metalandmeeples

metalandmeeples t1_ja5l8iq wrote

I think you have, by far, the cheapest daycare in Southern Maine assuming that is the retail rate and isn't being subsidized. My sister-in-law is about to pay well over double that so I'll tell her to consider looking one town north instead of one town south.

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metalandmeeples t1_ja55ybr wrote

$38K on a 10-year plan is going to be a hell of a lot more than $300/mo. Considering two incomes are almost a requirement now to buy a house, unless your partner came from money they will likely have student loans of their own. We waited until our late 30s to have children because of this. Both of our parents had children in their early-to-mid 20s.

I'm not the one downvoting you by the way.

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metalandmeeples t1_ja4wos5 wrote

Where do you live in Maine? That could explain a lot here. We didn't have a choice of medical insurance plan so we have what we have. That's something else that is the norm.

The gaslighting comment isn't implying you're lying about finances, it's about you dismissing what is very clearly the norm as if it isn't the norm.

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metalandmeeples t1_ja4s2eu wrote

The average is around $40,000 which is about what both my wife and I had. I lived at home until I was 28 (I'm 40 now) and paid them off. Most people I know that graduated in the last 10 years have ~$1000/mo student loan payments. Your story and my story are not the norm. The difference here is I'm aware of that fact.

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metalandmeeples t1_ja3h7tg wrote

What's the average rent for 2 and 3 bedroom apartments in Cumberland county? Can you even find a house for under $250,000 in the area? With today's mortgage rates, a $200,000 mortgage, assuming no PMI, will cost as much as a $325,000 ($400,000+ house) mortgage cost in 2020. I really don't think you grasp how much things have changed in the last 10 years. We bought our first house in Portland for under $125,000 when interest rates were just over 3%. Our mortgage was $400. It was a 3/1 that was well over 100 years old. That same house today would cost $350,000 which would be an $1800+ mortgage without PMI. The rent would likely be $2500/mo. It's pretty much the same story all over Cumberland county. How is a family just starting out, that has no equity and has student loans, supposed to make that work - especially if they don't have family nearby that can help with childcare?

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metalandmeeples t1_ja3c6n0 wrote

You realistically need a $150,000 household income to have kids in Southern Maine unless you have retired parents that can assist and/or bought a house before housing prices more than doubled over the last decade.

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metalandmeeples t1_j9gisqk wrote

We pay about $75/mo for coffee for two people. Granted, we don't go to Dunkin or Starbucks or anything like that. We order beans in 5 lb increments from places like Tandem, Speckled Ax and Onyx. We store them in the freezer in mason jars to keep them fresh.

We pay $13.73/mo for electricity.

I guess coffee wins.

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