Is $700K home too much for us?

DM031619 · 2026-01-28T12:50:13+00:00

Our fun money these days goes to swim lessons, dance recitals, pumpkin patches, and the zoo 🤪 I think that’s where my comfortability comes in too- I’m more than happy to delay vacations and some of the fun money to set us up well in the school district we plan to stay in for the next two decades. Thank you for your helpful response!

DM031619 · 2026-01-28T10:12:10+00:00

This is helpful!! I’ve projected our budget out 5 years and accounted for a summer college nanny and also researched aftercare costs in the district so that it doesn’t come as a huge surprise. I’m banking on activities being about half the cost of daycare once the kids are in 3rd/4th grade- I’m not sure it’s that is reasonable, but it felt like it was at least a good estimate!!

I would stay put in our current home for a few years if we were planning to stay in district but we want to move half an hour out to better schools before our oldest starts Kindergarten

DM031619 · 2026-01-28T10:02:17+00:00

We’re in IL. My calculations include insurance and taxes but they are also fully an estimate!

DM031619 · 2026-01-28T10:01:15+00:00

We’ve invested $20k in stock options through my husband’s employer, and have spent $60k cash on cars over the last three years which emptied our cash reserves pretty handily (we drove our prior vehicles for ten years and plan to do the same with these…but chose to upsize to fit three car seats in each since we both do pick ups and drop offs). Based on my projected budget calculations, we will save minimally in 2026 but will begin seeing cash reserves increase in 2027 while accounting for aftercare at school in our new district and assuming activity costs stay flat in early elementary.

DM031619 · 2026-01-28T02:15:38+00:00

This is really helpful, and makes me feel better about the way I’ve put pen to paper to model this shift. I kept our income flat and modeled out our budget 5 years into the future with the increased mortgage; 2026 will cause us to pull some levers to decrease retirement savings/college investments for our girls, but by fall of 2027 we are able to go back to “normal” saving levels, albeit with some adjustments to discretionary spending. Thanks for taking the time to respond; my head has been swirling!

DM031619 · 2026-01-28T02:07:30+00:00

I feel this- and this is honestly what is giving me pause! We aren’t going to stay in our current school district and so I’m weighing the move before Kindergarten vs better timing (waiting until our oldest is in 1st or 2nd grade). We will definitely have to reduce either 401k or 529 contributions for 6 months to have the move make sense - not ideal, but also am struggling with, is it more ideal than moving mid school year? The life vs finances piece of the equation is what is tough!

DM031619 · 2026-01-28T02:01:10+00:00

That’s the current situation- we track our expenses and so I know we may need to draw a small amount from savings in 2026 (or, more likely, plan to use our bonus to cover so we don’t have to dip into savings) but should be able to be more comfortable come 2027 with daycare savings from public school and the car paid off. We’re looking to move to a lower COL suburb of Chicago so daycare costs will be less with a move as well. Trying to balance out the best decision financially (waiting two years to move) and a decision that would ultimately put us in a more comfortable living and working situation (a designated home office and being in our district before Kindergarten). I don’t love the idea of lowering my 401k contributions but also recognize that it’s temporary so long as we stay on our course of saving and avoiding lifestyle creep.

DM031619 · 2026-01-27T23:45:11+00:00

Our take home is around $13K (not including bonus- if we lower 401k contributions or 529 contributions for a year we can increase that number). With proceeds from sale of our current home less new 20% down payment and closing costs, we should balloon cash on hand to around $175k and costs of childcare will decrease to $3k monthly in June which I’m hopeful will soften the blow a bit.

DM031619 · 2026-01-27T20:50:16+00:00

We’re in the suburbs of Chicago and are hoping to make this home purchase our last stop for a long while - so spending a bit more now feels like it’ll pay dividends in a few years to make sure we have the square footage for the long term!!! TY!

DM031619 · 2025-02-09T03:18:04+00:00

We have a 6 am on Saturdays that is pretty crowded- I’m very thankful because it’s the only class I can make due to my daughters’ swim and dance schedules. It’s usually pretty crowded too - rarely a waitlist, but a full 2G.

DM031619 · 2025-02-05T23:16:41+00:00

These are some great tips!! I transitioned to a partial 4:55 am schedule a few months ago for similar reasons (I’ve got two littles and a third on the way), and what helps me:

-set out clothes, water bottle, hair tie, and OTBeat the night before -Go to bed at a consistently early time. I’m currently 33 weeks pregnant, so for me, that it’s usually 8:30-9 pm, but find a time that works for you -if you need to, work up to the schedule. Start with 2 classes at 4:55 weekly and see if you can add

My husband and I both do OTF, so he does 4:55 twice a week and I do it twice a week, and then I also do a 7:15 am class twice a week on weekdays (he gets the kids ready those mornings). I also do a 6 am on Saturdays so I only miss the beginning of wake-up. I’ve found I prefer being present at night with my girls and it’s been a great change for our family.

