Added a 3rd player to our family game of Life, managed to navigate the early years with relatively lower childcare costs thanks to one part-time job, one WFH parent, and the pandemic that (ironically) saved us from a few years more of preschool costs. As a result our kid got a lot more time with parents and is excelling in school.

Had one major dental piece of work done (an implant) in our fam and it's was seven fucking thousand dollars.

We bought two cars, both cash. Both used ~1-1.5 years old. Both required for commuting, one part-time. 4 years ago one of us adults went FT WFH and we have been weighing ditching the second car. For how horrible new cars are between subscription services and the ever present slow slide into cutting corners, the thought of hovering having to buy one in a few years if circumstances change make us want to have it, even when it mostly sits. I looked into car insurance that was pay-per-mile ~5 years ago and it was stupidly expensive, maybe $25/mp cheaper than full unlimited coverage. Even driving like 3 days per week, 100iles round trip was more expensive than unlimited traditional coverage. Convinced me the market was t mature yet. But if more sane PPM insurance comes to the fore it might change 2nd vehicle criteria.

Traveled hardly at all for 5 years and right as we were going to start traveling with our youngin COVID hit. COVID saved us a bunch of money for sure between activities we didn't get guilted into, trips, etc.

Health insurance costs are so wild. One of us has great insurance with low premiums but doesn't cover dependents. The other has decent health insurance but just annual premiums are $5,000 even without going to the doctor. That is fucking insane, which we all know the US system is.

Alcohol consumption has dropped a lot in the last few years in our house where it had been quite heavy. Probably 80% drop, save I'd guess $3-4k per year. Was honestly one of the only discretionary things I personally spent money on with any regularity.

Went from early to mid-careers, we can max out savings and just squeak by in life. Most others seem to be living for now and cutting savings rates. The older I get the less I'm sure that saving and giving up life moments and experiences when young is the wisest approach. Maybe crazy to say in this forum, but smwjth how fast inflation has and with all likelihood in the future eat up savings, I worry "the now" I'm giving up might actually be the only time I had to experience that thing as later it will be so much more expensive, relative to what it was in earlier years.