Families and kids poll time

[kphoger]

I am not trying to offend any specific married couple ... There's no reason to have more than 3 kids.

You just offended anyone with more than 3 kids.

[MultiMillionMiler]

There's nothing offensive in that statement.

[kphoger]

where you live

Wichita, KS

how much of your income is blown in rent/groceries

Rent, approx. 20%.  However, when we were first married and started having children, it was more like 40%.

Groceries, I'd have to do some calculation.  This is the first year in a long time that we didn't qualify for food stamps, so I'm not quite sure how much we spend on groceries nowadays.

how much in savings you have

About a thousand bucks, plus whatever tax refund comes in this year.

your physical health

Normal, I guess.  My wife and I don't have health insurance, though.  Too expensive.

so there no specific answer for income. 6 figures minimum I'd say, definitely.

I have a family of five, and you'd have to double our combined income to hit six figures.



Now judge me.  And my wife.

[kphoger]

There's nothing offensive in that statement.

You're saying that anyone with more than 3 kids is making the world a worse place.  That, if anything, they should have adopted instead.

[Roadgeekteen]

where you live

Wichita, KS

how much of your income is blown in rent/groceries

Rent, approx. 20%.  However, when we were first married and started having children, it was more like 40%.

Groceries, I'd have to do some calculation.  This is the first year in a long time that we didn't qualify for food stamps, so I'm not quite sure how much we spend on groceries nowadays.

how much in savings you have

About a thousand bucks, plus whatever tax refund comes in this year.

your physical health

Normal, I guess.  My wife and I don't have health insurance, though.  Too expensive.

so there no specific answer for income. 6 figures minimum I'd say, definitely.

I have a family of five, and you'd have to double our combined income to hit six figures.



Now judge me.  And my wife.

I'm not going to judge you, but having 3 kids on food stamps doesn't sound very fun to me, but you might feel differently. Also how do you live without health insurance? I know that the US health system is fucked but are you not worried about a member of your family getting sick or hurt and having a big medical expense?

Not judging your family (like MMM would), I'm just curious.

[Max Rockatansky]

where you live

Wichita, KS

how much of your income is blown in rent/groceries

Rent, approx. 20%.  However, when we were first married and started having children, it was more like 40%.

Groceries, I'd have to do some calculation.  This is the first year in a long time that we didn't qualify for food stamps, so I'm not quite sure how much we spend on groceries nowadays.

how much in savings you have

About a thousand bucks, plus whatever tax refund comes in this year.

your physical health

Normal, I guess.  My wife and I don't have health insurance, though.  Too expensive.

so there no specific answer for income. 6 figures minimum I'd say, definitely.

I have a family of five, and you'd have to double our combined income to hit six figures.



Now judge me.  And my wife.

I'm not going to judge you, but having 3 kids on food stamps doesn't sound very fun to me, but you might feel differently. Also how do you live without health insurance? I know that the US health system is fucked but are you not worried about a member of your family getting sick or hurt and having a big medical expense?

Not judging your family (like MMM would), I'm just curious.

Happiness is where you find it.  Often it is not a template despite what popular perception would have you believe.

[kphoger]

I'm not going to judge you, but having 3 kids on food stamps doesn't sound very fun to me

Fun?  You just pay for your groceries using two forms of payment.  *shrug*

Actually, when COVID-19 hit, the state started giving out more money to food stamp recipients, and it lasted for a couple of years.  It got the point that we were getting more from the state than we could spend at the store.  So one time we went on a shopping spree and gave the groceries to a family we knew who needed them, and then we also started buying extra meat for the deep freeze.  I guess, really, you could say that was kind of fun.

But otherwise, food stamps are just another piece of plastic in your wallet.

Also how do you live without health insurance?

It's pretty easy.  We don't go to the doctor.

I know that the US health system is fucked but are you not worried about a member of your family getting sick or hurt and having a big medical expense?

Yes.  A couple of weeks ago, I slightly dislocated my shoulder while doing some cardio in the living room with dumbbells (exercise is bad for you!), and I was worried for a few days that it was a torn rotator cuff and would eventually require surgery.  Heart disease runs in my family and, the one time in the last two decades I've actually had blood work done, it showed I have borderline cholesterol–so I do worry about that, although diet and exercise have helped a lot.  Then, too, cancer runs in my wife's family.

But worrying about stuff like that doesn't magically make health insurance premiums affordable.

[kphoger]

Your family sounds pretty well off (I don't know what the cost of living is in Wichita though).

Our rent is far below average, because we have awesome landlords.  And I suppose we're about average when it comes to standard of living.  But we aren't "pretty well off" by any American standard.

Then again, I spend time in small-town Mexico, by whose standards we live like kings...

