never heard of no coffee in any office, even our 12 person startup office has a Keurig and Nespresso machine with stocked pods

YouBet said:

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$30,000 Millionaire said:

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If your company ever hires AT Kearney to look at expenses, you can plan on a terrible environment.

No clocks on walls - those batteries cost money
No coffee and tea, but there may be a Starbucks that pays the company to use their space and that's your amenity (hardly)
Open office concept with no assigned desks to have less space
HVAC shuts off at 6pm
No printers or restricted access printers
Garbage bins in hallways or a central area
No office supplies - you'll have to bring your own

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My company tried that for a few weeks. They quickly reversed it when employees protested by refusing to use the central trash cans and instead just left trash everywhere. That's an easy one to overcome.

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that's funny.. I have a trash can at my desk, and I don't like to use it lol.
I bring my food trash to the kitchen and paper trash to the copy room bin.

I kind of started doing this when covid first hit.. my reasoning being I'd rather have the cleaning crew in my area as least as possible. At one point I just put the trash upside down so they knew they didn't need to come over and get it.

Cyp0111 said:

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Work in satellite office of a huge company. No coffee

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I also worked out of a satellite office of a huge company. They shut down the office and converted all of us to remote workers.

lck90 said:

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People on TexAgs work? I thought we were all millionaires.

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Millionaires work...

Cynic said:

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I have to go into the office two days a week. The complainers about this policy drive me nuts. They say other companies will steal the talent because they do full remote.

I'm waiting for them to leave but they don't.

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2 days a week is easy and just fine for most all I'm sure. It's the companies fighting for 5 days a week in office that I think may be more impacted than others, in terms of talent flight. Money talks though…

I like going in 5 days a week where I'm at now. Short commute and real young ones at home. But it's nice for people to have the options and flexibility as needed.

If I worked somewhere where I had an office to go into and my commute wasn't completely atrocious I would probably go in voluntarily 4-5 days per week simply because it's going to automatically give me a leg up on everyone else...in most cases.

I would then laugh at all the remote people pissing and moaning about me getting promoted and they didn't. You should have been there.

I think this thread is an interesting read.

Presumably the majority of us on this forum are college educated and well above average wage earners, yet much of the discussion feels like it's suggesting we are average or normal. $1250/mo daycare is a high end level of care... Some shop or lady down the block to watch your kid didn't cost that. In other words, the comments about optimizing and hardening are spot on... But I also suspect for many on here it ultimately means I was only able to invest an extra $50,000 in my brokerage account this year instead of $70,000.. because airfare, luxury resorts, and restaurants are all way up.

But then that bonus comes in high and right back to investing the 70k+ and booking an extra vacation!

There are many people that do all they can and live a very low standard of living and barely get by. For those, with every increase in bare necessity costs, there are many people that cross that line where they choose 1 more day of basic food for the family or 1 more gallon of gas to get to work. They have to choose the gas or they lose it all.

I'm not talking sympathically about the leaches on society.. I'm talking the hard workers who do all they know how to do to stay afloat. My secret liberal/sympathetic side comes out around this topic.

YouBet said:

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If I worked somewhere where I had an office to go into and my commute wasn't completely atrocious I would probably go in voluntarily 4-5 days per week simply because it's going to automatically give me a leg up on everyone else...in most cases.

I would then laugh at all the remote people pissing and moaning about me getting promoted and they didn't. You should have been there.

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If the remote person better than the office person, I would bet money they would still be promoted over the office employee.

Ogre09 said:

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Wait, we're supposed to be putting $70k in our brokerage account? Annually?

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Yes.

Our C Suite is WFH ~3 days a week. At my company it really is all about quality of output, not quantity of time at your desk. Where the perception does come into play is folks who always complain about coming to the office.

Cyp0111 said:

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Gas , plus lunch and coffee ets. It's prob closer to $600-800 mth

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You didn't eat lunch or drink coffee at home??

