Two Kids in Daycare/School and So Many Expenses...Best Ways to Manage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

Except we are still paying $500 a month for aftercare and now have to pay for summer camps. So you don't save as much as you think you might.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

Except we are still paying $500 a month for aftercare and now have to pay for summer camps. So you don't save as much as you think you might.

How much were you paying before? Our DD's preschool center is $1700/month-there is now way we don't save a bunch, even with aftercare and camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

Except we are still paying $500 a month for aftercare and now have to pay for summer camps. So you don't save as much as you think you might.

Or, OP and/or her DH can look at more flexible jobs/telecommuting. When our children were born, both DH and I had inflexible, but predictable jobs. Every day was a race to daycare to get there on time. Seven years later, my DH works from home 100%, and I work from home anywhere from 50-100% of the time (on a weekly basis). This means one of us is always home to get the kids off the bus. No before care, no after care. We do pay for camp, though - we mix cheaper school/county run camps with some of the more expensive camps. Last summer (first year both were in camp), our total childcare outlay was 25% of what it was during the most expensive daycare/preschool year.

As an aside, My DH works for a different firm, but I am with the same company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

Except we are still paying $500 a month for aftercare and now have to pay for summer camps. So you don't save as much as you think you might.

How much were you paying before? Our DD's preschool center is $1700/month-there is now way we don't save a bunch, even with aftercare and camp.

NP. You will save some, but not a ton. Other expenses get high. Clothes and shoes more than doubled in price. Thete is not much available in used clothes for older kids and thrbkids get a major opinion on what they want to wear. Food goes through the roof ans if thry do any sports or serious hobbies/activities forget about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

Except we are still paying $500 a month for aftercare and now have to pay for summer camps. So you don't save as much as you think you might.

How much were you paying before? Our DD's preschool center is $1700/month-there is now way we don't save a bunch, even with aftercare and camp.

NP. You will save some, but not a ton. Other expenses get high. Clothes and shoes more than doubled in price. Thete is not much available in used clothes for older kids and thrbkids get a major opinion on what they want to wear. Food goes through the roof ans if thry do any sports or serious hobbies/activities forget about it.

Right but you have way more control and discretion of spending on food, clothing and activities. You can't elect to not send your kid to daycare and leave them on the street while you go to work. That's the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

Except we are still paying $500 a month for aftercare and now have to pay for summer camps. So you don't save as much as you think you might.

How much were you paying before? Our DD's preschool center is $1700/month-there is now way we don't save a bunch, even with aftercare and camp.

NP. You will save some, but not a ton. Other expenses get high. Clothes and shoes more than doubled in price. Thete is not much available in used clothes for older kids and thrbkids get a major opinion on what they want to wear. Food goes through the roof ans if thry do any sports or serious hobbies/activities forget about it.

Right but you have way more control and discretion of spending on food, clothing and activities. You can't elect to not send your kid to daycare and leave them on the street while you go to work. That's the point.

Sure, just like you can elect to send your child to a much less expensive preschool. There is a huge difference between a Kindercare and a Bean Tree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

Except we are still paying $500 a month for aftercare and now have to pay for summer camps. So you don't save as much as you think you might.

How much were you paying before? Our DD's preschool center is $1700/month-there is now way we don't save a bunch, even with aftercare and camp.

NP. You will save some, but not a ton. Other expenses get high. Clothes and shoes more than doubled in price. Thete is not much available in used clothes for older kids and thrbkids get a major opinion on what they want to wear. Food goes through the roof ans if thry do any sports or serious hobbies/activities forget about it.

Right but you have way more control and discretion of spending on food, clothing and activities. You can't elect to not send your kid to daycare and leave them on the street while you go to work. That's the point.

Sure, just like you can elect to send your child to a much less expensive preschool. There is a huge difference between a Kindercare and a Bean Tree.

Daycare is different than preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

Except we are still paying $500 a month for aftercare and now have to pay for summer camps. So you don't save as much as you think you might.

How much were you paying before? Our DD's preschool center is $1700/month-there is now way we don't save a bunch, even with aftercare and camp.

NP. You will save some, but not a ton. Other expenses get high. Clothes and shoes more than doubled in price. Thete is not much available in used clothes for older kids and thrbkids get a major opinion on what they want to wear. Food goes through the roof ans if thry do any sports or serious hobbies/activities forget about it.

Right but you have way more control and discretion of spending on food, clothing and activities. You can't elect to not send your kid to daycare and leave them on the street while you go to work. That's the point.

Sure, just like you can elect to send your child to a much less expensive preschool. There is a huge difference between a Kindercare and a Bean Tree.

Daycare is different than preschool.

Right, it is MUCH less expensive. However if someone is paying 1700/mo regardless, thats a full time program, whatever you want to call it. I have a nanny and have always had my kids in preschool. Never saw a preschool that was 1700/mo that didn't have after and before care for daycare options.

[Anonymous]

^^^
It isn't much less expensive for us. We were paying close to $1,500 a month, now we are around $1,000 a month between aftercare and sister summer camps. Then again clothes cost more, we aren't including other activity costs or general other increases.

I don't think people should plan on a dramatic drop in expenses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^
It isn't much less expensive for us. We were paying close to $1,500 a month, now we are around $1,000 a month between aftercare and sister summer camps. Then again clothes cost more, we aren't including other activity costs or general other increases.

I don't think people should plan on a dramatic drop in expenses.

Exactly. Expenses just shift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^
It isn't much less expensive for us. We were paying close to $1,500 a month, now we are around $1,000 a month between aftercare and sister summer camps. Then again clothes cost more, we aren't including other activity costs or general other increases.

I don't think people should plan on a dramatic drop in expenses.

Exactly. Expenses just shift.

Not sure how you're paying 1,000 a month for aftercare. Aftercare in DC isn't more than $500 a month. Summer is three months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone that I've spoken to about this has basically said you suck it up for the two years that you have two kids in daycare and it gets so much better once the older one starts K. So...that's what we're doing.

Except we are still paying $500 a month for aftercare and now have to pay for summer camps. So you don't save as much as you think you might.

That's still less than the $1200/month X 12 months I'm paying for preschool!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^
It isn't much less expensive for us. We were paying close to $1,500 a month, now we are around $1,000 a month between aftercare and sister summer camps. Then again clothes cost more, we aren't including other activity costs or general other increases.

I don't think people should plan on a dramatic drop in expenses.

Exactly. Expenses just shift.

Not sure how you're paying 1,000 a month for aftercare. Aftercare in DC isn't more than $500 a month. Summer is three months.

NP here but I guess it depends on how much summer camp costs -- I've seen $300-$500 a week. So, say 12 weeks for the summer, plus 4 weeks for school holidays at the high end is $6000. So, $6000 for the year for aftercare + $6000 for camps averages out to $1000/month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^
It isn't much less expensive for us. We were paying close to $1,500 a month, now we are around $1,000 a month between aftercare and sister summer camps. Then again clothes cost more, we aren't including other activity costs or general other increases.

I don't think people should plan on a dramatic drop in expenses.

Exactly. Expenses just shift.

Not sure how you're paying 1,000 a month for aftercare. Aftercare in DC isn't more than $500 a month. Summer is three months.

NP here but I guess it depends on how much summer camp costs -- I've seen $300-$500 a week. So, say 12 weeks for the summer, plus 4 weeks for school holidays at the high end is $6000. So, $6000 for the year for aftercare + $6000 for camps averages out to $1000/month.

Oops, and I forgot to add in the 4 weeks of school holidays in there -- so really close to $1200/month on average. Well, there goes that!