"Working parents across America face a dark financial reality: childcare costs can rival or exceed their rent or mortgage payments. For example, in Springfield, Massachusetts, daycare runs nearly $24,000 annually, with the national average in major metro areas topping $15,000, according to LendingTree research."
"When her brother asked how she worked from home when her twins were young, Alford shared what she calls her "very best trick": despite her "frugal nature", she spent $200 monthly on a gym membership - and the math worked decisively in her favor."
"Alford's calculation: Using the gym conservatively 20 days monthly for 2.5 hours per visit equals 50 hours of childcare for $200 - just $4 per hour for two kids. This also enabled her to "continue growing my freelance writing business without taking that much time away from my kids.""
Childcare expenses frequently match or exceed housing payments, pushing many families to treat childcare as a second mortgage. In some metros, annual daycare can approach or exceed $15,000, and certain localities see costs near $24,000. One parent used an upscale gym's supervised childcare, paying $200 per month for multiple 2.5-hour sessions, yielding roughly 50 hours of care and effectively reducing per-hour cost to about $4 for two children. The arrangement provided supervised care, workspace, and occasional personal time, and it allowed continued freelance work while limiting time away from children. Rising costs are forcing workforce exits and financial strain.
Read at Moneywise
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