The real cost of kids---
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well, i have 4 kids, and a husband, and we survive quite well on around 36k a year. my kids don't have every new toy that comes out, nor do they get everything they want, but they are nicely clothed, housed, and well fed. and i even have $$ going into savings every month.
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104 Posts
I estimate about $1400 a year for two kids under three, and that is steadily going down.
We have four (14 down to 8) and we live on 39k. We don't have anything going into savings right now, however. That's the goal for the next year. Making due with what you have (including all the children you desire) is an excellent teaching tool for the little ones.
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3,920 Posts
Folks, it doesn't cost $100k a year, "they" say it costs $100k over 18 years.
Let's say a family brings in $50k a year and that 30% of that is spent on things that you would not have purchased if you didn't have kids. Let's say you have three and that the total time they are in the home is 20 years (overlap and such).
That's $15k per year for 20 years, which is $300k. That's $100k each over their "stay at home" life.
See how that works?
R
Let's say a family brings in $50k a year and that 30% of that is spent on things that you would not have purchased if you didn't have kids. Let's say you have three and that the total time they are in the home is 20 years (overlap and such).
That's $15k per year for 20 years, which is $300k. That's $100k each over their "stay at home" life.
See how that works?
R
And it depends on what parts make up the whole. Did they add an average health insurance premium into that number? No medication, some medication? Covered immunizations, partially covered, or not covered (this adds up fast). I'm sure they quote buying brand new baby furniture when used that meets safety regs will do. I'll repeat myself, this is a guideline/average type number across ALL cost of living areas.
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3,306 Posts
I really don't think kids have to cost so much. One mistake people make is that they think they have to have a bigger house. Not necessarily so. That's the biggest expense--housing.
And food bills--well we all know about being thrifty here on HT.
Clothing--same thing. My kids never got in the habit of thinking they had to have the latest designer clothing--they made their own "style".
I do think a whole lot of money is spent these days on sports, which could be whittled down too.
College--well, that's a whole new thread. Too bad it's gotten to be a rich man's deal again. When I went to college, it was very reasonable for a person to be able to go to junior college for 2 years, work their way through the whole thing. I did. I think it'd be harder today, although my niece is doing it.
And food bills--well we all know about being thrifty here on HT.
Clothing--same thing. My kids never got in the habit of thinking they had to have the latest designer clothing--they made their own "style".
I do think a whole lot of money is spent these days on sports, which could be whittled down too.
College--well, that's a whole new thread. Too bad it's gotten to be a rich man's deal again. When I went to college, it was very reasonable for a person to be able to go to junior college for 2 years, work their way through the whole thing. I did. I think it'd be harder today, although my niece is doing it.
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865 Posts
It costs just as much as you want it to.
You can go high end for everything from clothes to toys to snacks, or...
you can shop at the thrift store for clothing or use hand-me-downs, breastfeed your children, learn to make homemade baby food from your own meals, homeschool, and keep them at home instead of childcare.
Nickie - Did you take the test yet???
You can go high end for everything from clothes to toys to snacks, or...
you can shop at the thrift store for clothing or use hand-me-downs, breastfeed your children, learn to make homemade baby food from your own meals, homeschool, and keep them at home instead of childcare.
Nickie - Did you take the test yet???
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4,537 Posts
Food, clothing, entertainment, gifts, medical needs and homeschooling costs for each of 5 kids in 2006 was $2699.20. This translates to $48585.62 per child from birth to age 18. I do spend more than some of you because I have some children with food allergy issues that make our groceries higher than some. We do not do sports, do have music lessons.
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2,981 Posts
There are 5 of us living on about $35K a year. We would ultimately like to get it down lower than that.
Our family of soon to be 7.....
We shop at thrift stores for clothes, except for socks and undies. I always buy those new. I spend I would say less than $100 per person per year on clothes. The kids do also get a lot of hand-me-downs from nieces and nephews.
Total: $600
We buy 75% of our groceries at the local store and 25% at WalMart and spend $300 per month for the whole family.
Total : $3600
Baby expenses can vary. I breast feed, no formula ever, and start on baby food/finger foods at about 6 months. I spend roughly $20 per month on diapers (I buy cases of white cloud and sometimes huggies at walmart for under $20) and about every 5 months have to buy a 6 pack refill of wipes for $7.50. I might spend $15 to $20 on baby food every month once they are eating better. I don't feed baby cereals as two of my children ended up with bowel impactions from too much iron. I feed oat bran hot cereal instead.
Total : $250 to $300
We don't get extravagant with birthdays and such....they usually get something they need but usually doesn't fit into the budget. I leave it to Grandma's to get the fun stuff. I don't spend more that $25 each. My daughter had her 2nd birthday yesterday and she got her first pack of little girl undies so we can start potty training. She was thrilled and tried on every pair in the pack. Cost me less than $10 and she was more excited over those than the new trike she got from grandma and grandpa. They don't have to have the most expensive stuff to be happy. We are Christians but have started our own Christmas traditions and don't have a tree or exchange gifts.
Total : $100
I spent less that $100 this year on home school supplies. I do go to the quarterly library book sale and pick things up for them to read. They love to read. I don't spend more that $25 usually.
Total : $200
So my grand total:
$4800 per year. A total of $96,000 over 20 years for 4 children.
Rachel
We shop at thrift stores for clothes, except for socks and undies. I always buy those new. I spend I would say less than $100 per person per year on clothes. The kids do also get a lot of hand-me-downs from nieces and nephews.
Total: $600
We buy 75% of our groceries at the local store and 25% at WalMart and spend $300 per month for the whole family.
Total : $3600
Baby expenses can vary. I breast feed, no formula ever, and start on baby food/finger foods at about 6 months. I spend roughly $20 per month on diapers (I buy cases of white cloud and sometimes huggies at walmart for under $20) and about every 5 months have to buy a 6 pack refill of wipes for $7.50. I might spend $15 to $20 on baby food every month once they are eating better. I don't feed baby cereals as two of my children ended up with bowel impactions from too much iron. I feed oat bran hot cereal instead.
Total : $250 to $300
We don't get extravagant with birthdays and such....they usually get something they need but usually doesn't fit into the budget. I leave it to Grandma's to get the fun stuff. I don't spend more that $25 each. My daughter had her 2nd birthday yesterday and she got her first pack of little girl undies so we can start potty training. She was thrilled and tried on every pair in the pack. Cost me less than $10 and she was more excited over those than the new trike she got from grandma and grandpa. They don't have to have the most expensive stuff to be happy. We are Christians but have started our own Christmas traditions and don't have a tree or exchange gifts.
Total : $100
I spent less that $100 this year on home school supplies. I do go to the quarterly library book sale and pick things up for them to read. They love to read. I don't spend more that $25 usually.
Total : $200
So my grand total:
$4800 per year. A total of $96,000 over 20 years for 4 children.
Rachel
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3,717 Posts
All I could think of here was "it depends if they time their growth spurts to seasonal changes or not!"
Seriously a couple years back, my son outgrew ALL his sweatshirts between fall and Christmas. I had to get new ones in the middle of winter or send him out with his wrists bare (and it's cold here so that wasn't an option!). He is content with whatever (no brand names needed etc) but finding things that fit is tricky as he's slim. Still, we find things on sale & do well that way, and we happily take shared things from others.
There are so many variables, I can't imagine coming up with an 'average cost'. One idea might be to check out the child support tables: the ones for Canada were 'invented' by looking at many families & seeing approximately how much of their income they spent on their kids. So, you look up your income and then it tells you how much per month you would pay for support, which is supposed to be about what you would be paying for 'kid only things' were that kid in your household. There are separate tables for each province, as the cost of living varies, but in Alberta, for instance:
On an annual income of $30,000 (which would be a well paid administrative assistant, or entry level junior technical person for instance), each month you'd pay $245 for one child, $437 for 2, $592 for 3 and $720 for 4 kids. On an annual income of $60,000 (which would be a manager or senior technical person for example), you'd pay $519 for one, $866 for two, $1144 for three, and $1371 for four.
Remember these are Candian figures - our health care comes out of our taxes, and so our take home pay is usually about 30% less than our gross - but then again, most of us have coverage for things like basic prescriptions (where you copay but most prescriptions aren't prohibitively expensive), and you only pay out of pocket for elective procedures.
It still seems a big high to me, but I haven't ever tried to track it. My kid is just part of the family - I don't itemize the 'cost' of him.
(And he came home from summer camp today and told me how much he MISSED me ... and he's eleven! and a boy! No amount of money can express the value of moments like that)
Seriously a couple years back, my son outgrew ALL his sweatshirts between fall and Christmas. I had to get new ones in the middle of winter or send him out with his wrists bare (and it's cold here so that wasn't an option!). He is content with whatever (no brand names needed etc) but finding things that fit is tricky as he's slim. Still, we find things on sale & do well that way, and we happily take shared things from others.
There are so many variables, I can't imagine coming up with an 'average cost'. One idea might be to check out the child support tables: the ones for Canada were 'invented' by looking at many families & seeing approximately how much of their income they spent on their kids. So, you look up your income and then it tells you how much per month you would pay for support, which is supposed to be about what you would be paying for 'kid only things' were that kid in your household. There are separate tables for each province, as the cost of living varies, but in Alberta, for instance:
On an annual income of $30,000 (which would be a well paid administrative assistant, or entry level junior technical person for instance), each month you'd pay $245 for one child, $437 for 2, $592 for 3 and $720 for 4 kids. On an annual income of $60,000 (which would be a manager or senior technical person for example), you'd pay $519 for one, $866 for two, $1144 for three, and $1371 for four.
Remember these are Candian figures - our health care comes out of our taxes, and so our take home pay is usually about 30% less than our gross - but then again, most of us have coverage for things like basic prescriptions (where you copay but most prescriptions aren't prohibitively expensive), and you only pay out of pocket for elective procedures.
It still seems a big high to me, but I haven't ever tried to track it. My kid is just part of the family - I don't itemize the 'cost' of him.
