in February. DH's parents are coming with us and covering the park tickets and food- amazing surprise! It also means I might get a nice dinner/night away with DH.

It should only be about $3,800 (includes 4 nonstop plane tickets, 4 nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, misc expenses). We also want to plan something small in the summer- thinking about a few nights at a cottage rental near the beach and DH and I are hoping to go to NYC for a few days in August for our 10th anniversary!

orangehills · December 2015

2015 was a big year for financial changes, so 2016 I'm hoping will be pretty tame compared. We plan to put $5000 each into our IRA's. Plus we have $13000 budgeted for a new HVAC system and water heater (this could be 2017 though, who knows), plus another $10000 for new tires on a car, taxes to pay back on a bonus, and house we sold, and furniture for the new house. All of this is budgeted though, and we will end the year with our goal efund. No vacations this year, maybe just a weekend away, so we'll try to keep each month as close to budget as possible.

vlagrl29 · December 2015

brij2006 said:

@smetter04 We discussed trying to put away my income as well. We have been discussing it lately, and logistically we think it may be best for me to stay home if/when we have baby #2. So we thought about using my income just to pay for daycare and DD's health insurance, and try to bank the rest.
It's so hard to no longer live like DINKs, and focus and prioritize on other things instead. Our waistlines have shown our expanded eating out budget and grocery budget to include liquor and convenience foods. It's not pretty.

You can totally do it. I love staying at home with DD although it can be tough at times. My gig money goes strictly to savings and retirement. My teaching money which is only $600 per month goes to bills. When we have another kid I'm going to stop teaching for a bit.

simplyelise · December 2015

We will be making a lot of financial changes in 2016, but they won't be happening until August.

January-August will just be a continuation of our current financial plan to pay off the student loans as quickly as possible. We've had a bunch of medical bills and car maintenance this fall/winter, so it's been frustrating lately, but we'll be under 20k left on Thursday, so the end is in sight.

September-December will probably have a bit of turbulence as we figure out what our debt-free lifestyle and budget looks like. We need to focus on building our emergency fund and getting our retirement contributions up. Then we also need to think about saving for a down payment.

For us, the big thing is not to get swept up in the "normal spending" wave. We really want to capitalize on our DINK time, so staying in our nice apartment for $690/month and free cable & internet really is the smart thing. But we're going to have to focus on not letting our attention wander. We will still be able to go on a nice vacation in 2017 and loosen the purse strings a little, but making sure we don't get ourselves used to a fancy lifestyle will be important.

brij2006 · December 2015

vlagrl29 said:

brij2006 said:

@smetter04 We discussed trying to put away my income as well. We have been discussing it lately, and logistically we think it may be best for me to stay home if/when we have baby #2. So we thought about using my income just to pay for daycare and DD's health insurance, and try to bank the rest.
It's so hard to no longer live like DINKs, and focus and prioritize on other things instead. Our waistlines have shown our expanded eating out budget and grocery budget to include liquor and convenience foods. It's not pretty.

You can totally do it. I love staying at home with DD although it can be tough at times. My gig money goes strictly to savings and retirement. My teaching money which is only $600 per month goes to bills. When we have another kid I'm going to stop teaching for a bit.

We ran the budget, and we would be negative $150 a month with H's base income. But his overtime brings in around $600 extra each month. So we know that just 1 week with overtime, we will be just fine.

But I'm probably going to try and take on a couple of kids to watch during the day. Daycare for kids under 5 is very scarce in our area. So hopefully that will bring in some extra income to help out.

Otherwise I'm also going to become an "at home economist." It's going to be more gardening and freezing than I currently do, a lot of meals from scratch, and trying to find any way to make our budget go as far as possible.

It's the main reason why we're deciding not to move closer to H's work. It would be ideal, but it means taking the money we were going to put aside for a large lump sum to have for retirement, and put it into a house. Not contributing my 15-20% toward retirement, concerns me. Especially since I know it will be for 5-7 years until I get back into the workforce. So we're deciding to put that lump sum into an investment and not touch it until retirement, and just stay put in our house.

It all scares me. I would still be bringing home around $1,300-1,500/month after expenses of 2 kids, with my current job. So it isn't like having the 2nd child is going to cost more than what I bring home. It's just to the point of whether or not we want to continue the juggling of work/home balance and feeling like we can't do anything we want to do because when we're home on the weekends, we're playing catch up. Or we're paying people to do things because we don't have the time to do them.

Just never thought I would be one of those who would want to stay home. If this discussion came up a year ago, I would have said no way. I love my job and love working, and still do.

Our lifestyle is definitely going to change, and our vacations are going to be different. But it will be so nice to just go to the zoo on a Saturday because things around the house are done and we can actually go. Instead of using our weekends to rush around getting as much done as possible, and spending little time with DD.

julieanne912 · December 2015

@brij2006, I'll tell you what, my parents sacrificed HUGE so my mom could stay at home with me and my older brother after I was born (as in, their annual income was 12k a year). My mom actually made quite a bit more money than my dad, but he owned a business that couldn't just be shut down, so she stayed home. I think we turned out better for it, and my mom said she wouldn't trade those years for anything in the world. And, when I was 4 and in preschool, she went back to work part time, and then went back full time once I was in 1st grade. And, she was still able to retire at 64 just fine... and you're younger than she was when she quit working!

So, anyway, I'm saying go for it, for sure. You're so fortunate to be able to even consider it

bnunn03 · December 2015

@brij2006--I totally hear you on the whole balancing work/life situation, it is so tough. I hate that we spend our weekends catching up and not spending as much time as we possibly can with baby. There is no way I could be a stay at home parent (financially) so we do have to hire out help occasionally. I am sure you guys can make it work in the budget for you to be one--plus your babe will forever remember those years she had you home with her!

bnunn03 · December 2015

2015 was spendy, but we did just have a baby

2016 I have one credit card that will be paid off, my student loans will be paid off (currently being paid off by my employer, but I am being taxed big time on those, becaues they count it as income) and my car will be paid off in Nov, but I am hoping even sooner, like april time frame! After that, i want to save another 3-5K in our Efund. Also, up our vacation savings account, which shouldnt be hard since my H coached JR high football and all that money goes into gift giving and vacation fund!

brij2006 · December 2015

@julieanne912 The sacrifices are what scares me the most. We were DINKs for 7 years before having DD. So this is going to change our lifestyle drastically. We are very used to being able to plan a house project or vacation and know that we can save up the money to do them. Without my income, those won't be an option.

My H is a big "lifestyle" type of person. So this conversation happened about 6 months ago and it was squashed quickly by him. But he's been the one bringing it up more lately, and we decided to finally had the in depth conversation about it. It is going to mean him selling 2 of his cars (he's a car guy), so insurance/maintenance/licensing can be cut, and us only doing our 1 family vacation to the lake. But he has continued to talk about it since we sat down and really worked the budget, and projected out our retirement options.

And we never know, maybe I will start a side business while home and love it, and end up changing my career completely.

I'm one to have to have a project or something to challenge my brain. Maternity leave was great, but I was definitely ready to go back. So staying home will be a big change for me, and I'm going to have to do something along with it.

vlagrl29 · December 2015

julieanne912 said:

@brij2006, I'll tell you what, my parents sacrificed HUGE so my mom could stay at home with me and my older brother after I was born (as in, their annual income was 12k a year). My mom actually made quite a bit more money than my dad, but he owned a business that couldn't just be shut down, so she stayed home. I think we turned out better for it, and my mom said she wouldn't trade those years for anything in the world. And, when I was 4 and in preschool, she went back to work part time, and then went back full time once I was in 1st grade. And, she was still able to retire at 64 just fine... and you're younger than she was when she quit working!

So, anyway, I'm saying go for it, for sure. You're so fortunate to be able to even consider it

agree! My mom was a SAHM - we were pretty poor but I didn't know it because there was so much love and fun in our home. I loved that my mom SAH. I would come home from school and I would smell cookies baking in the oven. I'm not as crafty or 100% like she was but I try. We lived in a small 2 bedroom/1 bathroom house until I was 8. Rarely went out to eat. It was a lifestyle my parents were willing to sacrifice for.

The thing is at this point if I didn't have my gigs we wouldn't have much of an emergency fund or IRA contribution so I love that I can still provide that and it's only on weekends during the busy season.

When baby #2 comes along that will be our last and I just want to be there and not crazy busy for the first year. I have a feeling it will be busier with 2 kids and I just don't want to be run crazy by SAH and teaching. By that time DH will be bringing in more money with the studio - so its not like my $600 is life or death but it is nice to have it extra. I have 10 students.

