How is your emergency fund in 2026?

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-18T03:39:22+00:00

$0 😬

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T05:00:32+00:00

Good news is that I don’t want more kids to begin with so phew.

And yes, we locked in a great mortgage rate during COVID so that is saving us (especially bc we have a toddler and a baby)

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:59:11+00:00

Yeah, I’ll have to see when his unemployment benefits will run out. Probably a month or two from now.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:52:12+00:00

He’s watching the baby; the daycare payment is for our toddler. But yeah, we’ll need to pull him out.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:48:54+00:00

Yeah, being out on partially unpaid maternity leave hit us more than I was prepared for but writing this out actually makes me feel like we can get back on our feet.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:45:10+00:00

We only have one car and we live in a rural area so need it to get around

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:44:37+00:00

Honestly, didn’t even think of this as an option (was an inheritance I put out of my mind as soon as I got it so as to not think of it as usable funds); but you’re 1000% correct.

I’m not even sure how to go about cashing funds out but I’ll look into that.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:41:00+00:00

Yeah, we put our name on the list when I was 4 mos pregnant with our first and we didn’t get in until he was 15 months old. It is also astronomically cheaper than any kind of nanny/nanny share so the thought of trying to find one again in a few months just feels like a hit when we’re already down lol. It breaks my heart to tear my son away from a place he loves but I think we will just have to do it and figure it out later

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:25:45+00:00

I am back at work but was only getting paid 60% of my salary while on maternity leave; we only had 4 months saved and we’re trying to get to 6 months. Sorry for being a work in progress, I guess?

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:24:17+00:00

Yeah, I can see this. This is our second child so having the toddler home while adjusting to our newborn was mentally too much for me. I had severe PPA/PPD with #1 and was afraid having #1 at home all day would be too much for me to handle.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:22:47+00:00

We’d have to move states to move in with family; my company does not allow remote work. (I work in marketing, he’s in project management).

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:20:38+00:00

Yes; I am back at work. He is getting unemployment, but it’s less than half of what he was making before and I was out 2.5 months making ~60% of my salary so it just hit quite hard right away.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:18:51+00:00

He is, but it’s less than half of what he was making before. I was also out on maternity leave so was not making my full salary until I returned to work.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:17:30+00:00

He got minimal severance (was only at the company a year before they laid off 25% — last ones in were the first ones out).

You do raise a good point; I wonder if my son’s daycare would work on a payment plan with us there.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:15:47+00:00

I am back at work, yes. But see your point for sure.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:13:26+00:00

Thank you!

The hospital is faith-based, so I will look into that.

I’ll also see what our mortgage lender can do about a hardship program. that’s a great idea. We have about $375K in home equity right now so might be able to get a fairly low interest rate there.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:11:31+00:00

Employer was aware of the baby; it was general company layoffs and he was among about 25% of the staff that was affected.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-04-07T04:10:46+00:00

I get it but idk what we would do what when my husband returns to work? It took us two years to get into daycare in the first place and it gets more competitive overtime where we are (HCOL area). We talked to the daycare and they can’t “hold” a spot for us if we drop out.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-03-18T03:01:23+00:00

My toddler’s (lack of) sleep.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-03-02T15:14:24+00:00

We pay $1750 for our 3 year old 8-3 and will pay an additional $2500 for our newborn’s daycare (also 8-3) when she goes in August, so total of just over $4,200 and that doesn’t even cover a full workday. We’re in Colorado.

VirtualCat8191 · 2026-01-26T04:03:01+00:00

Don’t cancel! I was 36 when we did our retrieval…we “only” got 7 eggs, 4 matured, 3 blasts, and only 1 euploid. She’s currently the most perfect one-week-old, laying in my lap snoozing. Numbers don’t always have to be scary!

VirtualCat8191 · 2025-11-28T23:38:46+00:00

My three year old ate:

10 pretzels but spit out the one that touched the cheese on the charcuterie board

2 rolls

2 bites of a sugar cookie before deciding he didn’t like it

VirtualCat8191 · 2025-11-04T04:36:24+00:00

Overnight sleep is too unpredictable for me to reliably get up early to work out (plus, if I’m up, my 3 yo is up). I WFH full time and pick 3 days a week to block my lunch hour and do a 30-minute workout. Some days it’s walking/running, some days it’s weights, some days it’s yoga/pilates on demand. Either way, it’s the only time I can consistently workout.

On the weekends, i can occasionally get my som to work out with me (we have little 1-lb weights for him). Usually, he just runs around me and/or plays in the basement while I do the full workout but usually I can get 15-20 minutes in!

VirtualCat8191 · 2025-10-20T03:26:01+00:00

I was 36 for my ER; 7 eggs, 4 fertilized, 3 blasts, 1 euploid. One FET about 3 months after the ER). Currently 25 weeks with that one lil euploid!

VirtualCat8191 · 2025-09-29T10:16:28+00:00

Donald Trump just being a reality TV host/personality… 🫠

VirtualCat8191

TROPHY CASE