[kphoger]

That's why I said where you live is crucial. 20% if income goes torental? It's like 80% here in NY, but health insurance is a must, even just for emergency room visits. I myself was in the hospital for 2 days with covid back in July (and am fully vaxxed). And that's a good example, it's a risk not to get your kids regular check-ups/medical care when needed due to lack of insurance. I was admitted to the hospital one other time in my life with GI pain/bleeding, and you know how much they charged for 3 nights? $30,000.

Our kids have Medicaid.

And you apparently don't realize that a health insurance plan for a family of five would cost more than $30,000 over the course of just two years–just to have coverage, not counting out-of-pocket expenses like deductible and copay.

[Roadgeekteen]

This is why we need universal healthcare in the US

[Max Rockatansky]

This is why we need universal healthcare in the US

Do we though?  What about actually making healthcare actually reasonably affordable.  Problem is that government mandate and oversite are never popular in the U.S.

[Roadgeekteen]

This is why we need universal healthcare in the US

Do we though?  What about actually making healthcare actually reasonably affordable.  Problem is that government mandate and oversite are never popular in the U.S.

Well anything that makes healthcare more affordable for normal people is a plus in my book.

[MultiMillionMiler]

Agreed. Personally, I would rather drive without car insurance than live without health insurance.

[Scott5114]

This is why we need universal healthcare in the US

Do we though?  What about actually making healthcare actually reasonably affordable.  Problem is that government mandate and oversite are never popular in the U.S.

Universal healthcare seems to be the only way that any developed country that has sought to make healthcare reasonably affordable has actually managed to achieve it.

[Roadgeekteen]

Agreed. Personally, I would rather drive without car insurance than live without health insurance.

Wow we actually agree on something!

[JayhawkCO]

Agreed. Personally, I would rather drive without car insurance than live without health insurance.

Wow we actually agree on something!

Still need liability at a minimum.

[MultiMillionMiler]

Agreed. Personally, I would rather drive without car insurance than live without health insurance.

Wow we actually agree on something!

Well also because you are likely going to need your health insurance more in a serious car crash than the car insurance. A hybrid of universal health and car care would make life so much more affordable.

[kphoger]

Personally, I would rather drive without car insurance than live without health insurance.

Car insurance covers other people.  Health insurance covers yourself.

The equivalent to life without health insurance is driving with liability only.

[kphoger]

This is why we need universal healthcare in the US

Do we though?  What about actually making healthcare actually reasonably affordable.  Problem is that government mandate and oversite are never popular in the U.S.

Universal healthcare seems to be the only way that any developed country that has sought to make healthcare reasonably affordable has actually managed to achieve it.

"Affordable" is complicated.  For example, my American income would be more than enough to cover paying cash for routine in-patient and out-patient healthcare if I were living in Mexico.  At the most, I'd just need catastrophic coverage.  Mexican citizens have universal coverage because it's unaffordable otherwise, while American expats can afford to pay cash.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Don't have kids/don't want kids. Being an uncle is enough.

[Rothman]

Ugh.  Too many threads are going to the dogs because of MMM.  Every time I dare let an off-topic thread draw my interest, he comes in and derails it.

[Max Rockatansky]

Ugh.  Too many threads are going to the dogs because of MMM.  Every time I dare let an off-topic thread draw my interest, he comes in and derails it.

To the dogs you say?

When I think of Finland, I think of Poiponen13 first. Therefore Souky should be the capital of Finland.

Souky is already the Canadian SSR capital.  Are you saying the Canadian SSR should invade Finland?  I think this is needed.

Yes it is needed. Better do it quick before MMM paves Souky over for his mew interstates.

How did you know I was a cat lover?

[Hobart]

I realized that the sound of a crying child gives me feelings of rage rather than genuine concern, and that's probably bad, so no, I will not have children in the future. I would also need somebody to have them with, which is a rather large hurdle.

I also feel like I'd pass on a lot of generational trauma and baggage that should really just be capped with me. I also have a lot of other issues internally, between the funny autism, a lot of anxiety, the gender transient response, issues with sexuality... I don't exactly consider myself to be a solid foundation upon which I should build a little Hobart upon! I can barely hold myself together! To top this all off, I'm still not entirely convinced that I'm not the last generation before the human race goes extinct.

Plus lowkey, all of my hobbies are really expensive and time consuming. Collecting brass instruments isn't cheap, fursuits aren't cheap, and the cost of everything is going up. I don't think it is a good personal choice for me to spend thousands of dollars to have less free time and more responsibilities.

[kkt]

It's funny how attitudes change.  I felt more irritation than concern about crying babies, but when I had my own I felt more concern, not only about my baby but about crying babies in general.  And I still do, even though my child is long past the crying stage.

[SectorZ]

Agreed. Personally, I would rather drive without car insurance than live without health insurance.

Of course you would risk someone's else financial future at the expense of your own. Talk about selfish. Maybe we need helicopters with grappling hooks to yank the uninsured cars off the roads.