It’s interesting to read about these things, because the desicion whether to have kids and when in the US is on a whole different level, financially speaking. I’m from Finland, and we have paid maternity & paternity leave, paid parental leave (that either one of the parents can use OR you can split it), free schools, (almost) free healthcare etc. On another hand, that’s not entirely a positive thing, and I’m a huge advocate of financial responsibility and thinking about the financial side of things in advance, so the thought process from another perspective intrigues me.

Also, the STUFF! I didn’t know anything about kids or the stuff you need in advance, and when I saw that a stroller can cost $1000 AND UP I almost died. We got ours second hand, and generally chose the affordable over the fancy / fashionable, as with everything else. Still, just the everyday stuff like formula, food, diapers and wipes cost so much. We also expected to save on other things (eating out, which we did a lot, travelling etc.), but it definitely didn’t make up for the difference. It actually seemed like whenever we could get a babysitter and sneak out for a nice dinner and night out, we would spend like there was no tomorrow, just because we knew those nights were far and few between. A thing I did save on though – clothes & shoes for myself. Not working for two years really cut down my need for fancy and professional outfits.