Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you, deep down are not happy in your house & are only staying because you are "frugal".

Yes this is exactly the issue. I sometimes feel like I am missing out on things I can reasonably afford and the majority of the people in our situation would take advantage of--like a nicer home or a better education for my kids. It seems ridiculous to make $350K and live in a $400K rambler that we find a little cramped but don't want to buy a new house because I say the kids will be grown and move out before the mortgage is paid. Also I tell myself one does not need to have a paid off house at age 45 to be financially sound. We did not always make this much money but our salaries have grown through promotions and job changes. I consider our income to be good fortune and think we should take advantage of it by saving and investing it and worry about lifestyle creep. I think it comes from growing up working class (not DCUM working class but real working class--parents with no college and blue collar jobs).

I'm sure there is some balance to be struck...I just have trouble finding it.

I hear you on this. If I were you I might see how things go for a bit with the schools and how much you can save. I'd also watch interest rates. They are so low right now that if you are going to move you don't want to miss out on good rates. Can you see yourself staying in this house for the rest of your life?

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you, deep down are not happy in your house & are only staying because you are "frugal".

Yes this is exactly the issue. I sometimes feel like I am missing out on things I can reasonably afford and the majority of the people in our situation would take advantage of--like a nicer home or a better education for my kids. It seems ridiculous to make $350K and live in a $400K rambler that we find a little cramped but don't want to buy a new house because I say the kids will be grown and move out before the mortgage is paid. Also I tell myself one does not need to have a paid off house at age 45 to be financially sound. We did not always make this much money but our salaries have grown through promotions and job changes. I consider our income to be good fortune and think we should take advantage of it by saving and investing it and worry about lifestyle creep. I think it comes from growing up working class (not DCUM working class but real working class--parents with no college and blue collar jobs).

I'm sure there is some balance to be struck...I just have trouble finding it.

It sounds like you, deep down are not happy in your house & are only staying because you are "frugal".

I don’t understand. Why do you think your kids may not fit in?

It sounds like the real issue is that your spouse is embarrassed by your house. Is that what it is?

Anonymous wrote:Which pyramid, OP?

GS ratings are largely BS. Your neighborhood school is most likely JUST FINE or better than fine.

We left a GS4 school for a GS9 school and the GS4 school was a better place for the kids.

OP here. We are zoned for Wheaton High School.

When we bought the house we did not have kids, were not sure we would have kids, and were not giving any thought to schools. We just thought it was great to own a home.

I think there is value in education that exposes our kids to others from diverse backgrounds. I'm not sure how "diverse" our school cluster is. I fear they will not fit in.

I think the house is OK but DW had work colleagues over recently and said she was a little embarrassed. People in MoCo on this board know the size/age of homes in that school cluster. It is true her coworkers live in nicer homes and go to more desirable schools, so I think she was wondering whether they thought we were nuts.

Great Schools data is crap and out of date. And with small schools, the data can jump around just due to random variations in the test-taking population of the school.

Why don't you actually research your school thoroughly and see how you feel. If it's on an improving trajectory, give it a chance for a year or two.

Why is this a problem now and wasn't before? Has the school situation declined? Surely you knew they would go to school eventually.

If this is really a private school/public school values debate between you and DH, you and he need to be honest with each other that that is the real issue.

Are you guys done having kids?

If you’re feeling that space is an issue with little kids you’re definitely going to feel it as they get bigger. Around age 5 is when I started feeling slightly like more space would be nice - by the end of elementary we felt like we were bursting at the seams. If there’s any chance you might have a 3rd, I would move now.

I also agree with your spouse. What’s the point of making a good salary if you’re going to live miserly?

As others have said, the GS rating should be taken with a grain of salt. My kids were enrolled in an elementary school that jumped from GS rating of 4 way up to 8 or 9 (can't remember) then back down to 5 or 6.. It didn't make a lot of sense. Nothing had changed at the school when it was rated a 4 vs an 8.

I would stay put in that house, wait until your kids have a year or so of school under their belts and see if you think you should still move.

You should move. I don’t think great school rating are the determining factor, but if you think you need more space now, you will definitely want more when the kids are older. Easier to move now before the kids start school.

I agree moving based on GS ratings is dumb. I think there is no perfect school— there will be something you don’t like everywhere, good enough is good enough, and test score don’t tell you how the same kid would do at different schools.

But I also agree that money is a tool and the benefit of earning 350k is to give your kids a good education. So for me it really comes down to how comfortable you are with the school.

I will also say that it’s really hard to tell how k is going so by the nature of things, things would probably have to get pretty obviously bad for you to realize it’s time to change.

Do you like your neighborhood? Your house?

PP here... yes, try Kindergarten or 1st. Move if you want a bigger house, but moving based on GS ratings is asinine.

Which pyramid, OP?

GS ratings are largely BS. Your neighborhood school is most likely JUST FINE or better than fine.

We left a GS4 school for a GS9 school and the GS4 school was a better place for the kids.

At age 30 we bought a $400K house on a 15-year mortgage in a school pyramid with great schools ratings of 4. At age 40, we have two kids in pre-school and have gone back and forth about moving but I am the holdout. We have $350K combined. HHI. Our mortgage balance is sufficiently low I could write a check to pay it off if I wanted to but I don't because the interest that would be saved is minescule.

I see the merits of moving. We could be a little more comfortable with more space (1700 sq ft.) but it works most of the time. I sometimes feel we belong in a different neighborhood. Our kids go to pre-school near my office and most of their friends' parents are two-income professionals like us. Most will go to a different elementary school than our kids next year. I feel a little guilty that they will not be going to one of the schools where their classmates will be going if we stay here.

On the other hand, I really do not want to take out another mortgage. I was depressed that several real estate agents told us our house has really not appreciated much in 10 years, likely due to the less desirable schools. If we netted $350K after commissions and repairs, we'd still be looking at borrowing a fair amount.

DW thinks I'm being irrational and that there is no point in making money if you can't use it provide better schools and a nicer home for your kids in the here and now. I feel like we would handcuffed with a fat mortgage when we could have financial freedom--for private school at some time, to pay for college and graduate school, for early retirement or a second, lower paying career in 10 years, or for whatever we wanted. I say try kindergarten and/or first grade and see how we like it then decide--there are options including magnets.