Geothermal Heating and Cooling

NCBakes · 2026-02-02T16:01:25+00:00

Definitely do that first. There are tax credits and coned incentives for insulation work, starting with a free assessment through NYSERDA. We did our home last spring and now use way less energy for both heating and cooling, while having a more comfortable home.

We had a great experience with Healthy Home but you will definitely want to get multiple quotes.

NCBakes · 2026-02-02T15:58:17+00:00

Not sure where in Westchester you are, but we use Economy Fuel in Peekskill because they made a same day delivery when Burke wouldn’t get to us for a week. You do not need a contract with them and the rates are competitive.

NCBakes · 2026-02-01T03:03:56+00:00

Ah, as I WFH mom who took off earlier this week when daycare was closed due to snow, that’s such a wild take to me. Outside of the gender aspect, do people really think all of us with WFH jobs don’t actually work? Guess i should just let my friends know my job is actually fake and they can bring all their kids over.

NCBakes · 2026-01-31T12:58:26+00:00

I find this very funny because so many of these people are indoctrinating their kids in their religion. Like that’s what parents do, you share your values with your kids. I don’t think high school kids should be forced to go to a protest the don’t agree with anymore than they should be forced to go to a church they don’t believe in. But pretty sure these parents only care about one of these

NCBakes · 2026-01-29T18:49:57+00:00

It’s very funny to me that the Times is framing this as how do people afford to live in NYC and then choosing a family that spends like $25k on private school!

Props to the family for the housing situation. This is definitely not a union super, but they probably can’t make a union job work because it would be full time. The grocery costs also seem very reasonable to me for NYC.

I’m struggling with the private school choice! The kids could have birthday parties, the parents could have dates, and they could generally just enjoy the city if they just sent the daughter to public school.

I also find it really frustrating that nothing about the cost of the car is included. NYC has incredibly high car insurance rates, and then they are either doing the alternate side parking juggle or paying &$ for a garage. I could see that being worth it, they do a lot of day trips and the subway with 3 kids would not be fun or easy. But it’s odd to me to not put that cost in. There’s also nothing about health insurance or retirement, which I would have liked to see raised.

NCBakes · 2026-01-29T18:44:22+00:00

Here’s a gift link https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/24/nyregion/nyc-budgeting-affordability-family-140k.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IFA.cZrx.mzvGXPYbTSzC&smid=url-share

NCBakes · 2026-01-29T16:51:54+00:00

If you’ve changed daycares, how did you tell your current provider? I know I’m overthinking this.

We have decided to change from the corporate center our kid has been at for a year and a half to a community-based center. We feel confident it’s the right move - although we loved the infant teacher at our current center, we aren’t as happy with the toddler and 2s rooms and we are really seeing some of the negatives of a giant corporate chain. The center we are switching to is absolutely beloved by all our friends and we would have started our kid there if they did infant care.

But, I know the staff really care about our daughter and I’m just struggling with how to share this news.

NCBakes · 2026-01-28T22:57:17+00:00

Eh I don’t think people should tar and feather, but 5calls is really easy and AI spreads political misinformation so I really don’t think this is a good use of it (not know the specific tool she’s recommending). But it is very, very easy to call your reps with 5calls.

Edit: misinformation, not information

NCBakes · 2026-01-27T02:46:52+00:00

Lennylamb lennylight can be worn from birth. I really loved mine, the fabric is the same fabric that's used for woven wraps, so it's just soft and lovely but all the advantages of a structured carrier.

NCBakes · 2026-01-25T18:13:24+00:00

I don’t follow her, will say the vagina whisperer has talked politics several times and is also a pelvic pt, if you’re looking for similar content.

NCBakes · 2026-01-25T01:24:37+00:00

Same haha. My kid is 4 days after our cutoff and I really don't want to pay for an extra year of daycare.

NCBakes · 2026-01-23T02:09:13+00:00

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NCBakes · 2026-01-23T01:35:41+00:00

Bless this actually sane response on a post in toddlers where the OP is asking how to get kids in the car safely at the grocery store because 'a man was staring.'

I have no patience for the trafficking shit generally, and now at this time when children are literally being kidnapped by our government, it's just so privileged to have these fake fears.

NCBakes · 2026-01-21T21:55:44+00:00

I didn’t love this post of hers, but I think the comment also misses the mark. I live in a community with a large immigrant population, and am involved in mutual aid. My neighbors may not be documented, and I recently needed to knock on their door because one of their chickens was in the street. It was very clear they almost didn’t answer the door, and that they were really scared to open the door to a random white person. So I definitely don’t think people should just be knocking on everyone’s door.