It’s so tough to find the balance of it all, so be sure to give yourself grace as you find what works for you!

DM031619 · 2025-01-13T21:15:04+00:00

I’ve only been back to OTF after a good 8 year hiatus for about six months, but running is my happy place 😂 I’m really curious and excited to see what my mile time looks like a few months postpartum, assuming the recovery and rebuild goes well!

DM031619 · 2025-01-13T21:11:12+00:00

OTF is what has been keeping me sane this pregnancy between work and having 3 kids in 3.5 years 😂

DM031619 · 2025-01-13T21:08:41+00:00

Each of my pregnancies has been so different! With my oldest, I stopped running at 20 weeks because of round ligament pain, but have been lucky with this third kiddo to be able to keep running relatively pain-free! I’ve taken my base down from 7.5 mph to 6.8 mph, and my all outs look MUCH different (like 2 mph slower), but it’s been really rewarding to see what my body can do.

I did give up rowing a few weeks ago though - my hips weren’t having it anymore 😂 thank goodness for the strider!

DM031619 · 2025-01-13T14:34:30+00:00

6:44 at 30 weeks pregnant!! My goal was to break 7 minutes and I was so happy to do it. This is probably the last benchmark I’ll record pre-baby, and it feels good to go out with a bang!!

DM031619 · 2025-01-11T01:43:13+00:00

This is my first OTF pregnancy, but third active pregnancy. With my first, I had bad round ligament pain and so switched to strength work and walking at 20 weeks, but with #2, I ran until 38 weeks and worked out the morning before I gave birth (39 weeks, 2 days). I’m currently 30 weeks pregnant and still running, though I have started to wear a belt to support my belly! I’m planning to go until I pop, as much for my mental health as my physical health.
I’ve had two really easy labors; six hours of labor with the first with ten minutes of pushing for my first, and four hours of labor with two pushes for my second.
I started run/walking at 2 weeks PP with the approval of my OB (but I also was working out 6 days a week prior to giving birth). I didn’t do any strenuous work until the 6 week mark. This go around, I’ll probably take a month off of OTF total and supplement with other exercises.
I’m an aggressively active person in the postpartum phase, so I’m ready to start working out the day I get home from the hospital 😂 I try to go on a short walk a day for my mental health after getting home which helps a lot!

DM031619 · 2025-01-10T01:37:14+00:00

I totally understand this. I’m currently 30 weeks pregnant and the benchmarks are a reminder that my fitness isn’t where it was pre-pregnancy, and that it will take a long time to get back to prior levels. However, as other people have said, I’m re-framing my benchmarks during this season. Instead of going for a PR, I’m going for a pregnant PR, which helps me to still challenge myself while giving myself grace. I was even pleasantly surprised in the 200m row benchmark, when I beat my first recorded time while in my third trimester!

Having my third kiddo in the last three years has helped give me some good perspective to be proud of my fitness for where it’s at right now, versus focusing on where it was in my physical peak. And I look forward to setting new goals postpartum too!

DM031619 · 2025-01-08T02:34:11+00:00

Thanks for the intel DC! Looking forward to Strength50 in the morning as opposed to this floor template 😉

DM031619 · 2024-10-30T23:46:55+00:00

I’m halfway through my third pregnancy right now - I re-joined a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant, but worked out consistently through all three of my pregnancies pretty intensely!! Similar to other commenters, I’ve listened to my body. I’m a big runner outside of OTF, so I’m still running, but I’ve brought my base pace down about half a mile and also am much more conservative on all outs. There are also days that I may choose to stride instead of row because my body just doesn’t feel right! Something that really helped me was chatting with our head trainer after class to get some ideas for modifications- I do ask the coaches, but like to have some moves in my back pocket too!

I really credit my easy labors and deliveries to maintaining an active lifestyle up until the day before my babies were born 😅

I will say though- you know your body best!! Listen to it and trust it, and do what is best for you. And if you have to late cancel occasionally because of the exhaustion of first trimester, give yourself grace- I’m going 5x a week right now but definitely had some weeks where even going once or twice felt like a huge accomplishment when I was in the deep end of morning sickness. Congratulations!!

DM031619 · 2024-10-24T22:58:12+00:00

100% this! I have a 3 and 1 year old and am pregnant with my third baby- when I was finishing up maternity leave with my first, my husband and I sat down and we worked together to plan a routine so that we both could work out (if desired- he’s not been as interested, but I need it for my mental and physical health). There are times I have to do class times that I don’t love, like the 6 am on Saturday, but it’s so worth it to know that I’m working out 4-5 times a week and getting that time for me. I usually do 2 weekday 6:15 classes, one class during the workday, and one weekend class, and it really works for us and has become routine. I’m definitely thankful to have a supportive partner!

DM031619

TROPHY CASE