We do live a less extravagant lifestyle but still try and splurge once and awhile.

vlagrl29 · December 2015

Some of our financial things will stay the same - still contribute to retirement and emergency fund, but I want to add more to the home improvement savings in 2016. Now that I know how much wood floors will cost I really want to work towards that. Ideally $200 per month would be great. I'm going to try and spend less on things I want so I can save for those floors which long term would be awesome.

With our tax refund - whatever it is we are going to do some minor landscaping in front of our house - I don't expect it to cost more than 1k. It just needs to be done and it would look great on our house - right now that part of the yard is sloped so it needs to be brought up and have a nice little rock wall in front.

TTC will happen and that will freak me out - I hope it doesn't hurt us too much financially. Although our max OOP will be 1k - if I'm sick like I was with DD I will have to go ahead and lighten up on teaching early which will kinda suck. Praying for an energetic and non sick pregnancy.

As far as vacations go I have no idea. We haven't talked about it. We usually go on 1 per year - that will depend on my pregnancy too. I told DH it would be better if we vacad before I was actually pregnant.

julieanne912 · December 2015

The "lifestyle" argument is why I probably won't ever get to stay home unless I somehow figure out how to pay off my student loans in the next year LOL (not happening). H works hard and is a high earner, so he feels he needs to have the lifestyle to go along with it. I'd be totally ok forgoing nice stuff/experiences to stay at home with a kid, especially since daycare costs here are so high (but not high enough to make it not worth me working), but I'm not the one that all the responsibility will fall on if I quit working.

And, I bet you can find some kind of part time something to do. If you're planning on watching a few kids, that'll keep you plenty busy! Or maybe you can utilize your business management skills to do some at home marketing work or something for local businesses.

lbonga1 · December 2015

We aren't making many big changes, just making to keep to budget and try to accomplish our goals.

1. I have two more credit card payments (Jan. 1 and Feb. 1), then I'm planning to snowball those payments into my student loans. The payment would be $450/month, but if I can find a better job then I'll try to throw more money at them.

2. I made a money savings challenge that I convinced FI to try with me. If we stick to it, we'll have saved $2028 by the end of the year. If anyone wants to see the chart I made for it, let me know!

3. Find a better job. I haven't been able to find many people hiring junior iOS developers, but I'm starting a graduate level programming certificate program through Harvard Extension School in January, so that will definitely give me more experience and enhance my resume.

brij2006 · December 2015

julieanne912 said:

The "lifestyle" argument is why I probably won't ever get to stay home unless I somehow figure out how to pay off my student loans in the next year LOL (not happening). H works hard and is a high earner, so he feels he needs to have the lifestyle to go along with it. I'd be totally ok forgoing nice stuff/experiences to stay at home with a kid, especially since daycare costs here are so high (but not high enough to make it not worth me working), but I'm not the one that all the responsibility will fall on if I quit working.

And, I bet you can find some kind of part time something to do. If you're planning on watching a few kids, that'll keep you plenty busy! Or maybe you can utilize your business management skills to do some at home marketing work or something for local businesses.

***SITB***

The lifestyle change thing has been quite a shock to me from H. I love him dearly and he's an amazing husband and father, but he never was one to prioritize very well. He made a lot of sacrifices when we were in debt payoff mode, and it was easy then because it was what we HAD to do in order to get the debt paid off.
But now that everything is done, he went back to a bit of his old ways of wanting to spend money on his toy car or buying a gun, or going on a bunch of trips.
To be honest, I really am not sure what made things click for him over the past couple of months. Especially since we had this same conversation 6 months ago, and he kept saying that I would still bring money home so it didn't make sense for me to not work.

The only thing I can think of is that we both listen to Dave Ramsey's podcasts a lot. Whenever someone calls in and says their wife wants to stay home, he is immediately telling that husband to work an extra job or overtime or whatever so that she can stay home with her babies. Yet he also tells her to become a penny pincher and do what it takes to save the family money at home, or make some extra cash with a side business.
I've been telling him for a while now how I feel like I'm struggling as a mom, wife, and employee. So maybe it clicked.

