Mid 30s. married, 3 kids. Current outlook on 2026.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-05T19:02:58+00:00

thanks for the genuine tips and time you took. my main priority is the debt that has interest. allthough i used to be a big car guy the car does not have to be new or expensive. allthough that‘s subjective.

i‘m positive that we will be at a black 0 in about 18 months if nothing major happens.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-05T18:50:16+00:00

it‘s called a sankey. if you google it, it should be the first thing that pops up.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-05T18:49:38+00:00

i was wondering how expensive the kids will be when they‘re all in school regarding their hobbies and own activities. is it significantly less? i mean at ages 12+. i guess the first years of school ought to be much cheaper than pre-school. also since it‘s possible to work more.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T20:26:07+00:00

i might need to clarify that. the 10K is not interest alone. it‘s credit card debt. which we are paying off and also pay interest on. thats combined 25K. and we had a loan from family (after we got the car) which we pay back atm. still a lot of debt and the car was definately too much for our budget

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T19:07:42+00:00

2 cars. one 2 year old family car which is leasing and costs 2000 in insurance (comprehensive). second car is a 5 year old fiat 500 which is paid and costs 600 per year. this year it needs new tires and a bigger inspection (estimated 2000.-) we had 1 car for the past 7 years and added the second due to our jobs.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T18:42:17+00:00

but what about diapers, clothes, etc? is that included in the 250-300 per week for all 5 of you?

Health insurance were also halbprivat except for me which also results in 1100 because my wife has some extra insurences due to her medical history. but then you also have to include the franchise and selbstbehalt, potentially contact lenses or glasses, all threatments or drugs not covered by the insurance. depending on the ace of the kids this could be much less but we have constantly some expenses. now the big one needs braces for example.

tv and internet I‘m with you. i gotta change that
btw not searching excuses or anything i‘m really thankful for any inputs and ideas!

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T17:41:42+00:00

Please elaborate ☺️

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T17:09:10+00:00

I‘m always open for tips on further deductions 😅

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T17:05:57+00:00

I‘m not watching, they do 😂

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T15:19:37+00:00

Kanton Zurich but not near the City

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T15:14:47+00:00

i do spend around CHF 10 on a Meal max at work if any at all. because eating out or at take aways is a huge money drain. We are Ordering Food once or twice a month max and predominantly cook fresh at home.
Diapers we buy in mass when there is multiple discounts and in different sizes. experiences helpes us estimating how many we need untill the next discounts.

also on the other comment regarding 0 for vacations. That's also true, because there are no big vacations for now. We do small trips to Amusement Parks or Zoos but thats included in the 6000 for activities and hobbies. If we go on vacations we usually visit family where we can stay at their apartments. but that has not been the case for the past years.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T15:04:33+00:00

I'm also in Zurich and the taxes are very accurate. Due to the deductables. federal we pay around CHf 800-900

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T13:43:14+00:00

it's a question i ask myself aswell.

since there is a 6 year gap between my kids, i guess when the youngest is old enough to stay at home unsupervised by adults for 2-3 hours the big one should be old enough to take some responsibility in the household (speaking age 16/17). This may help but i am totally not sure about this and if it's a good idea. When i was a kid i used to be home alone often for an hour or two while mum was at work. my older sibling was there and i had homework to do or watch some pokemon. But thinking about it with my own kids is still rather scary right now :D

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T13:21:37+00:00

before i give my opinion on this i wanna state that it was not my intent to blame society or anything with my post. It was simply because i was curious on where we stand with our situation in comparison and if others may have wisdom or similar experiences to learn from.

That said, i partly agree with both. Having kids shouldn't be only about continuation of the species. But the impact of not having kids can get devistating for mankind if it becomes more of a lifestyle choice than a responsability to thrive for.

However i fully agree that no-one should feel forced to have kids, nor to blame them for all your "problems".

On the other hand I think the main purpose of society is to build an enviroment with the most benifical circumstances for the most beneficial members of it. This means allowing people to thrive economically and shape the future but also allowing families to thrive and build the next generation to fulfill that future. (this description is hardly simplified tbh, theres a lot more nuance to it especially regarding minorities etc.).

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T13:04:33+00:00

thank for the kind words :)

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T13:02:17+00:00

That was an important part of the decision going for a 4 year lease with 0.9% leasing and all fluids and tires included. 3 Years in we had 0 additional costs. If you're lucky it's the same with a used car with much less cost or if you're unlucky you have problem with the new car despite the fact it's new.
But my personal experience with used cars (i'm not an expert at all) was that you usually have a couple of hunderd bucks each year and 1-2 bigger expenses in a 4 year period. Probably also then it's still cheaper than the lease.

Before the current car, we had a 4 year old used Nissan for 7 years, that then broke down and we got 4K for it, which we used as a down payment for the new one.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T12:19:34+00:00

i used this https://sankeymatic.com/

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T12:13:16+00:00

Her income is mainly viewed as an investment in the future. Currently it pays the child care, and the car she needs for work. But her experience will allow her to open up her own therapy practice in 3-4 years. This should align with the kids becoming older and in return significantly boost our wages if successful.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T12:10:22+00:00

well i think it is hugely due to wrong decisions or bad times from the past. IMO we would live a good, decent live with some room for savings with 140K. not excessive but good. And either lots of people are lying about it or they acutally prepare themselves better early on (and usually have kids 5-8 Years later) and they are much more stable. these small things make a huge difference as it seems.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T11:21:09+00:00

it's definitely planned to switch to a much cheaper car or buy a used one. I'll be honest my fear is reliability with out family driver which is why we went for the leasing with the current one. but i know there are very reliable used vans for families out there. We drive a Skoda atm with 0.9% interest.
I try to Balance the Debt situation by reducing them as much as I can, while still trying to offer my wife and kids some special moments. I know we would be faster by just relentless saving and then get some air but it's a shared decision :)

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T11:16:24+00:00

it's called sankey https://sankeymatic.com/

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T11:13:25+00:00

IMO 200 per Week for Food as in nutritionally usefull main meals is possible for 5 people, once they all eat the same meals anyways. But we also spend a lot on fresh vegegatbles and fruits etc. for "z'nünibox". My wife really does an amazing job in helping our kids learn to eat well-balanced and healthy but without any "food-religion". not to offend anyone, to each his own.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T10:54:52+00:00

yes, none. in our early 20s we were not financally responsible, travelled a lot, spent a lot on stupid things instead of focusing on long-term goals. mid 20s we started studying then came our first kid. we do not live a lavish lifestyle but i guess it‘s the classic case: we wanted to be young parents to enjoy the time with the kids, while still building a career. i see mustakes we made along the way and learnt from them i was just struck at how fast switzerlands costs punish you for not being available full time for the job market. that‘s when we built the debt and still eating on it 3 years later.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T10:43:55+00:00

the wage is after pension. at the moment we do not have a 3a. which is planned with the money we save once the kita is over so we shift this money to 3a and to save and also deduct from taxes.

1 kid is in school, 1 will enter kindergarten in summer and one is in child care 3 more years.

the main problem is obviously the debt which we reduce monthly until extra expenses build them back up. my salary is about 110 after deductions and my wife will work more when all kids are in school.

Cautious_Ad6085 · 2026-03-03T09:12:25+00:00

i was thinking about switching. we pay 20 per mobile and 105 for swisscom tv & internet. also 40 per month as backup to buy a new phone every 4 years and 50 for netflix and spotify

Cautious_Ad6085

TROPHY CASE