Anonymous wrote:I'm a bit of an outlier here in that our only kid still at home is a middle schooler so I fully remember the pre-Covid times of paying for aftercare at the parochial school our kid attends. We'll make RTO work but it comes with logistical challenges and financial tradeoffs.

For neighborhood families with younger kids in public school, there are very limited after-school options even at the beginning of the school year. Incoming kindergarten parents are often scrambling and being wait listed at places.

I live in Howard County and HCPS elementary schools offer before and aftercare for working parents. I assumed other elementary schools did as well…

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

Good grief. Read the room. I'm guessing your wife SAH and cooked and cleaned in heels and pearls. You probably bought a house for practically nothing and now it's worth over a million $. It's 2024. For most people, two incomes are needed to survive now. We can't buy homes. We're limiting children to two maybe one because it's too expensive to have any more. The cost of college is ASTRONOMICAL. Give me a HUGE effin break.

Believe it or not even in 2024 if one spouse devotes effort to work they usually more than dual income and with no childcare costs. Pretty easy to make 350K to 450K if one spouse works. And saving for a house is WAY WAY easier today than ever. The stock market is up like 100 percent in last four years and RSUs and grants are way up. Even CDs and money markets are way up.

And people way richer. Kids are starting at 120K fresh out of school. My daughter who is 24 her friend makes 100K and she four girls share a three bedroom, larger room split by two girls. They have a household income of 400K at 24.

Only like 3% of all households have a $350k+ income…and that’s HHI not just one earner…only like 1% single earners are at that level (yes probably a higher %age in the DMV, but it’s still a small %age).

There was just a WSJ article that said housing affordability is now officially the worst on record compared to median incomes and savings.

I don’t disagree on kids starting out in certain fields, but again it’s not the norm at all for most 21 year olds.

Anonymous wrote:Another reason why 1950s America was better.

my mom had to quit her job when she married. She was not allowed to have a credit card in her name until 1972. She was white. It was NOT better in the 1950’s.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

Good grief. Read the room. I'm guessing your wife SAH and cooked and cleaned in heels and pearls. You probably bought a house for practically nothing and now it's worth over a million $. It's 2024. For most people, two incomes are needed to survive now. We can't buy homes. We're limiting children to two maybe one because it's too expensive to have any more. The cost of college is ASTRONOMICAL. Give me a HUGE effin break.

Believe it or not even in 2024 if one spouse devotes effort to work they usually more than dual income and with no childcare costs. Pretty easy to make 350K to 450K if one spouse works. And saving for a house is WAY WAY easier today than ever. The stock market is up like 100 percent in last four years and RSUs and grants are way up. Even CDs and money markets are way up.

And people way richer. Kids are starting at 120K fresh out of school. My daughter who is 24 her friend makes 100K and she four girls share a three bedroom, larger room split by two girls. They have a household income of 400K at 24.

A very, very small percentage start out this high. $50-70K is much more likely.

Please tell me you're not a native speaker of English.

This sounds like J1 J2 J3 guy. I think native speaker, just a bad writer.

Feds, the topic of this thread, are not making $350-450k. I guess we are like those new grads, making an average of $120k (I believe the median fed employee is a GS-13). I was hired remote, and had to travel to HQ on a schedule similar to J1 J2 guy's today, gone 12 hours to spend 7 hours on site, and...man, I do NOT get paid enough to do that every day for even longer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

Good grief. Read the room. I'm guessing your wife SAH and cooked and cleaned in heels and pearls. You probably bought a house for practically nothing and now it's worth over a million $. It's 2024. For most people, two incomes are needed to survive now. We can't buy homes. We're limiting children to two maybe one because it's too expensive to have any more. The cost of college is ASTRONOMICAL. Give me a HUGE effin break.

Believe it or not even in 2024 if one spouse devotes effort to work they usually more than dual income and with no childcare costs. Pretty easy to make 350K to 450K if one spouse works. And saving for a house is WAY WAY easier today than ever. The stock market is up like 100 percent in last four years and RSUs and grants are way up. Even CDs and money markets are way up.

And people way richer. Kids are starting at 120K fresh out of school. My daughter who is 24 her friend makes 100K and she four girls share a three bedroom, larger room split by two girls. They have a household income of 400K at 24.

A very, very small percentage start out this high. $50-70K is much more likely.

Please tell me you're not a native speaker of English.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

Good grief. Read the room. I'm guessing your wife SAH and cooked and cleaned in heels and pearls. You probably bought a house for practically nothing and now it's worth over a million $. It's 2024. For most people, two incomes are needed to survive now. We can't buy homes. We're limiting children to two maybe one because it's too expensive to have any more. The cost of college is ASTRONOMICAL. Give me a HUGE effin break.

Believe it or not even in 2024 if one spouse devotes effort to work they usually more than dual income and with no childcare costs. Pretty easy to make 350K to 450K if one spouse works. And saving for a house is WAY WAY easier today than ever. The stock market is up like 100 percent in last four years and RSUs and grants are way up. Even CDs and money markets are way up.

And people way richer. Kids are starting at 120K fresh out of school. My daughter who is 24 her friend makes 100K and she four girls share a three bedroom, larger room split by two girls. They have a household income of 400K at 24.

A very, very small percentage start out this high. $50-70K is much more likely.

I want to hear more about how to get one of these $350-450k jobs that are so plentiful!

In government no less!

Unless….wait. Is this guy proposing that everyone quit the federal service, and have one parent stay at home full time? Who would have suspected that that is what the MAGAs want?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

Good grief. Read the room. I'm guessing your wife SAH and cooked and cleaned in heels and pearls. You probably bought a house for practically nothing and now it's worth over a million $. It's 2024. For most people, two incomes are needed to survive now. We can't buy homes. We're limiting children to two maybe one because it's too expensive to have any more. The cost of college is ASTRONOMICAL. Give me a HUGE effin break.

Believe it or not even in 2024 if one spouse devotes effort to work they usually more than dual income and with no childcare costs. Pretty easy to make 350K to 450K if one spouse works. And saving for a house is WAY WAY easier today than ever. The stock market is up like 100 percent in last four years and RSUs and grants are way up. Even CDs and money markets are way up.

And people way richer. Kids are starting at 120K fresh out of school. My daughter who is 24 her friend makes 100K and she four girls share a three bedroom, larger room split by two girls. They have a household income of 400K at 24.

A very, very small percentage start out this high. $50-70K is much more likely.

I want to hear more about how to get one of these $350-450k jobs that are so plentiful!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

Good grief. Read the room. I'm guessing your wife SAH and cooked and cleaned in heels and pearls. You probably bought a house for practically nothing and now it's worth over a million $. It's 2024. For most people, two incomes are needed to survive now. We can't buy homes. We're limiting children to two maybe one because it's too expensive to have any more. The cost of college is ASTRONOMICAL. Give me a HUGE effin break.

Believe it or not even in 2024 if one spouse devotes effort to work they usually more than dual income and with no childcare costs. Pretty easy to make 350K to 450K if one spouse works. And saving for a house is WAY WAY easier today than ever. The stock market is up like 100 percent in last four years and RSUs and grants are way up. Even CDs and money markets are way up.

And people way richer. Kids are starting at 120K fresh out of school. My daughter who is 24 her friend makes 100K and she four girls share a three bedroom, larger room split by two girls. They have a household income of 400K at 24.

A very, very small percentage start out this high. $50-70K is much more likely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

I call BS. You made it to the last express train from your desk in 19 minutes? And you made it from the train departure to your house in 11 minutes? None of this is likely. Many people have a 20-minute walk just to get to a train. And the only way you get home at 7:00 from a 6:49 train is if you are the first stop on the express train and live at the train station. Again, not likely.

Even less likely if we accept that he took the 7:04 train to arrive to work at 8:15.

Slight type, I caught 649 Pm train home and got home around 730 pm. So I was gone aroune 12.5 hours a day. But I was home plenty.

So in the hour between 7:30 and 8:30 pm, you got in the door, ate dinner, and got multiple kids into bed?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

I call BS. You made it to the last express train from your desk in 19 minutes? And you made it from the train departure to your house in 11 minutes? None of this is likely. Many people have a 20-minute walk just to get to a train. And the only way you get home at 7:00 from a 6:49 train is if you are the first stop on the express train and live at the train station. Again, not likely.

Even less likely if we accept that he took the 7:04 train to arrive to work at 8:15.

Slight type, I caught 649 Pm train home and got home around 730 pm. So I was gone aroune 12.5 hours a day. But I was home plenty.

I bet your wife and kids think even plenty was too much.

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

Basically your wife did everything then.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

Good grief. Read the room. I'm guessing your wife SAH and cooked and cleaned in heels and pearls. You probably bought a house for practically nothing and now it's worth over a million $. It's 2024. For most people, two incomes are needed to survive now. We can't buy homes. We're limiting children to two maybe one because it's too expensive to have any more. The cost of college is ASTRONOMICAL. Give me a HUGE effin break.

Believe it or not even in 2024 if one spouse devotes effort to work they usually more than dual income and with no childcare costs. Pretty easy to make 350K to 450K if one spouse works. And saving for a house is WAY WAY easier today than ever. The stock market is up like 100 percent in last four years and RSUs and grants are way up. Even CDs and money markets are way up.

And people way richer. Kids are starting at 120K fresh out of school. My daughter who is 24 her friend makes 100K and she four girls share a three bedroom, larger room split by two girls. They have a household income of 400K at 24.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

I call BS. You made it to the last express train from your desk in 19 minutes? And you made it from the train departure to your house in 11 minutes? None of this is likely. Many people have a 20-minute walk just to get to a train. And the only way you get home at 7:00 from a 6:49 train is if you are the first stop on the express train and live at the train station. Again, not likely.

Even less likely if we accept that he took the 7:04 train to arrive to work at 8:15.

Slight type, I caught 649 Pm train home and got home around 730 pm. So I was gone aroune 12.5 hours a day. But I was home plenty.

I’m a woman. Thankfully my MIL is helping out a lot with childcare for our second child 3 days a week but they will be starting preschool in fall 2025. MIL has graciously offered to provide coverage for 5 days a week if needed until school starts. Our oldest is in upper elementary and doesn’t need childcare and either me or DH are home by the time school lets out.

Financially we can afford daycare but like keeping the kids home as long as possible with a year of private preschool to get them ready for regular public school (Kindergarten).

WFH has been really nice though as it was a pleasure to see LO during breaks and not lose time to commuting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked around 8:15 am to 630 pm for 30 years. It is not a long day.

I was taking 704 am in every day and catching the last express train at 649pm.


Guess what had dinner with my family at 7pm, helped get kids ready for bed, had time with wife from 830 pm to around 1030 pm, got up and helped kids get ready for bus.

First 15 minutes or so at work had my coffee, bagel, read the news online. Took an hour lunch every day or ran errands at lunch that hour.

I never worked weekends, had holidays. Not exactly the end of the world. If anything I miss it.

I call BS. You made it to the last express train from your desk in 19 minutes? And you made it from the train departure to your house in 11 minutes? None of this is likely. Many people have a 20-minute walk just to get to a train. And the only way you get home at 7:00 from a 6:49 train is if you are the first stop on the express train and live at the train station. Again, not likely.

Even less likely if we accept that he took the 7:04 train to arrive to work at 8:15.