Erikan73 · December 2015

To finally get my husband to sign up for a 401K plan for work. I've been in mine already for 18 years. Also to learn to say no to my husband more when it comes to spending. I love making him happy and often I've said yes to things I should have said no to. Last thing is to start checking out college courses for hubby. He didn't finish college, I would love for him to go back and get a degree. He loves his job but mainly because he has an amazing boss. She is potentially going to be retiring in a few years. If he had a degree he would be better qualified to take on her position, or if by chance he doesn't go that route & his new boss is a jerk, he'll have the education background to start looking elsewhere.

orangehills · December 2015

julieanne912 said:

The "lifestyle" argument is why I probably won't ever get to stay home unless I somehow figure out how to pay off my student loans in the next year LOL (not happening). H works hard and is a high earner, so he feels he needs to have the lifestyle to go along with it. I'd be totally ok forgoing nice stuff/experiences to stay at home with a kid, especially since daycare costs here are so high (but not high enough to make it not worth me working), but I'm not the one that all the responsibility will fall on if I quit working.

And, I bet you can find some kind of part time something to do. If you're planning on watching a few kids, that'll keep you plenty busy! Or maybe you can utilize your business management skills to do some at home marketing work or something for local businesses.

Yup- my husband wants a certain lifestyle too. Also, he just plain old doesn't make enough. He doesn't get benefits, and barely any retirement. And I work for the government, so great health benefits and a pension. So if I were to stay home, if we were to put anything into retirement and buy health, and just normal bills to survive, we'd have nothing for a rent/mortgage practically! So yah. Until he gets a job that makes a ton more (if that ever happens) I'll always be working. And I don't think I want another kid unless I can do a reduced work schedule. I feel like I'm sinking with just 1 and working full time, with an hour of commuting each way. Two.. I couldn't do it.

Find some kids to watch, my friend does that!!

julieanne912 · December 2015

orangehills said:

julieanne912 said:

The "lifestyle" argument is why I probably won't ever get to stay home unless I somehow figure out how to pay off my student loans in the next year LOL (not happening). H works hard and is a high earner, so he feels he needs to have the lifestyle to go along with it. I'd be totally ok forgoing nice stuff/experiences to stay at home with a kid, especially since daycare costs here are so high (but not high enough to make it not worth me working), but I'm not the one that all the responsibility will fall on if I quit working.

And, I bet you can find some kind of part time something to do. If you're planning on watching a few kids, that'll keep you plenty busy! Or maybe you can utilize your business management skills to do some at home marketing work or something for local businesses.

Yup- my husband wants a certain lifestyle too. Also, he just plain old doesn't make enough. He doesn't get benefits, and barely any retirement. And I work for the government, so great health benefits and a pension. So if I were to stay home, if we were to put anything into retirement and buy health, and just normal bills to survive, we'd have nothing for a rent/mortgage practically! So yah. Until he gets a job that makes a ton more (if that ever happens) I'll always be working. And I don't think I want another kid unless I can do a reduced work schedule. I feel like I'm sinking with just 1 and working full time, with an hour of commuting each way. Two.. I couldn't do it.

Find some kids to watch, my friend does that!!

Yeah we are only planning on having 1, for a multitude of reasons. Everyone says I'll change my mind once I have one, I'll want another. But in my head I'm like "I can't afford more than one!".

orangehills · December 2015

julieanne912 said:

orangehills said:

julieanne912 said:

The "lifestyle" argument is why I probably won't ever get to stay home unless I somehow figure out how to pay off my student loans in the next year LOL (not happening). H works hard and is a high earner, so he feels he needs to have the lifestyle to go along with it. I'd be totally ok forgoing nice stuff/experiences to stay at home with a kid, especially since daycare costs here are so high (but not high enough to make it not worth me working), but I'm not the one that all the responsibility will fall on if I quit working.

And, I bet you can find some kind of part time something to do. If you're planning on watching a few kids, that'll keep you plenty busy! Or maybe you can utilize your business management skills to do some at home marketing work or something for local businesses.

Yup- my husband wants a certain lifestyle too. Also, he just plain old doesn't make enough. He doesn't get benefits, and barely any retirement. And I work for the government, so great health benefits and a pension. So if I were to stay home, if we were to put anything into retirement and buy health, and just normal bills to survive, we'd have nothing for a rent/mortgage practically! So yah. Until he gets a job that makes a ton more (if that ever happens) I'll always be working. And I don't think I want another kid unless I can do a reduced work schedule. I feel like I'm sinking with just 1 and working full time, with an hour of commuting each way. Two.. I couldn't do it.

Find some kids to watch, my friend does that!!

Yeah we are only planning on having 1, for a multitude of reasons. Everyone says I'll change my mind once I have one, I'll want another. But in my head I'm like "I can't afford more than one!".

