conversation: User (GoofTroop_PoopChute): "Wife and I are thinking about starting to try for a child and I'm curious as to how much having a child changed everyone's budgets? There will obviously be added costs for diapers, food, daycare, etc. but I'm also thinking other budgets may be able to be decreased for a while (going out to dinner, entertainment, etc.).\n\n\n\nWould love input from everybody on how to plan for this and what advice you would give me. Are there things nobody thinks about that I should consider?\n\n\n\nEDIT: The reason I ask is because my wife is considering a job change. It would be doing something she loves but would come with a $1,200 a month (take home) pay cut. And she would not get paid maternity leave (which would be really rough). It would also be three days a week instead of five. Those other two days she could stay home with the child and save on daycare expenses. Also, my mother is a daycare provider that lives a few blocks away. We will still pay her but it should be significantly less than any other option."
  Self: "You can plan as much as you want, but in the end, it won't be enough. \n\nGoing out will be supplanted by take out a bunch because you'll be too tired to cook every single night. \n\nOur entertainment budget actually stayed about the same. We go on overnight stays to give ourselves a break and give the kid to his grandparents when a three-day weekend rolls around. Keeps our sanity, allows us to sleep in, and catch up with our friends, etc. \n\nEdit: Daycare is a huge expense that pretty much takes over anything you'd save. The average in my county is 1500  per month (NYC suburb). "
  throwawayBeets (throwawayBeets): "Wtf, 1500 a month? Why is it so high? Don't daycare have several kids to care for?"
  Pewpsandbewbs (Pewpsandbewbs): "I live in MA, $1,500 is normal here too. It sucks but that's the breaks around here.   "
  