Comments on: Daycare Dilemma – Exploring Ways To Cut Costs

By: Daycare Dilemma - One Year Later :The Happy Rock

Daycare Dilemma - One Year Later :The Happy Rock — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:57:00 +0000

[...] bonus points if you remember that one of the first posts that I wrote for The Happy Rock was about daycare. Back then daycare was costing us about $950 a month. So its no wonder why I wrote about it, it was [...]

By: DD’s Monthly Expenses - June 2009 - The Grocery Breakthrough | The Happy Rock

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:29:47 +0000

[...] of our expenses has gone to daycare [...]

By: My New Daycare

My New Daycare — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:11:35 +0000

I agree that daycare expenses are a tough one. I’m lucky enough that I work from home part time and keep my youngest home with me on those days, so only need a daycare center part-time during the week. However, she’s going through her terrible two phase now and requires a lot of attention to keep her out of trouble, so I look forward to her nap times and try to get as much work done as I can during those 2-3 hours each day. Having a “family friendly” job helps out a lot. When looking for daycare, we got so frustrated with finding a good daycare, that we started our own daycare listing service!

By: Nicole G

Nicole G — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:52:49 +0000

Yes, daycare is a killer. We have 3 children and very little spendable income after basic needs and daycare costs. Luckily, we have found a few tricks to help us stay afloat. My oldest is now in a really good public elementary school, which helps. My younger two go to daycare only part time, 2 days/week. I work a regular 8-5 job and my husband works 3rd shift. He watches the kids three days out of the week. Also, we did some MAJOR shopping around for daycares. We finally found one that has regular part-time care (no “sharing slots” w/ other parents required), offers a sibling discount and also offers us a discount for dropping our children after 8AM and picking them up before 4PM (which we can do b/c of my husband’s schedule). It is not state-of-the-art and not a program that advertises offerings that will turn your child into the next Mozart or Einstein – but it is clean, safe and has a good caregiver/child ratio. We have made a lot of mistakes regarding our chose in daycares over the past 5 years. We chose care we really couldn’t afford out of a misguided sense that this would make up for the fact that we work and our children “need” such programs. The truth is, we are happier with our current program and so are our children. They smile and play and learn just as well as they ever did in the pricier daycares. I’m not saying that if you can afford pricey, you shouldn’t go that route – that is entirely based on what is right for YOUR family – but I will say that we are doing our best for our own children.

By: Nicki

Nicki — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:47:08 +0000

We did option 2 when my job was a night shift (with benefits) and I was going to school. My husband and I didn’t see each other much, and 15 months into it we moved in with my parents, when we switched to option 1. That’s working, but we constantly discuss going back to alternating shifts. If one of us could find a job in our field that provided that option, I think we would go back to it in a nanosecond. At least my oldest is about to start Kindergarten – except for the summer, it will be a definite relief.

By: Christian Personal Finance

Christian Personal Finance — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Debt is like wetting the bed……

I found this quote about debt and I love it…
“Borrowing money is like wetting your bed in the middle of the night. At first all you feel is warmth and release. But very, very quickly comes the awful, cold discomfort of reality.”…

By: The Family Wallet » Blog Archive » Mid Week Roundup - Teaching Kids About Money, Money Secret, Estate Planning

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:23:45 +0000

[...] The Happy Rock shares some thoughts on the Daycare Dilemma – Exploring Ways To Cut Costs. [...]

By: Monroe on a budget

Monroe on a budget — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:26:28 +0000

My husband and I work different shifts, although it’s not because of day care issues. That’s just how it is right now.

Luckily, my work is a mile away from home. I can, and do, go home for lunch. That’s when husband and I catch up for the day (he’s just waking up to get ready for his 3-11 shift).

By: Festival of Frugality #135 - The Frugal All Over Edition | Antishay Ventenne

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:28:37 +0000

[...] Happy Rock presents Daycare Dilemma – Exploring Ways To Cut Costs posted at The Happy [...]

By: spillingbuckets

spillingbuckets — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:16:49 +0000

I forgot about nannies. My mom was bedridden with my brother’s pregnancy (and several miscarriages) so I had a nanny live at home with us several years.

Be careful with those. I had one nanny (from an agency, but I don’t know which one) who was abusive. I was only 5 but I have terrible memories and had to see a psychiatrist as a child. Other nannies were FANTASTIC and several we still keep in touch with. I think I had 5 total? (mom was pregnant for a long time with complications)

It’s a good option, but make sure you know the person you are getting.