Binah's article on summer upstate vs. staying home

amother

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 11:32 am

Before Peasch there was an article in Binah about gong upstate or staying in Brooklyn.

At the end was a cost breakdown for a family of 5 children age 2-13. I read the numbers and some of them don't make sense.

---------------Upstate------------------------------Brooklyn

Bungalow------15,000---------------------------------N\A
Rent home-----6,800---------------------------------6,800
Day camp------3,000---------------------------------3,600
Extracurricular 1,000---------------------------------500
Tuition 5 kids--18,000--------------------------------18,000
Food husband -1,350-----------------------------------N\A
Food family-----9,000---------------------------------8,000
Transportation--800-----------------------------------????
Total-------------$54,950---------------------------------$36,900

Years ago people went up because it was cheaper then staying home. Now it looks like it's not.

The questions I have?
-Food upstate costs so much more then Brooklyn? In Brooklyn she is paying for everyone's food for 1,000 less.
-What is the Tuition costs? If she is in camp and paying day camp why is she also paying tuition? She has no boys in Mesvtia what's that expense? In the city is she sending some kids to school part of the time and then to day camp? I am trying to figure it out.
-They did not write the transportation expense for the Brooklyn people, could be the answer is because there is non. The kids walk to camp so no paying buses, walk to shopping walk to work or work a home.
The reason I am mentioning it is because the article said that they go to their parents and in-laws bungalow some Shobbuses. Is that there extracurricular budget?
It just sounded strange to me that transportation was not included.

giftedmom

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 11:36 am

We pay tuition for the summer even though the kids don’t attend I guess they do too. Daycamp probably provides bussing. And yes food upstate costs more.

amother

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 11:41 am

giftedmom wrote:

We pay tuition for the summer even though the kids don’t attend I guess they do too. Daycamp probably provides bussing. And yes food upstate costs more.

Don't you have to pay for bussing for day camp?In the town I live in busing is not included it's an extra, I guess it's different in Brooklyn.

I guess you can call it a summer expense if you pay in the summer utilities.

amother

Lily

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 11:55 am

I can add in that my electric bill in Brooklyn for a summer month now was more than $700 for the last bill and upstate it’s around $200. Also upstate my kids play on grounds and we don’t spend anything extra for Sunday trips… Many people that stay home end up going away for a shabbos and spending then. I also have my bungalow from many years ago and paid a little more than what it costs to rent today’s bungalows.
So for us it is definitely not more expensive to go upstate.

zigi

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 12:01 pm

You can split tuition into 12 months, so even if they aren't going you are still paying

amother

NeonBlue

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 12:18 pm

Why do you have more extracurriculars upstate?
I would think it's the opposite.
Upstate you have trees and grass and nature as entertainment

amother

Cerise

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 12:30 pm

Wow, I am not from the world of going upstate but I never realized that it cost that much money. Where are people getting that kind of money for 2 months of their lives? That is a lot of money. I guess the bungalow life is not for middle class folk.

amother

Babypink

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 3:00 pm

I was also shocked at the numbers!
When we went upstate, my husband was employed in camp and I worked remotely. So paying my rent back home and tuition, plus daycamp and travel expenses we pretty much covered out summer.
Meaning we didn’t pay our bungalow and some years got food too.
I can’t fathom paying all that money all those expenses…

Also, daycamp numbers are astronomical. We paid maybe $350 a kid (and it’s the same about where I live now). One kid daycamp is about $150).

Eta, also the rent numbers are crazy!
Glad we’re out of Brooklyn! We paid less than $1500 though, so we managed with my small summer wage.

amother

Cerulean

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 3:03 pm

I live in BP one of the few families on my block who don’t go. I guess it’s not negotiable the way the mortgage is just part of the budget and you make it happen.