Grandparents willing to watch the kids are a real blessing.

AgsMyDude said:

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cjsag94 said:

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I think this thread is an interesting read.

Presumably the majority of us on this forum are college educated and well above average wage earners, yet much of the discussion feels like it's suggesting we are average or normal. $1250/mo daycare is a high end level of care... Some shop or lady down the block to watch your kid didn't cost that.

---

I'm curious. Do you currently have kids in daycare?


We have 2 and recently shopped prices around with 6 different places. Some were ladies that do them at their house all the way to full-on "pre-schools"

The CHEAPEAST of the 6 for a child under 18 months was $1,100 a month. And that was "some lady down the block" who watches them downstairs and lives her life upstairs. Absolutely nowhere near "high-end level of care".

This in the 'burbs too.

If you have 2 kids, you get a $40-a-month reduction for "bundling"

Daycare is outrageously expensive these days.

---

I do not, and I don't doubt your numbers. My point, though, is that your case starts with living in the burbs and all that it takes to do that. Poor/low income people don't pay that... They use family and community resources out of necessity. Spending $1000/mo on child care is a luxury... What I do have is teenage daughters, and be warned that you may stop paying for daycare, but those expenses and more have a way of shifting to something else throughout the years.

Three are all luxury expenditures we incur because we can.. loving in the burbs around others like us make us feel it is normal.

Interesting chart on low income childcare sources here:

https://www.aei.org/poverty-studies/how-do-low-income-families-pay-for-child-care/

AgsMyDude said:

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cjsag94 said:

---

I think this thread is an interesting read.

Presumably the majority of us on this forum are college educated and well above average wage earners, yet much of the discussion feels like it's suggesting we are average or normal. $1250/mo daycare is a high end level of care... Some shop or lady down the block to watch your kid didn't cost that.

---

I'm curious. Do you currently have kids in daycare?


We have 2 and recently shopped prices around with 6 different places. Some were ladies that do them at their house all the way to full-on "pre-schools"

The CHEAPEAST of the 6 for a child under 18 months was $1,100 a month. And that was "some lady down the block" who watches them downstairs and lives her life upstairs. Absolutely nowhere near "high-end level of care".

This in the 'burbs too.

If you have 2 kids, you get a $40-a-month reduction for "bundling"

Daycare is outrageously expensive these days.

---

These days?

I paid more than more $1250 a month for my first kid almost a decade ago. First child started Jan 2015 and was $315 a week.
It peaked at $630/wk for the year 2016 for two kids.

Luckily my wife netted more than this after paying the family health premiums and into her pension, so she kept working.

62strat said:

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AgsMyDude said:

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cjsag94 said:

---

I think this thread is an interesting read.

Presumably the majority of us on this forum are college educated and well above average wage earners, yet much of the discussion feels like it's suggesting we are average or normal. $1250/mo daycare is a high end level of care... Some shop or lady down the block to watch your kid didn't cost that.

---

I'm curious. Do you currently have kids in daycare?


We have 2 and recently shopped prices around with 6 different places. Some were ladies that do them at their house all the way to full-on "pre-schools"

The CHEAPEAST of the 6 for a child under 18 months was $1,100 a month. And that was "some lady down the block" who watches them downstairs and lives her life upstairs. Absolutely nowhere near "high-end level of care".

This in the 'burbs too.

If you have 2 kids, you get a $40-a-month reduction for "bundling"

Daycare is outrageously expensive these days.

---

These days?

I paid more than more $1250 a month for my first kid almost a decade ago. First child started Jan 2015 and was $315 a week.
It peaked at $630/wk for the year 2016 for two kids.

Luckily my wife netted more than this after paying the family health premiums and into her pension, so she kept working.

---

When I said "these days" I meant the past decade or so. Not literally just 2022/2023.

nm

coastalAg said:

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This has been pointed out on other threads, but Church run day cares/pre-schools are the value play in the day care market.

