So much for ending the thread with sensible advice ¯\_(?)_/¯

If you're willing to forgo vacations and drive one really old car and not really save for college, then 150K is doable.

This assumes that you need to live in or near the city for commuting purposes, as you'll need to spend close to $800K to $1mil for the good schools in a good neighborhood. If you can live anywhere in the DMV, and live really far out, you can do it for less, but I would think that less than $100K would be tough to not feel like you're living paycheck to paycheck, even with a much lower mortgage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP, there have been tons of threads like this and they always devolve into insane circle jerks.

Once you pump out a couple of kids, whatever income you have will have to do. People have done it successfully (and unsuccessfully) with 30k, and with $1M+. It's all about your consumption and parenting choices.

+1. End thread.

Exactly. OP, this question is impossible to answer. Everyone's situation is different. We make a little under 200k but also have a paid-off house and save minimally for college and retirement due to inheritance (already received, not expected). Nice newish cars paid off, go out all the time, expensive daycare (40k+/yr) etc.

We have two kids in daycare, a mortgage in DC, and student loans and it's doable at $200k. Of course I wish we had more money but we feel very fortunate to have what we do. We also contribute to retirement (not quite the max but close).

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP, there have been tons of threads like this and they always devolve into insane circle jerks.

Once you pump out a couple of kids, whatever income you have will have to do. People have done it successfully (and unsuccessfully) with 30k, and with $1M+. It's all about your consumption and parenting choices.

+1. End thread.

Anonymous wrote:The median is about 80k. I can't see a family of four living without a good deal of stress for less than 120-150. Even there, things will be tight.

+1

My take home (after taxes, health ins., 401k) is 70K. I could do two kids on it, but the approach is really going to depend on there ages. You won't get safe neighborhood/good schools for less than this, however.

We did it with a SAHP at $120k. It was tight, but doable (no luxuries, no real extra room in the budget, lowered retirement savings and saved little for college during those years).

We now have two working parents, two school aged kids, and $250k income and feel like we have plenty (plenty!) of money - both saving max for retirement, putting $ monthly in kid college funds, can afford a nice vacation, etc.

Sorry OP, there have been tons of threads like this and they always devolve into insane circle jerks.

Once you pump out a couple of kids, whatever income you have will have to do. People have done it successfully (and unsuccessfully) with 30k, and with $1M+. It's all about your consumption and parenting choices.

This is ridiculous. You do not need $300k to have 2 children.

Are you looking to live in DC proper? Are the suburbs okay? Can your kids share a bedroom? Will one parent stay home, or do you need childcare? How old are the kids? Look at the recent thread on SAHMs. Many, many responses at around $100k.

No Feds with SAHMs I guess.

250-300k to be comfortable

Real estate is very expensive here.

200k.

Some can do it on less if they bought their property a long time ago, but that is a decent point if you have at oeast one vehicle, a mortgage, childcare, medical costs, etc. We have done it on less (120k) but had substantial family help and no nanny....We do have higher extracurricular costs. It has been very paycheck to paycheck in the early childhood years with fluctuating care, school, as well as renovation costs. We bought a fixer upper. Money pit.

The median is about 80k. I can't see a family of four living without a good deal of stress for less than 120-150. Even there, things will be tight.

How much do you have for a down payment? How important are good schools? Will both parents work or one will stay home until kids are in public pre-k/kidgergarden? Will you vacation anywhere other than the beach or grandma once a year?

My apologies if this question has already been asked. I'm trying to plan my future here. Whether it's a single income or dual income household how much is needed to raise 2 children while living in D.C. I'm referring to reasonable needs only and not luxuries like annual vacations, expensive cars, ridiculously expensive house, expensive private schools etc. What's the bare minimum you should earn to raise 2 children without living paycheck to paycheck in a safe neighborhood with good public schools.