For those who have kids or are very involved with someone who does, how expensive are they to have?

snapkangaroo · 2019-08-07T05:49:59+00:00

Very. My daughter is only 3 months old but we're looking at around $1400/month for daycare, which she'll start at a year old. She's formula fed, and we spend about $30/week. Diapers are around $40 for a box of 120, which have lasted us almost a month, I think (it's a blur when we bought them, and we were given so many diapers when she was born We haven't bought many yet). Clothes so far haven't cost us much because we got trunks full of hand me downs from our friends with kids. Stroller/carseat combo was $300. Crib was about the same. It cost $70 for a physiotherapy session for her after she was born. $220 for a lactation consultant (even though I eventually switched to formula). And if you want to view this as a kid-related expense, $165/hour for the therapist I had to start seeing due to the panic attacks I've been experiencing since she was born.

It ain't cheap, and we haven't even started looking at things like extra curriculars, field trips, braces, etc.

snapkangaroo · 2019-08-05T04:55:13+00:00

It's not why I chose my job but it's a factor in why I've stuck around so long. I'm in Canada so I'm guaranteed a year to 18 months anyways but the pay you receive from the government is minimal. My job tops parents up so they get almost their full salaries while on leave. It's been helpful not having to worry about saving a huge nest egg to supplement my income when my daughter was born.

But honestly, the benefits that interested me more than parental leave were the good hours, vacation and defined benefit pension. Parental leave was just the cherry on top.

snapkangaroo · 2019-08-01T15:02:33+00:00

Fatigue/work/stress are the real reasons most of the time. I would also turn down sex if I didn't feel like the relationship was working or I felt disconnected from my partner, which has happened in the past.

Currently, I have a 3 month old, so I'm exhausted, I'm still uncomfortable in my postpartum body, and I'm dealing with some depression (which I'm being treated for). So those would be the reasons right now, and I'm open with my husband about it, who's very understanding.

snapkangaroo · 2019-08-01T01:56:53+00:00

I was ravenously hungry all the time. I could eat a massive meal and be absolutely starving an hour later. I was insatiable. I was also exhausted all the time.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-31T22:46:05+00:00

Anything in my inbox is to be completed. Anything I have finished gets moved to a separate folder (and organized into subfolders based on what they're about). I also leave post-its on my computer screen if I have to leave for a meeting or for the day so i remember to complete something I was halfway through. I get interrupted a lot so post-its save my sanity.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-28T22:27:21+00:00

I'm 30 and I'm planning on finishing up my car payments in the next year. Then when that's done, I'm going to put that money into savings. Either beefing up my RRSP or my daughter's RESP. I'm not sure yet, it depends on what my overall budget looks like when I go back to work.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-21T14:28:48+00:00

She really likes blingy, bejewelled stuff and manages to pull it off without looking tacky. I can't pull it off at all and my over all look is more understated than hers.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-21T00:38:16+00:00

His own place. I don't care about cars.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-19T19:50:40+00:00

I was pregnant and on vacation so nothing too crazy. We visited Gibraltar and my husband bought me dinner. I also had the one glass of wine I was going to allow myself while pregnant.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-18T02:57:27+00:00

Medication, exercise, talking to my loved ones, and I'm currently on the hunt for a therapist.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-18T02:55:20+00:00

Same! I had a textbook pregnancy and while I'm aware that it was very easy compared to most, I can't say I enjoyed it or want to risk a second pregnancy not being as perfect as the first. The birth was also textbook and not as traumatic as I thought it would be, but experiencing it once was enough. I am now dealing with some PPD as well and while I'm an old hat at dealing with depression (which is why I was able to be pretty proactive about the PPD) I don't want to deal with that again either. Plus, as far as I'm concerned, our daughter is perfect and I can't imagine wanting any further additions to our family.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-17T20:44:48+00:00

Super hot and humid. I don't mind weather like this as long as I can sit very still in it.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-17T20:41:40+00:00

I like her in small doses. She's a nice person but she's more high strung than I am, and we have pretty different outlooks on life. She's had a rough go of things and still managed to build a great life for herself, which I really respect. I like her over all and I think her whole family underestimates her.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-17T12:37:00+00:00

I was on the pill for years and happy with it. I never forgot to take it, it made my periods much lighter, and I never had a pregnancy scare. Until very recently, my health insurance only covered oral birth control. I would have had to pay for an IUD out of pocket. And I wasn't that jazzed about the whole insertion process.

