metalandmeeples
metalandmeeples t1_ja5gjbb wrote
Reply to comment by matroshka27 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
And this is an actual daycare that the public could utilize? I'm right next door to Brunswick and everything in Freeport and Yarmouth is $275/wk on the low end.
metalandmeeples t1_ja586dz wrote
Reply to comment by matroshka27 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
Every parent here would love to know where.
metalandmeeples t1_ja55ybr wrote
Reply to comment by mymaineaccount46 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
$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.
metalandmeeples t1_ja4wos5 wrote
Reply to comment by mymaineaccount46 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
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.
metalandmeeples t1_ja4s2eu wrote
Reply to comment by mymaineaccount46 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
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.
metalandmeeples t1_ja3yaj1 wrote
Reply to comment by Dry-Date-6730 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
They are either trying to gaslight people or are just out of touch.
They also likely didn't budget $7750 to max out an HSA account. Without that we'd be in perpetual medical debt.
metalandmeeples t1_ja3tr37 wrote
Reply to comment by mymaineaccount46 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
Maybe in 2005. I'd wager the average student loan borrower today is paying back at least $600/mo on the 10 year plan. Two borrowers? Double it, obviously.
As for childcare, others clearly disagree with you there too. Just look at the OP.
metalandmeeples t1_ja3oejp wrote
Reply to comment by mymaineaccount46 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
$300/mo for student loans? $1000/mo for daycare? And you say I'm the one throwing out unreasonable numbers?
metalandmeeples t1_ja3h7tg wrote
Reply to comment by mymaineaccount46 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
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?
metalandmeeples t1_ja3d83a wrote
Reply to comment by mymaineaccount46 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
It really isn't. Try to have kids and buy a house in Southern Maine in the 2020s. You can do it with less but you'll either be house poor, not saving for retirement, and/or not have any expendable income.
metalandmeeples t1_ja3c6n0 wrote
Reply to Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
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.
metalandmeeples t1_ja3bjkz wrote
Reply to comment by Seyword in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
Most Pre-K is only ~3 hours a day. 8:30 - 11:20 or 12:30 - 3:15.
metalandmeeples t1_j9pksck wrote
Reply to comment by kolzzz in Heating relief payments by kolzzz
That's what the guidance on Maine.gov states, yes.
metalandmeeples t1_j9pcw8w wrote
Reply to Heating relief payments by kolzzz
The relief is available whether or not Maine income tax is owed. Those with no taxable income may check Box A and complete lines 1-13a on the front of the Maine Individual Income Tax Form 1040ME and complete Schedule PTFC/STFC.
metalandmeeples t1_j9m6a1x wrote
Reply to CMP and Spectrum Outages by exploremore617
The area off of Jenkins Road seems to lose power the most.
metalandmeeples t1_j9jw991 wrote
Reply to comment by AssumptionLivid6879 in Dunkin budget vs. Electric bill by TarantinoFan23
Thanks for the info. I might dip my toe into this over my next vacation!
metalandmeeples t1_j9jt94c wrote
Reply to comment by AssumptionLivid6879 in Dunkin budget vs. Electric bill by TarantinoFan23
That's intriguing. Are they fairly easy to roast? Any good sources of green beans? Tandem is about $10/lb but maybe there are bulk discounts to be had somewhere?
metalandmeeples t1_j9jol9d wrote
Brett Davis - EXP Realty
metalandmeeples t1_j9jl4oa wrote
Reply to comment by OtisBerringer in Dunkin budget vs. Electric bill by TarantinoFan23
Yes, solar. Obviously that project had a cost to it, but the last two massive increases have rapidly accelerated our payback period.
metalandmeeples t1_j9jg68i wrote
Reply to comment by ecco-domenica in Dunkin budget vs. Electric bill by TarantinoFan23
Fresh beans, a quality grinder, and pour over brewing makes a much better cup of coffee than Dunkin or Starbucks. We could buy much cheaper beans, but we both love our coffee.
metalandmeeples t1_j9gisqk wrote
Reply to Dunkin budget vs. Electric bill by TarantinoFan23
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.
metalandmeeples t1_j92yfqb wrote
You're supposed to hit it.
metalandmeeples t1_j8yhnby wrote
Reply to Southern Maine fence installation? by Ready-Turnip94
Atlantic Fence Company
metalandmeeples t1_j8wx6zt wrote
Reply to Today on the trail in Lisbon by SadExtension524
Papermill trail? We live on the Lisbon side of Durham and go there sometimes.
metalandmeeples t1_ja5l8iq wrote
Reply to comment by matroshka27 in Maine Child Care Subsidy by Dry-Date-6730
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.