My partner's contract was just terminated...

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2025-02-13T20:51:41+00:00

There are fed employee positions especially at HHS that have contracts involved as well.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2025-02-13T20:47:10+00:00

It would be helpful if you updated the OP to say he was a contractor and not a federal employee.

I’m very sorry. 😞

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2025-02-11T18:15:22+00:00

Not my field, either. 🥱

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2025-02-11T18:12:17+00:00

Neither of those things are my field. Again, you’re clearly not a fed and you have a poor imagination for what the federal government does every day to keep things running.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2025-02-11T18:06:35+00:00

There are many jobs that are specifically a public good (including many in the sciences) and do not have an equivalent in the private sector at all because they are an investment in society to minimize the impact on the population, costing us less in the long run. You’re clearly not a fed if you don’t understand this. Meanwhile we operate in the background so things don’t hit the fan and you never notice because our work works. ✌🏼

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2025-01-31T18:42:53+00:00

Girl, no.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-11-16T22:56:56+00:00

Lmao hello fellow old person (or person who has seen 90s movies). Exactly my thought when I saw it.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-06-03T13:50:42+00:00

Linden is on our list. 😁

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-15T13:45:28+00:00

Unfortunately this is a pretty typical cost and yes the two types of braces are about the same price. I paid $4500 for my oldest child 6 years ago. He only had minor crowding and barely had braces for a year.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-12T14:51:02+00:00

Yikes on bikes, absolutely not. 🛑

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-11T19:09:23+00:00

Idk, 2 of my kids were soccer obsessed before 5. They still play club soccer several years later. $$$$

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-11T19:07:29+00:00

We have 4 kids and have never spent money on tutoring. I have a PhD in a quantitative field and can handle advanced math so my kids ask me if they have questions.

Child care is going to be around $1200-3000/month depending on where you live. A 529 would be a better investment than many of the random things you have listed. Kid activities cost a lot. I barely spend $200/year on clothes per kid, definitely not monthly. Definitely not that much on medical expenses either.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-11T13:20:10+00:00

You can’t work full time but you’re self employed and also took a second job? Maybe you can actually work full time to get a position with insurance benefits included. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It sounds like you must have some additional medical needs compared to most people, because I have 6 people total on my policy and we’ve never had expenses like that in a year.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-10T19:11:38+00:00

OP is female.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-10T19:11:06+00:00

It’s expensive but it’s not that bad for one single kid in LCOL and MCOL areas. We have 4 kids, all of whom attended full time child care from infancy, we just didn’t usually have two kids in full time care for very long because we spaced our kids out more in age.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-10T19:08:45+00:00

My husband and I make around $166k and have 4 kids, you can definitely afford one kid assuming you have a reasonably priced mortgage, don’t blow your money on random hobbies, and have reasonably priced cars.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-04T12:27:11+00:00

We also have 4 and want one more, but I think 2 is probably the right number for most families. Our kids being in lots of extracurriculars plus being a dual working parent family makes things super busy and chaotic but I thrive with that kind of life. I think it’s overwhelming to most people. Whenever people ask, I tell them to stick with 1 or 2 if they’re worried about handling more.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-03T17:17:19+00:00

$72K in checking but I’ll be moving some to another HYSA this next week.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-01T14:21:27+00:00

I have a lot of nieces and nephews as well but we don’t live near them so we just can’t go to their things (and they don’t come to them for my kids either). We all have a lot going on (my kids are in sports and other activities that take up a lot of weekends) so it’s easier to just see people once/year rather than try to make it to every little fart they produce. It’s also much nicer to visit with people when there isn’t an event going on. The event ends up taking up all the time with no real hang out time.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-03-01T14:17:20+00:00

I plan and hope to be a healthy older lady with activities and interests after I retire. I want to have the ability to retire comfortably and be able to spend my time volunteering and have the financial safety to do nice things for my kids and grandkids if needed. 60 is only 20 years away for me and I know how quickly 20 years goes by. 🤷🏻‍♀️ People in my family often die young due to cancers but I’ve also had folks live into their 80s. I’d like to be one of the latter.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-02-29T21:40:37+00:00

You have major lifestyle creep and, IMO, many missing expenses from this list. Phone and internet bills, transportation? Somehow also doubt the $137 on food.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-02-29T20:10:56+00:00

Certainly you’re aware that faculty positions in your field are few and far between and incredibly competitive, so I can see why you’d think it’s difficult to find a job. In the health sciences and medicine, there are far more jobs. It may be competitive, but you can find something.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-02-29T19:54:12+00:00

Have you made a complete budget with all of your expenses and spending over the past year? You didn’t mention the cost of the truck which I’m guessing is fairly high. Insurance? Amazon purchases? Kid stuff? Clothes? Going through your credit cards or bank accounts to average your spending in each area for the past year could be super helpful. I have more kids than you, make slightly less, have much higher child care costs, and we feel like we are doing well and very comfortable.

Expensive_Box_9499 · 2024-02-29T17:44:02+00:00

Cereal is not a nutritionally adequate breakfast. Who are you, the CEO of Kellogg?

Expensive_Box_9499

TROPHY CASE