I was too, so I understand the inclination. But it's important to realize that religion is just an excuse to ignore or reject what you don't like. The Bible (or pretty much any other religious text) can be used to justify anything. It's so broad that you can easily find a quote that supports your views, regardless of how abhorrent.

This can really be simplified to willful disregard of facts. If you ignore inconvenient facts, you can't fix the problem.

On the flip side, going to a community college doesn't limit your potential. My MIL is a director at a major corporation and went to a community college.

Sure, a degree from a high-powered university helps land that first job. But from that point on, it's hard work, consistency, and reliability that matter. Along with good judgement and communication.

Oblivion

Humans

Dog sleeping in the hallway

The bachelor/bachelorette

Thanks for the suggestion! I looked it up and it's a great song, but not sure I have enough hands to play it!

Bread

I shop for clothes almost exclusively in the Kohl's clearance section. It's saved me a ton. But you do end up buying winter clothes in the summer and summer clothes in the winter for the most part.

Down payment for a cabin on a lake in Maine

A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab. I read this series twice

I have a 2 year old. What that has taught me is that dishonesty in the face of unpleasantness is the natural human condition. Honesty is a sign of maturity.

Example: Me: "You smell stinky. Did you poop?" Toddler: "Nooooo.... " Me: [checks diaper to find adult-sized turd] Me: " You pooped. Time to change your diaper" Toddler: "I didn't poopy! Nooooo... "

I have 2 kids. Seem excessive?

Can't get to the interview if they're removing resumes with large employment gaps.

Doesn't make up for 5 years of lost experience. I'd hire the guy who was doing the same job yesterday over the one who did it 5 years ago and maybe still remembers how things work.

Same way everyone else does: we sacrifice a full income while we wait for better days. 3k per month is higher than my mortgage plus student loans. But it won't last forever. We keep an eye on interest rates and reduce our payments when the stars align.

No, per week. 800/month seems reasonable. We pay over 3k per month.

Why risk it? We also have technical jobs where we need to keep up with the latest technologies. I can't imagine trying to convince a potential employer that I'm still skilled at using a $200k piece of equipment that I haven't even thought about for the last 5 years.

So, we grit our teeth, hope nothing expensive breaks, and look forward to the days when we can reclaim our over $40k per year in spending money.

Two reasons: 1. To maintain some semblance of sanity in both of our lives. 2. After daycare is over, that parent basically has to start over careerwise and try to explain a 5 year employment gap to prospective employers.

Edit: I should add that this break-even state is temporary. We get annual raises and the daycare costs come down as the kids progress. So in a year or so, our income goes up 3 to 10% and daycare comes down by something like $20 per week.

I also threw 401k contributions into the "taxes" category, which is inaccurate. So it's not truly a wash. We are still able to save some money from the "lost" income. In a pinch, we can cut the 401k temporarily and reinstate it later. But that's for emergencies only.

In MA, the cheapest childcare I've seen is about $60/day, but that's nowhere near where anyone lives.

For a decent daycare for 2 kids, we pay over $800/week. My wife and I make decent money and, after taxes, this comes out to almost 100% of one of our salaries.