It’s overpriced hardware
Have you seen the M4 benchmarks?
If you’re memory bound then sure, you can get way more bang for your buck with Intel/AMD. But for pretty amazing CPU performance I think the “Apple is overpriced” trope isn’t really true any more.
If you don’t want to sail the high seas, and you don’t want to pay, the library is a great, free option.
Many, many (most?) commercial ham radios are powered by ~12VDC, and can be run directly off of a car battery in many cases (always use a fuse, kids!).
Olive oil is delicious, and I’ve always loved acidic foods — so long as there’s yummy dressing on the salad, sign me up.
Just get in the habit of making simple dressing, e.g., EVOO, red or balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper. (Mustard helps with emulsification.) Yes oil is caloric, but afaik this is much healthier than drowning your salad in ranch or Thousand Island or whatever.
Olive oil can make you feel full, too, so even though you’re eating fat, it can be a net win.
A Mediterranean diet is delicious, vegetarian/vegan compatible and, I think, fairly healthy. But mostly it’s the delicious that counts.
Our experience is that basically the only really expensive thing is childcare. Are you eligible for subsidized, or free, care (or have trustworthy and willing relatives)?
As for gear, babies don’t need much. But for what they do need, reach out to friends, neighbors, and family! We’re fortunate that we could have afforded everything new, but we really only bought a few things because friends and randos alike gave us so much free kid stuff (we bought a nice stroller, a baby basket, and an IKEA crib — basically everything else was a hand-me-down). Join local “buy nothing” groups, or parent groups (sadly they’re usually WhatsApp, but whatever). Most people hate throwing away stuff, and would rather it go to a good home.
Look at programs for subsidized/free necessities like diapers. There are lots of resources out there, especially in cities.
As everyone else said, no one feels ready. We certainly didn’t!
Maybe they mean four year uptime…
Isn’t universally funny.