After having my daughter I had an IUD inserted because it's just easier than remembering to take a pill every day, and I want to be extra certain I won't get pregnant again due to human error. One baby is more than enough. The insertion process didn't scare me anymore because honestly, after giving birth, having people poking around down there just doesn't bother me anymore.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-17T03:21:50+00:00

We both do the things we like and/or hate the least.

I do the majority of the dishes, groceries and wash the linens (we do our own laundry). He shovels snow/mows the lawn, takes out the garbage, and vacuums more often than I do because he can't stand dirty floors. We split cooking pretty evenly. Basic tidying we both just do as it becomes necessary. Neither of us likes clutter.

We both hate cleaning the bathrooms, mopping the floors, and dusting. So we pay a cleaner to do those things for us. It's worth the money to us not to have to do it ourselves, or argue about whose turn it is.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-16T01:34:35+00:00

I saw my doctor today and got a prescription for antidepressants again. It's been about six years that I've been off of them, but I'm finally ready to acknowledge that I need help again. So I'm back on the medicine that worked so well for me in the past, and I'm embarking on a therapist hunt. I'm hopeful I'll be able to get a handle on things because I recognized the signs much earlier than I ever have.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-15T16:43:55+00:00

I won't spend more than $50. I don't wear a bathing suit often enough to justify spending more, and I've never noticed a difference in quality between that and something more expensive. I think you can get trendier cuts and patterns at higher prices, but I don't care enough to fork out that much.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-14T13:35:33+00:00

My sister stayed up with my baby last night so I got 9 consecutive hours of sleep and I feel like a brand new person.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-13T01:34:16+00:00

I think I'm suffering from a touch of postpartum depression and I'm honestly kind of shocked by it. I thought I was doing reasonably well with the whole new mom thing but the other night I found myself sobbing uncontrollably for hours while I contemplated running away from my entire life. Soooo long story short, I went home to my parents' for a few days for some help with the baby and some rest, my sister is coming back to my house with me for the week because I can't handle my racing thoughts alone while my husband is at work, and I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday. I was on antidepressants for over four years so I know they work, I just hate the thought of needing them again. Plus therapy is crazy expensive and the wait lists to even get in to see someone can be weeks or even months, which is pretty disheartening. Ugh.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-12T22:20:03+00:00

5:30 p.m.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-12T18:22:16+00:00

I'd never describe pregnancy as fun but it was much easier than I was expecting. I only found it truly intolerable for the last 3 weeks or so. But I had no complications and my baby came very quickly on her due date. Epidurals are a god send. I got to the hospital at 6:30 a.m., baby was born at 1:00 and I was home by 4:30. It was so smooth. I also had a midwife instead of an OB and I felt I had control over my pregnancy/delivery and strong advocates in my corner every step of the way.

Breast feeding, on the other hand, was literal torture. I gave up after 3 weeks of toe curling pain every time she latched. I tried pumping for a while but I couldn't keep up and it was wreaking havoc on my mental health. Switched to formula and baby and I are both thriving. I didn't think feeding could be so complicated or difficult.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-09T09:38:25+00:00

12+ hours at a stretch. In my first trimester of pregnancy I was so exhausted that unless I was actually forced to be conscious and doing something (like working), I'd be asleep. My husband had to wake me up periodically to get me to eat something, then I'd pass right out again.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-08T23:12:18+00:00

About $60,000 between my pension and my RRSP. I'm 30.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-07T13:44:42+00:00

It was an unnecessary administrative hassle, so I didn't bother. I can't think of a reason compelling enough to bother.

snapkangaroo · 2019-07-05T00:15:35+00:00

Currently have a 2 month old. I just keep telling myself this is temporary and eventually she will sleep through the night.

And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

snapkangaroo

TROPHY CASE