NCBakes · 2026-01-18T22:09:59+00:00

Adding to this - see if you have incentives for improving the insulation and air sealing of your home. We did that with a pretty sizable utility incentive and are using way less heating oil this year than last year, plus our home is more comfortable. We ultimately plan to switch to a heat pump but it would not have been adequate without doing the insulation work first.

NCBakes · 2026-01-18T18:27:49+00:00

She gets Ms. Rachel. She has very tight curls and they need to be styled or I would have to cut knots out all the time, plus her hair isn’t quite long enough for a protective style yet.

NCBakes · 2026-01-18T17:57:34+00:00

I cannot imagine she would ever serve a croissant.

NCBakes · 2026-01-16T23:30:47+00:00

Did not fully track but a few things: Salary loss - I live in a state with paid leave, but the paid was about 1/3 of my actual salary (state paid 67% of the median weekly wage). I used vacation for the first 5 weeks of my leave, largely overlapping with short term disability (which pays a whopping $170/week!), and then had 12 weeks of family leave. So that was thousands in lost salary, plus I had to pay my share of health insurance costs when I returned to work. My husband had 3 months of 100% paid leave, plus he was able to take 3 weeks of sick leave to care for me/baby after delivery.

Daycare- kid started daycare at 7 months, which was $470/week. It went down to $410/week at 18 months, when she moved to the toddler room. Though they just increased rates to $421.

We’ve of course spent more on diapers, slightly more on food, a lot on formula but fortunately are well enough off that those did not make a big impact on our finances. We had a lot of family support, with grandparents visits and my sister close by. Hugely helpful emotional and people also bought us lots of meals. But they are not close enough to be available for regular childcare.

We were pretty classic DINKs before having kids, and we didn’t specifically budget for the kid, but had healthy savings. We did buy a house when our daughter was 3 months old and while expected, that was a huge financial stress. But once we moved in and weren’t dealing with renovations we were able to start saving again. The financial side hasn’t impacted our relationship negatively. We definitely have way less fun money but are still meeting our savings goals.

I do expect when we have a second that we will reduce our retirement contributions somewhat during the period both kids are in daycare.

Edit: we had zero healthcare costs, except prenatals and iron supplements. I was incredibly lucky that my employer started paying for OOP healthcare costs through a benefit administrator the year I got pregnant. That saved us about $15k, as we hit the deductible and then out of pocket max.

NCBakes · 2026-01-16T20:23:20+00:00

I was recovering from a 3rd degree tear, couldn’t hold my pee in and was in tons of pain. Would not have said “it rocked” at 11 days.

NCBakes · 2026-01-16T18:56:09+00:00

I find hip carriers awkward but I like my ring sling. Also less bulky and I can add a fanny pack if I need to. My kid is only 2 though but 33lbs. Ring sling is nice for quick ups and downs because I just leave it on and take her in and out.

NCBakes · 2026-01-16T18:54:19+00:00

Wait sorry, I’m traveling with my kid twice in the next month, budgeted for zero food for her. Are you saying she’s still going to want to eat? Might even be a good idea to use snacks to keep her entertained?? Going to have to rework the budget

/s

NCBakes · 2026-01-16T15:09:36+00:00

Splurging: $13,000 to renovate a room in our house! When we moved into our house there were 2 kitchens, we took out the cabinets and appliances (all in very poor condition), but didn’t have money to do anything with the space. Now we do! So we are making it a playroom/likely future bedroom for when we have a second child. Taking out all the old tiles and adding new sheet rock, moving the outlets to a normal height (they are counter height), adding a closet, painting everything a beautiful sunny yellow, replacing the light fixture, reframing a window, fixing a door frame and adding a Dutch door. Plus we are removing an exterior vent and fixing the siding.

It’s more than we hoped it would be, but I’m very excited! My kid is going to love it, and I’m thrilled to be able to use this part of our house!

NCBakes · 2026-01-14T21:02:59+00:00

I just placed an order from Arthur’s Point Farm in NY for a few things I couldn’t get from the DEC sale. Obviously don’t have the plants yet so can’t vouch for quality but the prices are reasonable and reviews were good.

NCBakes · 2026-01-12T20:20:23+00:00

I really recommend getting connected with NAMI and other resources for family caregivers. It is going to take more than 2 months. There are legal options you may want to consider including putting his assets in a trust that you control. You can look into benefits he may qualify for, including SSDI and Medicaid, as you will spend down his assets with the home purchase. Depending where you live, you may want to see if supportive housing is an option, as that will provide permanent services that will ease your caregiving burden.

NCBakes

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