That sounds like a much healthier dynamic than I have heard of in some Waldorf environments, which quite honestly have sounded a bit kooky. Glad the info was helpful. Do look into the Option options. Some are really great. I was really impressed by Salmon Bay over in Ballard, but we were outside the geozone for that so likelihood of admission was low. I THOUGHT we would be a shoo in for Hazel Wolf, as it was literally across the street (and down two blocks) from our last apartment, but we ended up on the wait list for several anxious weeks. I'm still a little nervous that they will ask us to re-prove our address before school starts, and that they will kick us off because we are no longer in the geozone (couldn't find a suitable 3br nearby when I needed to move). In any event, I'm not going to put in the change of address form until DD's butt has been firmly in her seat at Hazel Wolf for a week or two.
SPS actually puts up pretty good information about the option school enrollment statistics that can help you get a sense of which schools are easier or harder to get into. Though it can change. Hazel Wolf is moving into a new building this year, which is probably why there was a surge in demand. But if you are not dealing with that kind of a situation you can look back at the waitlist data for several years to see roughly how many kids were admitted at each grade level.
QAE looks awesome! And quite opposite of what Waldorf teaches. We believe that kids are sponges and do well in multiple types of environments. Ours just happens to tinker in a bit of everything – outdoors, arts, math, science. I think most kids are that way too, though.
So...to summarize...a guy and his wife willingly work in low-paying jobs in a HCOL city; the guy creates this thread to complain about not having enough money, and then spends numerous pages worth of posts defending his spending. Ok. Was this thread the ultimate troll?
yeah i mean at the end of the day he probably should start his own blog about this b/c its not a mustachian life he is trying to lead. its spend a bunch of money basically all you make but do a job that makes you happy til you die.
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I actually wasn't
complaining, but reaching out. I think by this point most people in this thread understand that.
Not that I have anything to prove to you, but you need to understand that our lives did not start when I made this post. We've lived the last few years making financial decisions for the better.
- In 2012, we moved from Idaho to Washington.
Income boost from $18,000 to $30,000- In 2013, we pay off our car and student loans. DEBT FREE!
Monthly savings increased by $350.
- In 2014, we purchased a house.
Mortgage payment $200/mo less than rent. But +2.5 hours every day in commuting and +$300/mo in maintenance/insurance costs, +200/mo in heating costs.- Late 2014, our car was totaled. We purchased a new one w/ a loan.
+350/mo in loan payments & insurance.- In 2015, we completed our bankruptcy almost exactly one year after purchasing the house.
- Between 2012 and 2015, I received promotions and accepted a new job, and my wife went back to work.
Income improvement from $30,000 to $72,000.
- Wife's parents were living with us and helping care for child while they got situated after moving from Idaho to Washington.
Free Child Care!- Wife's parents move out, we're looking at $1,500/mo for daycare. We find Waldorf for $754/mo (for that year).
Saved $746/mo over daycare.- Before kiddo starts school, the property I worked at was selling. I did not want to retain employment with them, and also needed to figure out the logistics of getting kiddo to/from school. If I wanted to work part-time instead of hiring someone, I could afford to lose
$20,000/yr (The cost for 4 hours of child care, 5x per week. That's not even counting extended summer care.)
- Took part-time job in industry that I want to be in.
Loss of $12,500/yr*, but the lower costs of child care more than make up for it.
- In the middle of the winter of 2015, we sell our car (that we now owned), and got bicycles.
Savings of $200/mo.
- Because of the new work schedule, we only need to find care for her for a couple of hours 3x per week during the summer. We find a summer camp that is $50/day that lasts from 7:30 A - 6:00 P, and we can drop her off or pick her up at any point in that time-frame.
We've done the math. Financially and emotionally, this is a better position for us. You don't have to read this thread. But what we have been worried about is being able to save enough. And I think we've addressed those concerns here. We will be doing public school, we've paid off our last debt, and I did something that the community didn't mention – switching to a bank with higher yield. Granted, this is a tiny improvement, but I'll take the extra $40/month on my savings... Then we will start thinking about retirement/index funds.
* Just looked at my spreadsheet that I keep for all the tips I receive. I am making $22/hr as a barista, working 30 hours/wk. We are slated to make ~$55-62,000 this year. Much higher than I previously estimated.