ur income is too low to stay in the city and enjoy good schools. it is a privilege to enjoy urban life and great living condition and good schools. YOU MUST give one up.

Anonymous wrote:If you want to make it work in the city I would honestly encourage you to rent the cheapest place you can so you can save some money for a few years and give yourselves more options down the road.

This. Enjoy the charter school and free tuition for as long as it works for you and pay off debt/build savings at the same time. When the charter no longer works, think about buying somewhere with the educational opportunities you need through high school. This is our plan . . .

OP, resesarch the NACA program. You can purchase a home for no money down and your closing costs paid. Great program.

Anonymous wrote:Moving is very disruptive-- I would probably not be inclined to move if I thought it was only for a couple of years.


BTW, we used to rent an apt in NW that was 1BR with a den, but I checked and now I see they are calling it a 2BR and asking almost $3k for it!

Same here. It's outrageous, PP, isn't it? I don't honestly know what to tell you OP, because every decision has trade offs. What I will say is that buying a place, on your income, is a HUGE decision. I know because we did it. Chances are you will be buying an older home and inevitably expensive maintenance problems will crop up. You could very well be adding an enormous amount of stress to your life. I've aged 10 years in the past 3 dealing with an older home, the travails of preschool in DC, etc and I am flying the white flag of surrender and bailing from the city altogether. Not an inspirational story, I know, but. . . .

If you want to make it work in the city I would honestly encourage you to rent the cheapest place you can so you can save some money for a few years and give yourselves more options down the road. This is what we should have done but hindsight is 20/20.

OP you are in no position to buy a house at all. You need to pay off your credit cards, save at least an eight month emergency fund, and then a down payment. I would also carefully consider the neighborhood you are buying in since it is possible to get stuck in a place for some time. Maybe even looking now and having that as a goal will help you find the motivation to cut back in other areas. What about silver spring as a neighborhood?

Anonymous wrote:Some thoughts on the financial question:

There are much cheaper places to live in a 1BR. And some where you can up to a 2BR without much higher rent.
We have RCN internet ($44) with Netflix ($7) and VIOP ($12) for a total of $63/mo and I'm planning on dropping the VOIP to bring that down to $51.
We have T-mobile, two smart phones, not unlimited data but enough, for $129/mo. Yes, I spent almost a work-day on the phone with them to get it, so your miliage may vary.
I can't recommend anything that results in more car costs/debt. That's just a black-hole of money. Better put those costs to school/rent/debt.

In your situation, I would find a way to cut costs for a while and dig out. Moving where you can get some space for no more cost isn't bad. Yes, one person says it's disruptive, but kids are rsileint and it's better that the family be strong and financial sound than that they are never challenged with change. Taking the charter would lighten things up by a HUGE amount... and moving closer to it would mean no extra car costs (win/win).

To the person who says not to buy in DC because of schools - we've owned three times in DC and made a nice return on each investment. Why NOT invest if you can? Also renting a house in DC is not that hard, unlike in markets like, say, Phoenix or Atlanta. I don't see it as sound financial advice to recommend families RENT indefinitely.

OP here: Thanks, PP. Even though the private preschool is highly recommended, less expensive than our current nannyshare, and the commute is better from our current place, we couldn't get anywhere debt wise. I think the charter is looking more and more like the best option. We'll probably stay in our 1 BR through the summer and into Fall just to make sure that it is the right fit though.

Financials: ditching cable definitely.

Cell phones: have kept the plans because we have unlimited data and I am a power user. My work won't pay for my cell phone, but I have to download big files to review when out of the office. Plus, I am not going to pretend like it is sometimes great to stream podcasts while running.

-Savings: we save a little to 401K ($500 a month). Should we stop this and contribute toward debt instead? I worry about stopping because we don't have a lot of retirement savings and are older (late 30s).

Shelter: does it make sense to buy a 1 BR condo and renovate so that it can have two sleeping areas? In Brookland, you can get 1BR condos for a pretty good price. We've been living in 700 SF for so long that only having 1 bath and bedroom doesn't bother us. I have a friend who lives in Tokyo who lives in 700 SF over 3 floors! The new apartments that are going up by Catholic will be $1700 for studios I believe. It's crazy actually.

