<prompt> Human: Honestly 200ish sounds fairly reasonable. I mean I get it, dont get me wrong. And were not so bad off that diapers, clothes, ect is going to hurt us. But with health care bills piling up, the expected 2k delivery copay assuming all goes well and existing bills already, where does it come from?! Weve been able to save about 400 a month, and with just eating out less we go out out 40ish once a week and probably 3-4fastcheap takeouts each week well recoup some money to the tune of 100 bucks a week. Wed have more discretionary income if I stopped putting renovations in the house, but not a lot... a new spigot here, a paint job there... I redid the floors in hardwoods recently and still have moldings to buy and install. The new 5 month old privacy fence needs stained. Its all relatively little stuff and I save a small fortune by turning my own wrenches on the cars, fixing my own plumbingelectricalinterior stuff. Weve got a couple grand in savings which I know isnt enough; in fact that number represents slightly less than what my wife nets in a month at her hourly job. Of course theres maternity to think about too- complete job security but its unpaid due to her lack of tenure. Everyone says oh you did it in the right order; you moved out, went to college, got married, got good jobs, bought a house BEFORE you got pregnant but weve not been graduated long- 3 years for me, 2 for her- so the extra I used to throw in savings is gone to eliminating my college debt, the car I have, the downpayment on the house, the fence... ...Im realizing this is super long. Where have yall found the money to be responsible for this whole other human life? Mostly the childcare partEDIT: Thank you guys all so much for the help. Im talking to my wife about all this and we feel a lot better. There are some great people out there and some not so great?.. and I thank you guys for crafting and maintaining this discussion. Ill check back tomorrow for more.  <response>: Chiming in as a parent of a kid with some special needs. Most soon-to-be parents dont think about this, but if your child has any special needs, you will need a parent at home. Day cares are not typically qualified or set up to take care of children with sensory issues, mobility issues, tube feeding, etc. And if your child is non-verbal, they are especially vulnerable to abuse and neglect from frustratedunqualified daycare workers.Plan for the worst, and hope for the best: budget as if you need to survive on one income, and make another budget where you both work and pay for child care. Short of having family nearby to watch your kiddo during the day, or one of you staying home for 4 years til pre-k 4, daycare will consume at least part of your income. 