I pay $600/month for full time care for my kid.

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Long waiting lists at many tho.

techno-ag said:

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coastalAg said:

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This has been pointed out on other threads, but Church run day cares/pre-schools are the value play in the day care market.

I pay $600/month for full time care for my kid.

---

Long waiting lists at many tho.

---

Fair. Just pointing out there may be other options to the $1000+ a month standalone facilities.

coastalAg said:

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techno-ag said:

---

coastalAg said:

---

This has been pointed out on other threads, but Church run day cares/pre-schools are the value play in the day care market.

I pay $600/month for full time care for my kid.

---

Long waiting lists at many tho.

---

Fair. Just pointing out there may be other options to the $1000+ a month standalone facilities.

---

Is $600/month church care educational too? Or just providing a safe and fun place for your kid?

62strat said:

---

AgsMyDude said:

---

cjsag94 said:

---

AgsMyDude said:

---

cjsag94 said:

---

I think this thread is an interesting read.

Presumably the majority of us on this forum are college educated and well above average wage earners, yet much of the discussion feels like it's suggesting we are average or normal. $1250/mo daycare is a high end level of care... Some shop or lady down the block to watch your kid didn't cost that.

---

I'm curious. Do you currently have kids in daycare?


We have 2 and recently shopped prices around with 6 different places. Some were ladies that do them at their house all the way to full-on "pre-schools"

The CHEAPEAST of the 6 for a child under 18 months was $1,100 a month. And that was "some lady down the block" who watches them downstairs and lives her life upstairs. Absolutely nowhere near "high-end level of care".

This in the 'burbs too.

If you have 2 kids, you get a $40-a-month reduction for "bundling"

Daycare is outrageously expensive these days.

---

I do not, and I don't doubt your numbers. My point, though, is that your case starts with living in the burbs and all that it takes to do that. Poor/low income people don't pay that... They use family and community resources out of necessity. Spending $1000/mo on child care is a luxury... What I do have is teenage daughters, and be warned that you may stop paying for daycare, but those expenses and more have a way of shifting to something else throughout the years.

Three are all luxury expenditures we incur because we can.. loving in the burbs around others like us make us feel it is normal.

Interesting chart on low income childcare sources here:

https://www.aei.org/poverty-studies/how-do-low-income-families-pay-for-child-care/

---

Daycare is not a luxury expenditure if both parents need to work. It is a necessity. What a wild take.

---

It is a luxury for those that can afford it..
But if mom or dad don't make enough to cover daycare, then one quits and raise the kids until grade school. Another job can be had at that time. It is not necessary for both parents to continue working and be in the hole for daycare. Why would you??? You have more revenue if one quits.

Now a couple both working that are barely making enough to make ends meet.. that is going to be a problem when a kid comes and either the added expense of daycare, or loss of a job comes around.

But no one forced you to have a baby either.

---

What are you lecturing for? Your whole posts said nothing that we don't already all know.

And where exactly did I say someone forced me to have a baby?

Anyway you are getting way off track from the point at hand.

The original quote of $1,250 a month for "high end care" is completely off basis. That's what "some shop" costs these days.

62strat said:

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coastalAg said:

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techno-ag said:

---

coastalAg said:

---

This has been pointed out on other threads, but Church run day cares/pre-schools are the value play in the day care market.

I pay $600/month for full time care for my kid.

---

Long waiting lists at many tho.

---

Fair. Just pointing out there may be other options to the $1000+ a month standalone facilities.

---

Is $600/month church care educational too? Or just providing a safe and fun place for your kid?

---

They have education and religious curriculum that is followed. Their days are very structured with a good balance of play mixed in.

I pay for childcare for two littles that attend a middle tier Pre-K and am reading y'all's figures for costs. *Cries in Californian*

Wife and I just had our first. Luckily we are in a position where she will just stay home. But if we weren't, I can promise you we'd sell our house and buy a 30k RV to live in. Dual income isn't necessary.