<prompt> Human: So without getting into the past here is my current situation. I have a little over 30k in savings. I plan on spending about 1k extra per month from savings for the next 22 months then kid A starts public school and then losing about 300 a month for an additional 2 years until kid B starts public school. After that, I would be able to save about 1,400month to build back up the fund. Variables: Currently I pay an extra 400mo towards principle on my home loan. My wife and I both have extremely stable jobs with defined benefit retirement. We contribute no match a total of 450mo towards 401ks. Our day care is extremely expensive, and we are on the wait list at multiple places, which as soon as we change would save about 500mo. We also spend a healthy amount on extras every month meat every night, lawn care, pool care. My wife can also pick up an extra shift every week, resulting in an additional 700mo take home. Selfishly I dont want to change anything like the title says. But I am thinking I should at least quit the extra mortgage principle payments and retirement contributions for now to make the monthly hit way more manageable, even if it delays retirement plans by 2-3 years. Thoughts? Recommendations? Thanks guys  <response>: I have a spreadsheet that I use to track compound interest, all of this is assuming your retirement is invested and earning 7 annually:If you start with 30k and withdraw 1000 every month for 22 months, then 300 for 24 months, then replenish with 1400mo... it will take you approximately 2 years of additional payments until your savings catches up with where it would be. Now you might say thats not so bad but in actuality, the money you are taking out now is worth more than the 1400 you are adding later because of compound interest or lack thereof. So doing it will require you to put in 8,600 more into your retirement account just to get to the same value it would have been after 6 years if you hadnt touched it.Thats 8,600 which you can never recoup because its a lost opportunity cost. If you dont touch it, that 8,600 will still be in your account and will continue to grow until you retire. After 18 years roughly when your kids move out that will be an extra 30,000 in your retirement account. After 30 years, maybe when you retire? it will be worth 80,000. Thats some pretty expensive lawn care 