People ask if I'm sad my son started kindergarten. After $87,000 in day care bills, I'm celebrating.
Mesha Griffith isn't sad that her son left daycare. After five years of paying about $1,500 a month, she's relieved to have the money back.
Mesha Griffith, a children's book author and full-time working mom in Columbus, Ohio, spent over $87,000 on childcare over five years. Her son, Ellington, began kindergarten recently, leading people to ask if she feels sad about her son growing up. However, Mesha tells them she isn't sad, as she spent more than five years paying hefty day care bills.
Before Ellington's birth, she and her husband knew they would rely on day care as both worked full-time, aiming to save for his future college expenses and secure their retirement. They started putting him in day care at three months old, paying around $1,600 monthly, which gradually increased to $1,500 per month during his kindergarten year.
Mesha and her husband decided to have only one child due to the high cost of childcare. Now that Ellington is in school and their monthly day care bill has dropped to about $623, Mesha is excited to use the extra money for a monthly cleaning service and to rebuild their savings and retirement contributions.
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