(And he came home from summer camp today and told me how much he MISSED me ... and he's eleven! and a boy! No amount of money can express the value of moments like that
)
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we are a family of 4 who live not so frugally on $56,000.....that was last year....
we have lived on $35,000 with a family of 3 and still not very frugally.....
I think if I was very aware of all of the trickles of cash flow, we could manage quite well on $40,000.......however I like to shop, and have no garden or livestock.....fuel in our car runs about $300 per month....we do frivolous trips, eat out alot, etc
we have lived on $35,000 with a family of 3 and still not very frugally.....
I think if I was very aware of all of the trickles of cash flow, we could manage quite well on $40,000.......however I like to shop, and have no garden or livestock.....fuel in our car runs about $300 per month....we do frivolous trips, eat out alot, etc
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630 Posts
I don't keep count because I would love him if he cost me a million a year or 5 bucks a year. Money is not a consideration at all. I don't understand why it would matter to anyone what it would cost to love and raise a child, or that anyone would keep tabs on such a thing, even in a cursory way. Shame that as a society, even love boils down to a budget and being a parent has a bottom line.
I know you were just asking an innocent question, NickieL, and I'm not trying to flame you or anything like that. It just struck me and made me sad that money is what we base everything on in these times. I guess I need to give up for tonight and go to bed. :shrug:
I know you were just asking an innocent question, NickieL, and I'm not trying to flame you or anything like that. It just struck me and made me sad that money is what we base everything on in these times. I guess I need to give up for tonight and go to bed. :shrug:
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2,210 Posts
I agree, it totally depends on the ages of the kids and how much you decide to spend on them. For me, they were much less expensive as babies. I breastfed, used cloth diapers and sewed their clothes....many dollars saved that way. I now have 3 teenagers and one 5 year old. Teenagers can get expensive, if you go certain routes. One season of football or baseball could easily add 300 dollars for one child. If someone wants to take band or music classes, it could take 500-1000 dollars even with used instruments. Someone needs braces, well that could run thousands. My 16 year old had to have back surgery last year, even with insurance our part of the bills were over 15,000. Car insurance for teenagers, especially boys is beyond belief. (In my state, they have to be covered if they even have a learner's permit, even if you don't allow them to drive) Thank Goodness, we raise most of our food, because my boys can polish off a hog or two, and a calf a year themselves... I try to save and I teach them the reasoning behind being frugel. I couldn't give you an exact figure, but I do know they are worth every penny.
I try to save and I teach them the reasoning behind being frugel. I couldn't give you an exact figure, but I do know they are worth every penny.
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I have to agree that when they are younger they cost more and that the biggest factor is what lifestyle you have them live.
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HeavenHelpMe said:
Sorry to make you sad, that was not my intention :Bawling: . I was asking to get the real scoop, beacuse someone on another thread kept trying to convince me that I can't afford a child, despite the fact i've got no debt, don't live with any kind of assistance and have a pretty good job!! :shrug:
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We have lots of debt, get assistance, and only make about 6k a year. In my defense, we are still going to college! We both got our Bachelor's in May and we're going straight through to Graduate School (start in 2 weeks). We had our baby, Fintan, last year during Finals.
However, we have to be extremely thrifty in order to keep afloat and this summer has been very difficult. It's all about what you are willing to sacrifice, what you can make do with, etc....
We do a ton of yardsaling for Fintan. He is pretty messy so I find it odd to buy a brand new wardrobe when most of it will get stained, destroyed, etc... by being a toddler. I have bought him 4-5 pieces of clothing brand new. He is also going through an enormous growth spurt right now, so for the next 2 weeks until our college loans come through, he only has one pair of shoes and maybe a half dozen outfits that fit. (He's too big for 12 month size and 18 months swim on him).
We buy the generic diapers so that's about $15 every two weeks, not bad IMO. I also breast fed full time until he was 6 months old, so that was free food. He eats what we're eating, with the exception of WIC - he gets the milk, cheese, etc....
I have been told that the expense comes in when they get older and start participating in extra-curricular activities. But you could spend a fortune on kids at any age. I've seen cribs that cost more than 2 months rent for us!
However, we have to be extremely thrifty in order to keep afloat and this summer has been very difficult. It's all about what you are willing to sacrifice, what you can make do with, etc....
We do a ton of yardsaling for Fintan. He is pretty messy so I find it odd to buy a brand new wardrobe when most of it will get stained, destroyed, etc... by being a toddler. I have bought him 4-5 pieces of clothing brand new. He is also going through an enormous growth spurt right now, so for the next 2 weeks until our college loans come through, he only has one pair of shoes and maybe a half dozen outfits that fit. (He's too big for 12 month size and 18 months swim on him).
We buy the generic diapers so that's about $15 every two weeks, not bad IMO. I also breast fed full time until he was 6 months old, so that was free food. He eats what we're eating, with the exception of WIC - he gets the milk, cheese, etc....
I have been told that the expense comes in when they get older and start participating in extra-curricular activities. But you could spend a fortune on kids at any age. I've seen cribs that cost more than 2 months rent for us!
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