How much does it really cost to raise a kid?

[Mrs. Dinero]

Each child that you raise will cost more than buying three brand new, 2011 Jaguar XFs.

Ok - last time referencing this site. Its a pretty cool site though for us $ nerds.

www.visualeconomics.com/how-much-does-it-really-cost-to-raise-a-kid/

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I decided long ago that cats were definitely cheaper than kids

[Sum Dum Gai]

We're raising two and I know we aren't spending what that chart says. I would guess half or thereabouts.

[Deleted]

That site looks a lot like bundle. I don't like either.



To answer the OP, it is freaking expensive. Day care alone my DD is $10k a year.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Actually Archie's daycare comment made me realize, I'm spending WAY more than that chart says. If we didn't have kids Loop would be working. So our kids are costing the $10k or so I figure we spend now, plus the wages Loop is giving up which we'll call $40k a year I guess. Puts it right at a nice round number that way.

Anyone want to buy a really sweet 9 or 10 year old girl? Already house broken and everything. Both are excellent students, no health issues, not hyper, will play outside in the afternoons, but are happy to quietly play games or read in the evening. Real cheap!

[kgb18]

I think the cost depends on so many things. Do you need to use daycare or pay for a sitter or nanny? That is a huge expense that we are lucky we don't have. Will your kid go to public school or will you pay for a private school? How many activities are you going to enroll your child in? Do you like having all the gizmos that go along with kid, especially babies? Do you buy them a lot of clothes, and if so, are you shopping at Old Navy or at designer stores? The list goes on and on. For the most part I think kids are as expensive as you want them to be.

Of course there are always things that you can't control like medical expenses and food, but even that varies from child to child and family to family.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Dark Honor ~ is she willing to scoop cat boxes?

[Sum Dum Gai]

Loop or I do that so I'm not sure, but they mow lawns (using a reel mower), fill and empty the dishwasher, set and clear the table, and keep their bathroom and bedrooms fairly organized.

[Anne_in_VA]

Hey Molly - I saw her first! Back away!

Dark, I'll take her. Does she like the beach? I live at the beach! Does she like kitties? I have a kittie! I'll even buy her neat clothes and stuff!

[Sum Dum Gai]

You don't have to fight ladies, I have two available. They both love the beach! They'd spend their entire summer there if we'd let them. They do junior lifeguards and everything. We also have a cat, which the younger one is more into, but neither is allergic and they're both good with him.

[jkapp]

Each kid should be cheaper than the one before as clothes and toys get re-used and handed down

[bobbysgirl]

I want to put a bid in for the 10 year old. Will she drink ice tea with me in the summers and cocoa in the winters?

[Anne_in_VA]

OK, I'll take one for a week or two to give it a trial.

Uh, Oh, doesn't Loop home school? That's a problem for me, I work full time (and then some).

[Sum Dum Gai]

Will she drink ice tea with me in the summers and cocoa in the winters?

The 10 year old loves a cup of hot herbal tea in the evenings, so I imagine ice tea wouldn't be a problem, and she's 10 so she'll drink cocoa whenever.

Uh, Oh, doesn't Loop home school? That's a problem for me, I work full time (and then some).

Nope, public school. As long as it has a decent gifted program. I'm sure there's a charter somewhere near you that would be fine if the local public school wasn't that great.

[Deleted]

What people spend and what it acturally costs are not the same thing.

[Anne_in_VA]

True later. Our local schools are actually very good and the middle and high schools are only a few blocks from my house (what grade?).

Charter school, what's that? Hmmm, my son is over 40, so it's been a long time since I've had a child in school. I'll have to check and see if we have charter schools. Are they like magnet schools? I think we have those here.

[Deleted]

The housing is a bit crazy. I'm in the same house I've been in since 4 years before my first was born. It's not like I ran out and bought 31% more house each time I had a baby.

[tskeeter]

Anyone want to buy a really sweet 9 or 10 year old girl?

Are you nuts? They are just ready to become surly, difficult, hormonal, drama prone, teenage girls. They are the ones that DW's aunt says you should bury at 12 and dig up at about 22, when they are once again fit for human company.

In about three years I'll check and see how much you will be willing to pay for me to take them off your hands.

[shanendoah]

Wait! I want one of Dark's and Loop's girls. I'll even take the one that needs braces. I've got a great dental plan - $1500 out of pocket and office copays and that's it for orthodontia.

They're the exact age I'm looking for. (I love pre-teens and teens.) And Dark, I'll even get her Derby season tickets. And we have some great public schools in Seattle, though if she didn't get in to one, we also have great charter schools. Interested in engineering at all? The Museum of Flight at Boeing runs a charter school.

She does have to like dogs though. I have two, and they're not going anywhere.

[Sum Dum Gai]

The younger one is more into engineering. Her current favorite toy is a solar powered erector set type thing. You can make a crane, elevator, cars, helicopters, all kinds of stuff, then you attach the little solar cell to it and watch it go. She also likes Magnetics, Legos, pretty much anything you can build. She was way more into building her computer with me than her sister was.

They've both been begging for a dog since we got the new house, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Maybe we could send the kids to live with each of you guys for a few weeks at a time this summer. That way Loop can work without having to pay for daycare.

[sil]

Agree with MN Paintlady - we're living in a small house in a nice area. We'd be living in a similar house in a similar neighborhood even if we didnt have kids.

We're also driving the same cars that we would have if we did not have kids. I suppose there may be a slight increase in the miles we drive, but its minimal. I have had to buy a few plane tickets, but that's really the only incremental transportation costs I can think of.

On the other hand, we spent $12k per child per year just on daycare for ages 0-2

[shanendoah]

*ponders the capacity of her 3bd/1ba house - at which there are already herself, DH, the roomie- until he moves to Austin or New Zealand -and in a month, 19 y/o cousin "home" for the summer*
Sure, I can take them for a few weeks/month. We just need to make sure it's not when my Mom is visiting and I can make the basement a makeshift bedroom for the summer. Its nice and cool down there anyway.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Just feed them in the morning, drop them off at the pool, and you won't have to worry about 'em for like 5 or 6 hours. In the afternoons/evenings and on Saturdays you'll have softball practice or games. On non team practice days they should be practicing on their own, playing catch, fielding, hitting, and throwing at least 200 pitches a week (we'd send their softball gear and a bucket of balls with them of course). Squeeze in dinner and bathing somewhere in there. They'll happily fill in the gaps playing outside, especially if there are other kids in the neighborhood. Then they have to read for 1 hour a day prior to bed time. Other than the shuttling them around, you'll barely even notice they're there. Honest.

[patchwork150]

lol dark you make me laugh- but we can tell you love those girls ;D

karma to you!

[motherto2]

Dark you are a hoot! Wish I had that plan when my 2 were that age! I have to agree with others that it totally depends on where you live, what your income is, and how much you are willing to spend on their activities. I myself spent waaay more than that on both of my kids. DD has been to Europe with the French club, LeadAmerica camp one summer in DC, numerous soccer and field hockey camps, many of which were at large universities, played on numerous travel soccer and field hockey teams, been as far away as Connecticut to participate in a field and track program that I can't recall the name of, but it's like an olympic games that is held only in the US. I've paid for tutors, Sylvan, etc. for her early learning disabilites. I know I've left some things out, but you get the picture. DS has been on travel baseball teams, been to numerous baseball and wrestling camps, went to Cooperstown for baseball at the age of 12, been to a LeadAmerica program for Military Leadership in GA, has participated in Civil War reenacting since the age of 10, which is a HUGE expense in itself. He's been to a military leadership camp in Norfolk, VA. LOTS and LOTS of baseball stuff. My choice to allow them to participate in those things, and I don't regret it because we've been to alot of places around the country. But expensive, yes, very expensive. And that's the extra curricular stuff. I also had the usual day care, clothing, eating, housing, etc. But they are both great kids, and luckily I didn't go through the usual teenage stuff. Maybe because they were too busy with other things. And the male role models my son had from reenacting was priceless.

[hockeygrl]

I wonder how much it adds to the price if your little one decides he wants to play goalie? All that gear costs!

[swamp]

Apr 29, 2011 17:23:00 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Just feed them in the morning, drop them off at the pool, and you won't have to worry about 'em for like 5 or 6 hours. In the afternoons/evenings and on Saturdays you'll have softball practice or games. On non team practice days they should be practicing on their own, playing catch, fielding, hitting, and throwing at least 200 pitches a week (we'd send their softball gear and a bucket of balls with them of course). Squeeze in dinner and bathing somewhere in there. They'll happily fill in the gaps playing outside, especially if there are other kids in the neighborhood. Then they have to read for 1 hour a day prior to bed time. Other than the shuttling them around, you'll barely even notice they're there. Honest.

Do they like little kids? I'll happily take them for the summer. I even live on a body of water, so they can swim till their heart's content.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Do they like little kids?

Honestly I'm not sure. They haven't really been around younger kids. I'm sure they wouldn't be beating on them or anything though.

[Deleted]

May 2, 2011 10:45:38 GMT -5 hockeygrl said:

I wonder how much it adds to the price if your little one decides he wants to play goalie? All that gear costs!

My fiance plays goalie, when we have kids I hope they do not want to play goalie... it would kill my budget.