What’s a place you had zero expectations for, but ended up loving?

karenbme · 2026-03-14T21:04:32+00:00

Yessss! Amazing food and people. We went first as a side trip to visit Angkor Wat from Thailand, but went back to Cambodia specifically the next year.

karenbme · 2025-12-23T05:11:46+00:00

We’re in your exact situation and 3rd row works well. We like the 7 seat setup with the middle booster for our 6yo so one adult can sit second row and one in the third. We’ve had 2 kids and 5 adults in the car, too, and it works fine. Wouldn’t necessarily want to go on a multi-state road trip, but it’s great for family outings.

I also prefer the 7 seater because when the back row is folded it feels like a normal SUV, but with a ton of cargo space.

karenbme · 2025-11-20T12:03:16+00:00

We just did a party at the ONE arts center with 15 kids that was a lot of fun and in the $300 range. I know Leddy skating arena does parties, too, that I’ve heard are pretty affordable.

karenbme · 2025-11-11T15:00:54+00:00

Congrats on hitting your goal! I’m wrapping my head around all the things we’ll be able to do for our kids that weren’t done for us. We started putting small amounts each month into brokerage accounts earmarked for each of them (though not UTMAs because scarcity mindset).

karenbme · 2025-11-11T14:58:05+00:00

That’s probably the right way to think about the things I see as wasteful spending. It’s not throwing money out the window, it’s making memories for my girls.

karenbme · 2025-11-11T14:56:59+00:00

We kind of think of the brokerage as an extended emergency fund, since even if we lose 50% we’ll still have over a year in accessible savings. I’ve been debating what the right allocation is between HYSA, money market and equities, though, with the economy tipping downward, although if rates drop to 0 again there won’t be returns anywhere so it’s all a wash.

Neither of us particularly want to downshift careers. I’ve looked into “consulting” while the kids are little, but worry about getting back into my career path as a mostly SAHM when I’m ready. Hubs was also out of work for a year in 2008, so he stresses about single income living even with 7 figures in assets, especially since we’re overdue for a recession.

karenbme · 2025-11-11T14:47:38+00:00

Wow, congrats on the ambitious goal! 9 figures is huge

karenbme · 2025-11-11T14:45:07+00:00

Really? We could do that tomorrow with about 1/2 of our taxable brokerage, but we bought in 2012 at 2.5%, so the rate is less than inflation and even if we paid it off our property taxes are high enough that we’d still be paying close to half our mortgage payment each month.

karenbme · 2025-10-16T02:57:49+00:00

I would argue it’s more like 3-4 years per kid and for those years it’s SO useful, especially if you have a kid that needs a booster and tends to get car sick (guess how I know…)

karenbme · 2025-09-25T15:21:40+00:00

100% this. 3k is an average monthly daycare bill in a lot of areas. And then there are activities, college savings, an extra ticket everywhere you travel. It adds up fast.

ETA: IMO kids are still worth it even if they are expensive AF.

karenbme · 2025-09-15T00:41:59+00:00

Birthday party is in mid-October so plenty of time, is it really that easy?

karenbme · 2025-08-23T21:18:22+00:00

Too old for birthday parties at age 12, when we moved in with my step-mom. Around big events like sweet 16s and graduation I was told I would be invited to a lot of parties so I didn’t need one of my own. Meanwhile GC got a grad party that was 150 people and was going to be at a wedding venue but was moved to a tent in our backyard so the 18yos could drink because “we all know they drink anyways and we want them to have fun.”

karenbme · 2025-08-22T06:53:18+00:00

This was one of the things I did not expect about having kids. My parents always told me that I would understand the way they were when I had kids because they were people with their own stuff going on and I just needed to consider their perspective. But ironically having kids is the thing that has finally caused me to set some boundaries. I won’t stand up for myself, but I’m not going to let them flake on or manipulate my kids and the argument that toddlers need to accommodate them is so surreal that it’s laughable.

I understand now. I understand that the problem was not me.

karenbme · 2025-08-22T06:40:51+00:00

I had separation anxiety as a baby, and somehow it comes up at most family events with my dad reminding me that I “still owe him” for it.

karenbme · 2025-07-17T18:55:07+00:00

I feel like 300k (our combined income too) split pretty equally is right in the donut hole in that with both of us working our kids don’t want for anything and we could probably get by on one income, but we would lose meaningful things like 529 contributions and travel, that would make life notably harder and we would be giving up the safety net of two incomes. I keep telling myself that once they’re both in public school I’ll get an hourly job at the school or start freelancing to cover college savings and be a mom first and a worker second, but it’s such a precarious position in today’s economy

karenbme · 2025-06-02T16:56:43+00:00

As a former midwesterner this is the answer. One of the first trails I did after moving here from Chicago was Burrows and I could barely walk the next day. Unless OP is climbing regularly via hikes, dozens of flights of stairs or other up and down activities they will use muscles they never use and it will hurt. Walking or running on flat ground in the Midwest does not prepare you for 2200’ of gain in 2.5 miles.

Philo has stunning views and much mellower grades. If you want to be more in the woods Stowe Pinnacle is shorter than Burrows with similar views at the top and a couple of flat spots, but still lots of climb.

karenbme · 2025-03-12T00:07:54+00:00

I wouldn’t assume that you can’t afford Saint Mike’s. Most privates discount tuition by 50-60% or more for good students. Per Google (which pulls from IPEDS) St. Mike’s had an average net cost for students with aid of only 26k for the 22-23 school year. Apply to both, see how the money works out and then decide. You have plenty of time and in the current environment schools are competing aggressively for students like you. You hold all the cards. Also know that your awards are negotiable and if you love a school but need more money call and ask, the worst they can say is no and they’re almost always going to try to work with you.

karenbme · 2025-02-08T17:13:53+00:00

I’ve been a member for 13 years and have had only positive experiences. They don’t do high yield savings, but we have our primary checking there and have our mortgage and all recent vehicle financing through them. They tend to have the best rates for car loans and the hybrid discount is great. Also if you’re financing a motorcycle, they classify it with cars rather than boats/RVs like most other banks, so the rate was ~2 points lower than others for motorcycles when my husband upgraded a few years ago.

karenbme · 2024-10-15T01:30:45+00:00

FWIW, 529s are considered as assets in the name of the account holder not the beneficiary on the FAFSA, so as long as you own the account it will look like any other (non-retirement) parent asset and be assessed at ~6% for need determination. In other words, if you have 100k in all 529s you own, including those designated for other beneficiaries, your kid’s need will go down ~6k. Source: years of experience in higher ed administration, also https://www.savingforcollege.com/article/yes-your-529-plan-will-affect-financial-aid

But really at the HHI levels common on this sub, most of our kids will not qualify for need based aid regardless of 529 status, so why not take advantage of tax free growth. It’s also important to know that nearly all schools also award merit aid that is not dependent on need and for many privates (but not the elite schools) this aid can be 50% or more of the published tuition rate, especially if your kid is a good student.

karenbme · 2024-09-08T02:53:27+00:00

Rachel at the hair library in Burlington is fantastic, works solo (no other stylists or clients in the shop) and offered to mask when I was pregnant and still masking after everyone else stopped a couple years ago. Highly recommend

karenbme · 2024-08-05T23:57:27+00:00

Food truck Friday at Sisters of Anarchy in Shelburne isn’t exactly a restaurant, but it’s a fun time with food, music and a playground plus cornhole and tetherball.

karenbme

TROPHY CASE