Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Money games

Being pregnant is very exciting - it's also very scary; specific fears today:
  • Will they be healthy?
  • Will they be good people?
  • Will I be a good mom?
  • How can I be a great mom with twins?
  • Millions more
New fears are arising, though, that are just as daunting:
  • Where will we live?
We pay $1,650 for a 1-bedroom, 780 square foot apartment with the best views in San Francisco - a quick look on Craigslist.com reveals nothing really for under $2,000. I've visited 4-apartments, called more others than I can count, and Craigslist.com stalked for hours on end. Tonight I had my first run-in with a landlord who does not want kids ... I think. She asked who would be living in the apartment, I said my husband and I, paused, and said we need more room. She said the place was too small. Hm.
  • How will we manage daycare?
Infant care is more expensive than toddler or any other age. Infant care also fills up months in advance. Today I called every Bright Horizons center (which I believe is one of the best in San Francisco) a handful are full and we can't afford any (they average at $1,900/month/child and go up 5% every year (I wish I got 5% raises every year)). I also called mom 'n pop shops from Craigslist and have been researching nannies and share care. Oh boy. The thing is, we need to figure this all out - eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
  • How can we afford food/clothes/cribs/toys?
We've cut down almost all spending - we used to be the San Francisco couple who ate out all the time, went away for weekends for fun, and a shoe sale never forgot my name. Now, we eat in almost every night, bring lunch, and a "weekend out" is a weekend looking at apartments. When I start looking at Amazon and other sites for cribs, changing tables, pumps, and more the $s fly through my head. Oofa, dizzy already.

On the bright side, I know things will work out. The healthy happy part is the most important.

No comments: