Surprise!

[editrix26]

Guess which is more expensive: one year of daycare or one year of graduate school tuition at a top-20 university?

The answer might surprise you, however, it is mostly depressing me.

Comments

[editrix26]

Sometimes! I am looking at two places. One is about $2K, the other is an "affordable" $1,400.

[coopers_mom]

daycare, hands down. insane.

have you decided whether you are doing daycare or in-home babysitter?

[editrix26]

We'll have to see. If we can get into the daycare near our home (which is thankfully the cheaper one), we'll do that as it's close to the same cost as a nanny share, which is the other option we're looking at. In a perfect world, I'd like to do a nanny share for the first year and then move her to daycare when she's around 14 months or so. But we'll see.

[lynnbo_momo]

oh, yes. this is why I just quit working entirely.

it was a bumpy couple of years on one income and me staying home going slowly bananas, but whooosh, now she's 8.

[editrix26]

Yeah, we thought about that (I could go to school full-time and pick up extra income freelancing) but the problem is my health insurance is really good and it's affordable -- less than $180/month to insure all three of us for dental and health. K's insurance is absolutely terrible and expensive, so our options are somewhat limited.

[coopers_mom]

Insurance was a HUGE factor in my continuing to work - I had the whole family covered for $2/paycheck with my job in NYC.

Plus, I will say, I needed the sanity of being around adults - often.

but I've often fantacized about being a SAHM

[editrix26]

I don't really want to be a full-time SAHM; maybe that'll change when the baby's here? I am way too ambitious (second master's degree? Don't mind if I do!) to put my career on hold or give up working. Certainly, being home with a baby while going to school full-time and freelancing appeals to me, but it's as much about the school/ability to work on my own as it is about the kid.

Our two factors were insurance and my recent raise. It wasn't life-changing, but it did take us from "we cannot possibly afford this" to "this is a nice chunk of change that would be hard to walk away from."

If Keith had decent insurance, it would be a more difficult choice. But he doesn't.

[risala]

Oh the daycare, definitely. It is insane! Maybe your employer has a discount program with a facility? Also, look into the flexible spending accounts.

[editrix26]

No discount program but they do have FSA, so I can do that. So that'll help.

[dougdougdoug]

Ahh yes the day care dilemma. I wish it was more black and white for us. I make just enough that staying home wouldn't be affordable but paying for day care is still going to be a struggle. We're lucky enough to have one of Jeff's good friend's sister live in our town who's going to do our day care for a "reasonable" price (sadly that reasonable price is just comparable to other day cares not our actual income). How is it that it costs less for someone to take care of and feed my two horses full time than it does for a tiny little baby who's food I'll be providing? Maybe I can my barn owners to set up a stall for the baby ;)

[editrix26]

Same here. Ironically, if I hadn't gotten my raise, we wouldn't be able to "afford" me going back. We're on an "extensive" waiting list at Daycare #1, which won't have an opening until September. It's the only non-home daycare in our neighborhood that accepts infants.

I keep joking we should just train the dog to nanny.

[dougdougdoug]

I was thinking my sort of final option would be to work from home and hire a less experienced/younger/cheaper nanny to be in the house to care for the baby while I work.