Professional, separated mother of three kids under age 5 relocating (Boston: rentals, condo)

[Mabear1044]

I am accepting a new position in Project Management that allows me to work from home. Therefore, I am able to work from wherever. I currently live in TN, relocated from Chapel Hill, NC but originally from NY. My brother lives in South Shore. I would like to be closer to him and his family, hence my decision to move to Boston. My salary is very good btwn 70-80k. Although I will work from home I plan on putting kids in daycare.

I'm looking for advice on areas near South shore or 30 minutes or less driving. I would prefer to rent a house. My research so far has not yielded many options. What areas can you suggest that offer good daycare options, safe, affordable rent and great amenities - shopping and dining.

I'm looking to relocate in October.

[Dm84]

You can't afford to put 2 kids in daycare here on $80k/year, let alone 3.

I understand wanting to be near your brother but you probably can't afford to move here.

[ladyalicemore]

Plymouth's the "youngest" town in MA, or was last time I checked. The demographics suggest a lot of children and therefore some childcare options. The COL isn't too bad for the South Shore. That town does have rentals. Bourne or Sagamore (just at the beginning of the Cape) are more affordable, too, as is North Attleboro (just on the border with RI). There are a number of Rhode Island towns along the border that are very quaint and pretty, and quite a bit more affordable (in housing prices) than MA, but RI's taxes bewilder me so it's hard to tell what the real COL is there.

Best of luck! The income you report would be OK except that childcare is so high in the South Shore area.

Maybe you could work something out with an au pair person or housekeeper that you could supervise a bit if problems came up during the day. Some nice South Shore area towns that are more affordable: Pembroke and Hanson. Plymouth does have a lot of crime in certain parts, but it's a huge town, I think the largest town in MA, and many neighborhoods are safe.

[chicagoliz]

Be aware that daycare costs here are huge. They're about twice what they were in Pennsylvania, when we lived there. I thought 3 kids in daycare would be a lot of money when I was down near Philly -- a prohibitive amount, really. So look into that. Is your oldest almost 5? How many years would you need the kids in daycare? Many of the towns have preschools, so if the kids are 4 or so, that might be enough for you to work at home.

Many people, if they have 2 or more kids end up with an au pair or nanny, because of the cost issue. (Personally, I like a high quality daycare because of the socialization with other kids, etc., but if I were in a position where I had 3 kids who needed care, I don't think I'd be able to afford it. At least not full day, full time for all of them.)

[sal1181]

She can always look into home daycares as long as they are licensed
of course. Centers are much more expensive

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by sal1181

She can always look into home daycares as long as they are licensed
of course. Centers are much more expensive

Lets say you manage to find a home based daycare for $1k/month per kid. Even with a multi child discount she'd be spending almost half her pre tax income on child care. It's not feasible.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by Dm84

Lets say you manage to find a home based daycare for $1k/month per kid. Even with a multi child discount she'd be spending almost half her pre tax income on child care. It's not feasible.

OP indicated she is separated, so she may very well be getting money from her husband that would go toward care.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

OP indicated she is separated, so she may very well be getting money from her husband that would go toward care.

OP: You've given us a salary but that's not a budget. I use a (relatively inexpensive) home daycare that comes out to about $1200/month/child. I have coworker who pay more than double that. Unless you've got additional income that you're not mentioning, you will only be able to afford day care in the greater Boston area but not really much else. I would recommend against coming here. If you do have additional income can you give us a total available for housing+daycare? Without that we'll all just be giving you somewhat blind information.

[Peabody99]

South shore is cheaper than Boston area. You can can a condo, and find cheap daycare. In MetroWest we were paying around $1140 a month at a home daycare for one child! You would have to really research daycare before the move.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

OP indicated she is separated, so she may very well be getting money from her husband that would go toward care.

True, but there's always the off chance something interrupts that income, such as ex losing a job, or simply not paying. You never know.




But $80K, 2 (maybe 3) kids in daycare, plus renting a house? Prob $1100/kid for daycare, and $2k/month to rent a house? That's going to stretch a budget unless her ex has a $2k/month child support order against him. (and isn't challenging the relocation to begin with)


Of course, that's some assumption on my part. My apologies if any is incorrect, but MA is incredibly expensive to live here on one income