Reply to I know why Millenials can't afford houses and pay off their student loans..

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Goddamn. DC is a bubble. No wonder why democrats lost.

[b]No, four kids isn't why.[/b] In many areas of the country four kids doesn't kill you. In the suburbs of Richmond, VA I have several relatives with four kids, gorgeous homes, and good public schools. 
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Yes it is.  Sending four kids to college is expensive.  Doing anything with four kids is expensive.  Even the cheapest vacation becomes expensive with four kids.   [/quote]

Lets just look at this....

each kid as activities:  music lessons in this area are at least $40/week; 2000/yr.  
Food...they have to eat.  Small kids eat less than big kids, but teen...wow....on average (over ages): 2400/year
Religious education: $400/yr

Clothing?  Vacations?  Etc...

Each kid costs about 5K per year.  You make 50K (just over the median), and have 4 kids, you are poor.  Ok.  No music lessons.  Food is required.  Clothing?  Hand-me-Downs.  lets assume free.

Before housing or transportation (just food for the kids and social security taxes):  $3000/month --- housing?  probably at least 1000 (low cost of living area).  2K per month left over.  Now, you need health care/insurance.  Figure that will be $800/month on average.  1,200/month.  And we haven't paid the bills.  You need a car (or two), but you drive a clunker (or two),  200/month repairs, $150/month gas, $50/month insurance.  That is get you down to $800/month.  Utiltiies?  $200 for gas/electric/water?  $600/month.  Oh wait. Mommy and daddy did not eat year.  Another 400/month.

So, the median family in a low cost of living area is looking at $200/month left over before any discretionary spending.  Cell Phone for the adults?  $100/month.  No cable.  No Internet.

This is life in middle america.  [/quote]

We make enough money for now in DC, just not for college - and now the way they evaluate for house loans now post scandal not enough to move.  We got our first house (basically) on the same salary here (only mine) in 2002.  Even if it had not appreciated, we would not be eligible to buy it now even though together we make slightly more money.  Times have changed.

But stop harping on our reproductive irresponsibility.  We always intended to have 3 kids - that is what I grew up with - just not starting so early or so close together and then our accident so far apart he is basically an only child. He is the most work hands down.  We have good kids,  free child care, and the older kids love teaching him things.  One sister taught him how to sign (he signed "more" at 7 months! probably due to her infinite patience), the other taught him how to read. Brother did Dino Tracks, Sum Swamp, and now they are on Equate (all math games). Kids are in public school and we are fine with it.  We have deliberately created an intellectual environment.

You would be surprised about how inexpensive clothes etc can be if you know where to go.  With little kids we went to church second hand sales and got good brands - still go to St. Patricks every year especially because two of our kids are now in adult size clothing (my girl can borrow my clothes but our oldest boy is now taller than my husband).  Musical and religious education comes from church and church is free (we do pledge). It also comes from Rock Band/Guitar Hero and my husband. That includes voice, bass (sp?), and drums.  Thinking about a garage band (or we do sometimes).  Weekends are insane, although one kid can drive - but all the activities the kids go to are free.

We belong to one club - an island in the Potomac river, dues are $475 this year. Best place to go swim and canoe on Saturdays in the summer and you can even camp out. Makes the kids quite popular with the type of classmate we want them to make friends with.  A far cry from the Chevy Chase Club! The Wilson pool is free, libraries are wonderful. And the museums around here are pretty cool when kids are young and then once a kid gets specifically interested in one thing. No one has ever said they were bored. But my husband is kind of a natural educator - any kind of interest a kid expresses, he will pursue it with them.  And he can.  We are extremely lucky in that way.

Largest "unnecessary" expenses are Scout and Venturing camps, but we want Eagle Scouts and Summit and Nova awards. If you have the internet and netflix and the NYT you do not need cable these days -  you don't need TV at all. I actually was raised without it by design, which I really resented.  But now you don't need to pay for movies or TV shows.  Most music is also available on Utube.  Vacations are not expensive when you camp as a family or take road trips and visit wealthier people who live in interesting places (yes plane fare sucks).  My parents have a summer house and the other side has a place as well which we sold out of a long time ago but they still let us come.

We will look hard for merit scholarships - just really pissed off about the crazy hikes in college tuition.  Even moving to California no longer really makes sense.

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