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Joshua Barzon (thread published 2026-07-31) estimated the annual replacement cost…

2026-07-31 · 20:49 UTC ·@sairarahman ·2 min read

Brief

Joshua Barzon's 2026 thread calculates his stay-at-home wife's annual replacement cost at $131,130 using Des Moines, Iowa hourly rates and an itemized breakdown (housekeeper $12,942; nanny for four $59,800; homeschool educator $22,527; chef $27,981; shopper $4,281; gardener $3,600). He emphasizes it's not a literal salary but proof of unpaid labor’s economic value; commenter @sairarahman counters that those figures are far too low in higher-cost cities like LA/Seattle.

Why it matters

Joshua Barzon (thread published 2026-07-31) estimated the annual replacement cost of his stay-at-home wife's work at $131,130 using Des Moines, Iowa rates, with line items: housekeeper $12,942; nanny for four $59,800; homeschool educator $22,527; personal chef $27,981; personal shopper $4,281; gardener $3,600.

Key details

  • Barzon frames the $131,130 as a non-literal calculation to demonstrate unpaid household labor's economic value and notes additional unpriced duties—sick-child care, overnight care, appointments, curriculum planning, discipline, emotional support, and constant mental load.
  • Commenter @sairarahman disputed the figures as too low in high-cost markets, suggesting alternate numbers (e.g., personal chef $85k, gardener $4k, housekeeper $21k, nanny $100k) and calling $4k for tutors/personal shoppers unrealistically low for LA/Seattle.
Source evidence

This is the cheapest calculation of this I’ve seen.

$85k for personal chef

$4k for gardener

$21k for Housekeeper

$100k for nanny

I don’t have a gauge on tutors or personal shoppers in LA, but I had one briefly in Seattle and $4k seems ridiculously low

Josh Barzon (@JoshuaBarzon)

I calculated what it would cost to replace everything my wife does as a stay-at-home mom.

The answer: $131,130 a year.

Here's how I calculated that amount.

My wife genuinely loves being home with our four children. She homeschools them, manages our home, cooks for our family, gardens, and invests her life in raising our kids.

But every so often, she asks whether she should get a job to help financially.

Not because she wants a career outside the home, but because our culture can make stay-at-home mothers feel like they are not contributing unless they bring home a paycheck.

I always remind her:

“You already have a career. You work for our family.”

She may not receive a paycheck, but much of what she does saves us money we would otherwise have to earn, pay taxes on, and then spend hiring other people.

So I ran the numbers using typical rates in the Des Moines, Iowa area:

HOUSEKEEPER
12 hours/week × $20.74/hour
$12,942 per year

NANNY FOR FOUR CHILDREN
50 hours/week × $23/hour
$59,800 per year

HOMESCHOOL EDUCATOR
5 hours/day × 180 school days × $25.03/hour
$22,527 per year

PERSONAL SHOPPER
4 hours/week × $20.58/hour
$4,281 per year

PERSONAL CHEF
2 hours/day × $38.33/hour
$27,981 per year

PERSONAL GARDENER
3 hours/week × 30 weeks × $40/hour
$3,600 per year

TOTAL ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPLACEMENT VALUE:
$131,130

This is not meant to be a literal salary calculation. Some responsibilities overlap, but that is part of the point: replacing what one stay-at-home mother does would require hiring several different people.

And this still does not account for sick children, overnight care, appointments, curriculum planning, discipline, emotional support, family scheduling, or the constant mental load of knowing what everyone needs.

My wife may not receive a paycheck, but she creates enormous value for our family every day.

A paycheck is not the only proof that someone is contributing.

Thank a stay-at-home mom today.

— https://nitter.net/JoshuaBarzon/status/2083209607422394479#m