Do parents really! can not afford our fees?

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Originally Posted by Momof4

.... But when I see families paying $1000/month for a couple of children for daycare it just blows my mind. I don't know how they do it.

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Well if you are making a family net income of $80,000 a year your monthly income is over $6500 ... so even a $1000.00 in daycare you still have $5500 a month left for home, food, car, etc. depending on your lifestyle and priorities that is A LOT of $$$.

Now if your household income is only $40000 and your childcare expenses are $1000 a month ya you are only making 3300 a month but still 2300 is still a lot of $$$ for rent / food and so forth if you do not spend on 'frivolous' things you do not NEED ;)

It always amazes to to watch that show til Debt Do Us Part and see how much people spend on STUPID stuff when their income is not enough to support that lifestyle and yet they are 'shocked' when they realize they are spending more than $1500 a month in 'extras' they not only do not NEED and do not even realize they SPENT ... and this show is REALITY for much of society ?????

Oh I love and watch that show! :) One family was making near $150k but they still struggled to make ends and were in dept. BUT they were spending just under $800 a month alone to eat out. At the end they had to sold their house(if i remember correctly and not mixing with other episodes:)) So basically, I don't generally believe when people say "we are struggling"

How can you base your judgement on a TV show? Aren't the TV shows showing you the extremes? You really think THAT is the reality?

Unfortunately it is for many families. Often it is the families that are the most selfish - as in want everything for themselves that are the ones that are trying to shortchange us. The families barely making ends meet are more likely to realize that we don't make a lot of money either and need our pay too which is one of the reasons providers get so annoyed at the requests for a daycare deal.

Have I helped a family out, phased in the fees for a family that had been out of work for a long time and needed to catch up too so they paid the same just less for the first couple months then extra for the next few months till they were up to date then paid the regular amount. But I could afford to do that based on my finances at the time. That is not always possible and guess this is just an issue that bothers providers because too many parents just assume it doesn't matter to us and that we are there to meet their needs. Again back to the who employs, who controls, etc.

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Originally Posted by Sarah

How can you base your judgement on a TV show? Aren't the TV shows showing you the extremes? You really think THAT is the reality?

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Sadly that IS the growing reality - and no I do not base it on a TV show I base it on experience from what I see around me in my neighborhood and in my own FAMILY .... my brother and SIL could be featured on that show and my mother has claimed bankruptcy three times in her live by living beyond her means and than drowning in the debt yet they keep giving her CREDIT again cause they still make 'profit' off her even with her claiming bankruptcy :rolleyes:

I also base my opinion or judgement or whatever you want to call it on the amount of 'commercial debt' available to people - our credit card company and bank keeps trying to UP our line of credit and credit cards to ridiculously HIGH amounts of money that would bankrupt us too if we actually accepted it but there ARE people out there who not only 'accept' those ridiculous credit card limit offers of a money up to $20,000 on a credit card charging 28% interest but $75,000 in lines of credit .... and they tan LIVE OFF their cards and lines of credit with that much debt on them and because the interest is so high on these things that even though they make GOOD money they cannot get ahead.

I base my 'opinion / judgement' on the fact that the popularity of those Instant Loan places popping up on every corner - where they will loan you money against your pay cheque at a cost of like 30% interest or the growing amount of the debt consolation commercials now all over the TV where there are programs, funded by our TAX PAYER DOLLARS BTW, that allow people with 'consumer debt' to create debt repayment plans with their creditors at a fraction of the amount they actual owe basically letting them off the 'hook' for their overspending.

And primarily my judgement that DEBT of this sort is a reality for most of North America is the fact that there are businesses making a profit on those who are 'living beyond their means' ... cause if this was not the REALITY these business would not prosper nor be needed and yet there are more and more of then today than 10 years ago and 20 years ago they were 'non existent'

CONSUMER DEBT is not GOOD DEBT ... it is generally created from buying things you WANT but cannot afford ... consumer debt is generally from eating out, entertainment, buying 'gadgets and electronics', spending more on clothes and jewellery and other THINGS that you do not need but rather THINK we need.