Transportation: has anyone used Zipcar as their primary "Second" car and found it to be cost effective? We have an 8 year old Honda and will drive that until it drops.

Thanks again everyone- this had been super helpful and I really appreciate all of the advice.

Some thoughts on the financial question:

There are much cheaper places to live in a 1BR. And some where you can up to a 2BR without much higher rent.
We have RCN internet ($44) with Netflix ($7) and VIOP ($12) for a total of $63/mo and I'm planning on dropping the VOIP to bring that down to $51.
We have T-mobile, two smart phones, not unlimited data but enough, for $129/mo. Yes, I spent almost a work-day on the phone with them to get it, so your miliage may vary.
I can't recommend anything that results in more car costs/debt. That's just a black-hole of money. Better put those costs to school/rent/debt.

In your situation, I would find a way to cut costs for a while and dig out. Moving where you can get some space for no more cost isn't bad. Yes, one person says it's disruptive, but kids are rsileint and it's better that the family be strong and financial sound than that they are never challenged with change. Taking the charter would lighten things up by a HUGE amount... and moving closer to it would mean no extra car costs (win/win).

To the person who says not to buy in DC because of schools - we've owned three times in DC and made a nice return on each investment. Why NOT invest if you can? Also renting a house in DC is not that hard, unlike in markets like, say, Phoenix or Atlanta. I don't see it as sound financial advice to recommend families RENT indefinitely.

I can't speak to MMBPBS, but from all you've said, something has to give. Even to take the NW private preschool slot, you'll have to deal with the cost of living.

All around, the move to NE might be a good idea - and even if MMB doesn't fit after two years (totally possible), you can find other school options. Local charters in the Brookland area include Stokes, Yu Ying and the Montessori on Cap Hill is close. There is a private montessori (Christian Family) in Petworth that is only $900/mo for that age range. Also, depending on WHERE in Baltimore, the drive to Baltimore is quick up BW parkway from NE.

Also Brookland is a fabulous family neighborhood and safe to walk. It's pretty thick with kids/strollers/bikes... and while some of the rentals (Brookland Ridget, Cloisters) are heave with CUA kids, keep looking. There are a number of lovely older buildings that cater to professionals, families, and retirees.

I'd do the private preschool, and move to a 2 bedroom in close in Montgomery County.

For example, you could do a 2br here: http://www.aldonmanagement.com/Aldon-of-Chevy-Chase~237404~16742.htm for $1780, which seems like it would be affordable with the private preschool since it's walking distance to the metro so you might not need a car.

And then you've got a public school that's much more of a sure thing than Bethune, plus a safe neighborhood and a decent commute.

No, but I have a friend who does in PS this year. They seem happy and the new playground sounds great. I also know someone who live on that block (near the school) and I don't think the walk is sketchy at all.

You could easily get by with one car if you live near Metro. You could perhaps bike (or stroller) to school if the car is not available.

Also I always see Car2Go around here.

Anonymous wrote:Move to Brookland! It is great here. You might be able to find a house here instead of an apartment. But how about this place in Brookland. This is a great area near Yes! and Metro.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/apa/3781213782.html

Thanks! I think the big thing is making sure that the school works for my DC. Do you have kids at MMBDA?

PS It's easier to get to Baltimore from here too.

Move to Brookland! It is great here. You might be able to find a house here instead of an apartment. But how about this place in Brookland. This is a great area near Yes! and Metro.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/apa/3781213782.html

Anonymous wrote:Moving is very disruptive-- I would probably not be inclined to move if I thought it was only for a couple of years.


BTW, we used to rent an apt in NW that was 1BR with a den, but I checked and now I see they are calling it a 2BR and asking almost $3k for it!

OP here: yep, our one bedroom would rent for $1900 at current rates. It's not a new building, but well kept and a nice community.

Husband works closer to Baltimore, so schools aren't great in that part of MD. If people have recommendations for counties to look at, I am open
Zipcar: I wish it was more like car2go so can park it anywhere or I could put a booster seat in a car2go!

thanks to all for your advice....we are working on paying down debt. Definitely have to cut out the eating out.
Cellphones: poster who only pays $70.00...are you data free?

Anonymous wrote:Through what grade does the charter school go through?

8 th grade. It is Mary McLeod Bethune.