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Well, that and health care (in the US). And housing. And those two don't go away until they're out of the house. But yes, next to those three things most other
by handrous 5y ago
Well, that and health care (in the US). And housing. And those two don't go away until they're out of the house.
But yes, next to those three things most other expenses aren't that bad, or are avoidable with little down-side. Only other notable one's probably consumables (diapers, food, that sort of thing) which doesn't come close to any of the other three. Toys and clothes are practically free, if you're not picky. People get all kinds of expensive crap at baby showers, but very little of it's actually of much use, and most of the rest could have been had used for next to nothing.
- AlexTWithBeard 5y agoHealthcare - yes. Housing - we lived with the kids in a 2-bedroom for three years. One room for kids, one for us. Not super pleasant, but overall acceptable.
- handrous 5y agoHousing's technically an avoidable expense, but in most parts of the country one pays for school quality either directly (private school, in which case that expense replaces [and exceeds] most of the extra housing cost, if one wants it to) or by paying a premium for housing in a decent-or-better public school district (some of this may end up paid in extra transportation time & expense, as well—the accounting gets complicated, when a commute is part of the picture). One with the means to avoid it could send one's kids to bad schools and save money, but not many people who can avoid bad schools take that option, for obvious reasons. And I assume in a few small, fortunate areas, or if one gets very lucky when house/apartment shopping, it's possible for this to end up not being that large an expense, but it's atypical.