Reply to How does your family survive making under 200k hhi

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP asked about how people budget their money with less than 200K HHI *and 2 kids in daycare* but half the respondents here have older kids or don't use daycare at all.  Daycare is a huge expense.  It would be nice to hear more responses from people who are actually in the circumstances OP describes.  [/quote]

When our kids were in daycare we were living on way less than $200k a year(~110k). Daycare and mortgages seems to keep pace with each other. This is what we did and our friends did.  Live within your means.  Bought a smaller house  (based of one of our incomes not combined - largest is 1800 sqft).  Or Rent. Or Rent a house with another couple with small children and combine expenses and save for a large down payment.  Find cheaper daycare (home daycares are the cheapest and they are out there- it takes some networking to find them).  If you already own a house, make an income suite.  Bring your lunch.  Cook at home. Swap babysitting with another couple(s).  Have potlucks.  Join a religious community (plenty out there for all types of belief systems).  Exercise by walking/running around neighborhood.  Drive cars for 10+ years and take care of them.  Put % of money in savings first then figure out budget from what is left.  Take kids to zoo, museums-library- tons and tons of free stuff out there.  Think before you buy.  Buy on sale.  Don't overbuy clothes.  Decrease your dry cleaning bill by half every year until it is minimal.  Make changes gradually - you don't have redo your entire house the minute you purchase it.  Do as much of it yourself.  Vacation at family house (grandma, sisters.......).  Plan your meals and use what is on sale and in season.  Plant an herb garden- best bang for buck and effort.  Payoff credit cards every month - if you can't don't use them.  Live like you lived in college/graduate school - as cheaply as possible.  Buy younger kids clothes at church sales and yard sales- they don't wear them long enough to wear them out.  Buy your children one or two pair of high quality shoes - they grow out of them every 3 months.  One pair is usually enough.  Keep temp low in winter and high in summer.  No Starbucks and the like.[/quote]

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