My cousin and her husband could have starred in that Debt to us Part show ... he owned his own business which had revenue in the MILLIONS each year and employed over 50 people and she was a SAHM ... they appeared WEALTHY and he did make good money in his business ... they lived in a 4000 square foot home decorated to the hilt, drove 2 premium $100,000 SUV plus had a third vehicle for their boys to share which was nicer than any vehicle I have every had, they ate out, they traveled as a family, their boys had every gadget and toy out there, my cousin would spend $800 on a PURSE and think she got a DEAL ... when they separated and had to look at their finances to determine who would get what ... they were over a MILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT because they did not OWN their home and at the cost of the thing they never WOULD - their $4000 a month mortgage payment barely covered the INTEREST on the mortgage on that thing - a house where more than 1/2 of it was never used, they did not OWN those cars - another $200,000 in DEBT accumulating on something they did not NEED and depreciated the minute they drove it off the lot ... when they vacationed on the line of credit it went .... they bought EVERYTHING with credit and their credit just kept growing bigger and bigger to the point that even though her husband MADE over $300,000 a year they were SPENDING more than that on DEBT REPAYMENT in INTEREST and not touching the PRINCIPLE ... because yes apparently the more you make the more you 'need' to keep up with the Jones :rolleyes:

They ended up loosing everything they had because of POOR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT and while a part of me feels sorry for my cousin - there was no one to BLAME but themselves for that ... earning that kind of money for the time that they did they should have been SET for life had they lived modestly within their means and SAVED for a rainy day... but they got GREEDY with material things and ended up loosing it all :(

Far too often people have children and then complain about the cost of everything for them after the fact. People research buying homes and cars far more than they think about the costs of having children. Then they complain afterwards how they can't afford childcare. You had them, pay for them and don't expect discounts for childcare.

In many cases, it's simply people living beyond their means and accumulating debt. I knew of a family who had tons of debt before children and then went on to have 3 kids and then complained how much it cost. People need to start looking at how many kids they can afford to have. For me, I would love to have more children, but I know that financially the ones I have are all that i could provide RESP, daycare, etc for.

I have no sympathy for people who rack up tons of debt because of poor choices they made. And although people may be struggling, I'm positive you go into many of these homes & you'll find big screen t.v.s, expensive electronics etc...people often live beyond their means. In many cases, it's their own fault.

I know it's especially hard for single parents, but it can be done. My mom was a single mom to 3 kids with a low paying job but she never acquired debt and never got any financial assistance from anyone. She set a great example at being self sufficient and living within one's means.

Wow. People have messed up priorities. And WAY too many people live beyond their means. You can't afford daycare? Then do what I did...stay home. Work as a bartender in the evenings after the kids go to bed. You can't afford daycare? If you and your spouse are both working, YEAH you can. You just choose not to.

My husband works a manual labour job. We haven't made over $50k in any given year, ever. We have no car payment. We have crappy cars. But they work, and I'm not trying to pretend I'm someone else based on what I look like in my vehicle. We did not buy a big fancy house that we did not need. We live in a 1400 square foot duplex with a 5 person family. But we live in the city. And we have a blast with the disposible income we have since none of it is going toward paying off debt. We have three flat screen tv's, two laptops, a desktop computer, and seasons passes to our local amusement park. We vacation twice yearly. Our kids have toys and fun and lessons. We enjoy life. And guess what? Not ONE of those things is purchased on credit. We earn the money. We save it. We buy it. No interest. No struggle to pay off that interest ONLY, month after month.

Crazy huh? It's all about money management, and not being naive enough to buy into the debt/keeping up with the jonses trap. So many people are drowning in the debt of trying to pay off monthly interest charges, and never ever is their money going toward the reduction of debt. Gross.

ETA: I am sick to DEATH of people I know saying that they are "broke", when the truth is, they have several thousand dollars in savings. In the past, when I've said I am broke, it meant I can't afford groceries or a tank of gas. For real, parents...figure out the difference between needs and wants.

sent from my iPhone :laugh:

"sent from my iPhone :laugh: " Funny.

I did not believe her at all! Send her an email saying "I'm also struggling to make ends, for that reason I'm sorry I can't reduce my fees" And at the end I put

"Sent from my laptop" I'm sure she got the message! :D

NICE, Cocoon. I like the cutta yer jib. ;)

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Originally Posted by Alphaghetti

NICE, Cocoon. I like the cutta yer jib. ;)

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Alphaghetti, I'm sure you meant good but what is "cutta yer jib" sorry me don't know Canadish :laugh: