Budget Questions for single parents

[Anonymous]

I have been abroad for several years. I have a young child (4) and am considering separating and trying to weigh carefully both financial scenarios of living in Europe v. re-tarting a life in no.va. Obviously there are benefits and disadvantages of living on either side of the Atlantic and I am trying to weigh them both. However I have somewhat lost my concept of how much things cost. I have been married ever since I became an 'adult' and have never had to manage a family budget on my own. Can anyone share a possible budget idea for a no.va life; and/or
Can any single mothers in the area who are teachers share their monthly budget with me so I can plan better

thank you so much

Considerations and questions
single mom with little or no child support or outside support
job: elementary school teacher -Net salary each month?
I want to live in the area or reasonably nearby work; I would need a 2 BR apartment in a safe area -Monthly rent?
-Cost of car insurance?
-Cost of mobile phone / cable (the cheapest?)

-kid would attend public school (will be kindergarten age)
-a very BASIC lifestyle
-college savings / I would want my kid to attend college - how much to save each month? (In Europe, i wouldn't have to pay for college)

Thanks so much

[Anonymous]

Europe?

[Anonymous]

I'm looking for an example bare bones monthly budget for a single mother teacher in fairfax or loudon county

[Anonymous]

Why are you picking a high cost of living area to move to?

[Anonymous]

Most of this information can be found online. Get estimates for an apartment, car insurance, etc. Get a phone through a budget plan (Mint, Cricket, Boost, etc). You’ll need to figure out the cost of before/after care even if your child is in kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Where in northern VA? Living in Loundon Co is why different than living in Arlington for example.

Are you a US citizen? Your child? Ex-pat?

[Anonymous]

Double check the license you need to teach ES in a public school in VA or MD .

[Anonymous]

First of all, lots of single parents do it and make it work. Many teachers are single parents. The question I would ask is where do you have support? Are you fluent in the language in Europe? Have you considered applying for private schools? Private school teachers are in very high demand at the moment and as long as they include tuition for your child, it could be a very good idea.

College is a long time away. Much can change between now and then - you could get married, your kid could be a prodigy - so don't worry about that.

[Anonymous]

I am an elementary school teacher in ACPS with 13 years experience (step 10) and make $82,000. I take a lot out of my paycheck a month so cant really give you that number. I think you can get a place to live for 2,000-2,500. Probably farther out it would be even cheaper. Car payment is about $400 a month.

[Anonymous]

Depends where you are (I can only speak to rent; I’m a single parent renting but not a teacher). Downtown DC, 2BR will be $3000/month but you won’t have to pay for a car. Further out it’ll get down to $2000/month (maybe lower?) but you’ll probably not want to rely on transit/walking/biking — MD and VA are not great without a car. I know single people who manage but I would not want to do it with kids. If you’re in a building with Fios internet can be pretty cheap — $40/month for the lowest level but still very good. If you’re in DC proper some places also have DC Access with is free or very cheap. Smartphones are more expensive; not sure what it would be for one person since I gave my parents on my plan too, but it’s over $100/month for three adults and the smallest available data package. Ignore the PP who says not to save for college. I’m not saving now (kids are in daycare) but I hope to start when they’re in elementary. I think there’s some online calculates that can help you to determine how much. In your position, I would only try to save for in state public; privates are insane and you need to eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where in northern VA? Living in Loundon Co is why different than living in Arlington for example.

Are you a US citizen? Your child? Ex-pat?

Both of us are US citizens and interested in Loudon or Fairfax. I have a VA Elementary license.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you picking a high cost of living area to move to?

Because the teacher salaries are high in those counties however I suppose I could live in a lower COL area alike PWC and commute to a high salary paying school in fairfax or loudon.

Ideally son would go to the same ES as the one I work at. So we would have to live in that zone unless we could find a loophole that allows us to live in another county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends where you are (I can only speak to rent; I’m a single parent renting but not a teacher). Downtown DC, 2BR will be $3000/month but you won’t have to pay for a car. Further out it’ll get down to $2000/month (maybe lower?) but you’ll probably not want to rely on transit/walking/biking — MD and VA are not great without a car. I know single people who manage but I would not want to do it with kids. If you’re in a building with Fios internet can be pretty cheap — $40/month for the lowest level but still very good. If you’re in DC proper some places also have DC Access with is free or very cheap. Smartphones are more expensive; not sure what it would be for one person since I gave my parents on my plan too, but it’s over $100/month for three adults and the smallest available data package. Ignore the PP who says not to save for college. I’m not saving now (kids are in daycare) but I hope to start when they’re in elementary. I think there’s some online calculates that can help you to determine how much. In your position, I would only try to save for in state public; privates are insane and you need to eat.

thanks so much

what do you spend on groceries?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends where you are (I can only speak to rent; I’m a single parent renting but not a teacher). Downtown DC, 2BR will be $3000/month but you won’t have to pay for a car. Further out it’ll get down to $2000/month (maybe lower?) but you’ll probably not want to rely on transit/walking/biking — MD and VA are not great without a car. I know single people who manage but I would not want to do it with kids. If you’re in a building with Fios internet can be pretty cheap — $40/month for the lowest level but still very good. If you’re in DC proper some places also have DC Access with is free or very cheap. Smartphones are more expensive; not sure what it would be for one person since I gave my parents on my plan too, but it’s over $100/month for three adults and the smallest available data package. Ignore the PP who says not to save for college. I’m not saving now (kids are in daycare) but I hope to start when they’re in elementary. I think there’s some online calculates that can help you to determine how much. In your position, I would only try to save for in state public; privates are insane and you need to eat.

thank you

[Anonymous]

If you want to come back to Virginia some areas with a lower cost of living to consider -

Winchester
Stafford county/Fredricksburg area
Suburbs of Richmond