I think it's so rude when people are like, oh you'll have another. Or, you can't have an only child! People don't know what's up! Maybe I can't have anymore medically. Maybe it's financial. Maybe my marriage isn't doing well and I just don't want another. Erg. (Can you tell I'm getting this a lot lately?) lol

abrewer5 · December 2015

orangehills said:

julieanne912 said:

orangehills said:

julieanne912 said:

The "lifestyle" argument is why I probably won't ever get to stay home unless I somehow figure out how to pay off my student loans in the next year LOL (not happening). H works hard and is a high earner, so he feels he needs to have the lifestyle to go along with it. I'd be totally ok forgoing nice stuff/experiences to stay at home with a kid, especially since daycare costs here are so high (but not high enough to make it not worth me working), but I'm not the one that all the responsibility will fall on if I quit working.

And, I bet you can find some kind of part time something to do. If you're planning on watching a few kids, that'll keep you plenty busy! Or maybe you can utilize your business management skills to do some at home marketing work or something for local businesses.

Yup- my husband wants a certain lifestyle too. Also, he just plain old doesn't make enough. He doesn't get benefits, and barely any retirement. And I work for the government, so great health benefits and a pension. So if I were to stay home, if we were to put anything into retirement and buy health, and just normal bills to survive, we'd have nothing for a rent/mortgage practically! So yah. Until he gets a job that makes a ton more (if that ever happens) I'll always be working. And I don't think I want another kid unless I can do a reduced work schedule. I feel like I'm sinking with just 1 and working full time, with an hour of commuting each way. Two.. I couldn't do it.

Find some kids to watch, my friend does that!!

Yeah we are only planning on having 1, for a multitude of reasons. Everyone says I'll change my mind once I have one, I'll want another. But in my head I'm like "I can't afford more than one!".

I think it's so rude when people are like, oh you'll have another. Or, you can't have an only child! People don't know what's up! Maybe I can't have anymore medically. Maybe it's financial. Maybe my marriage isn't doing well and I just don't want another. Erg. (Can you tell I'm getting this a lot lately?) lol

I completely agree with this! And also can't stand people who feel the need to ask when I'll have kids, or tell me I HAVE to have kids... Mind your own business people. I have no desire to ever have children, so this especially irritates me. I also don't like the people who make comments like "oh you don't know what you're missing out on" or "I feel so sorry that you'll never experience the love of a child"... Really people?

FWIW one (of many) factor in not having children for me is knowing I could never stay home with them because it would not be financially possible. I think it's an awesome opportunity for anyone that is able to.

vlagrl29 · December 2015

julieanne912 said:

orangehills said:

julieanne912 said:

The "lifestyle" argument is why I probably won't ever get to stay home unless I somehow figure out how to pay off my student loans in the next year LOL (not happening). H works hard and is a high earner, so he feels he needs to have the lifestyle to go along with it. I'd be totally ok forgoing nice stuff/experiences to stay at home with a kid, especially since daycare costs here are so high (but not high enough to make it not worth me working), but I'm not the one that all the responsibility will fall on if I quit working.

And, I bet you can find some kind of part time something to do. If you're planning on watching a few kids, that'll keep you plenty busy! Or maybe you can utilize your business management skills to do some at home marketing work or something for local businesses.

Yup- my husband wants a certain lifestyle too. Also, he just plain old doesn't make enough. He doesn't get benefits, and barely any retirement. And I work for the government, so great health benefits and a pension. So if I were to stay home, if we were to put anything into retirement and buy health, and just normal bills to survive, we'd have nothing for a rent/mortgage practically! So yah. Until he gets a job that makes a ton more (if that ever happens) I'll always be working. And I don't think I want another kid unless I can do a reduced work schedule. I feel like I'm sinking with just 1 and working full time, with an hour of commuting each way. Two.. I couldn't do it.

Find some kids to watch, my friend does that!!

Yeah we are only planning on having 1, for a multitude of reasons. Everyone says I'll change my mind once I have one, I'll want another. But in my head I'm like "I can't afford more than one!".

I don't think 2 kids would be that much more expensive than 1. We have saved a lot of baby stuff from DD that we are planning on reusing. It's the 3 + kids that I would be afraid of. The only way they can afford it is if the mom stays home, dad works 1 or more jobs, and they literally don't go out to eat or do much of anything that costs money.

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