We finally broke the barrier and are saving enough for at least one year off for every year worked. I remember that point feeling impossible when I was a new member of the workforce and realized how little time off my piddly 3% 401(k) contribution would eventually pay for.
The big difference was preschool. Our 5-year old went to kinder, but our 3-year old we pulled from her Montessori due to concerns over teacher supervision and bullying prevention. We visited a few other Ivy-League preschools and they didn't feel like the right fit, so asked around about the Parks & Rec program. Score! People we trust said it's a great program and we liked the introduction night, philosophy, and location. The price difference is about $600/month for our 3-year old.
