How much does it COST to raise a KID?

Ask Becky, she raises dozens every year.

It ain't about what it costs, it about doing it.

You raise kids for love, bilogical imperative, whatever.

Cost Benefits Analysis is for business, not about raising kids.

Ya'all worry me. I can only hope you were kidding around and I missed it.

If you are that worried about it, move back in with your parents or move to France or some other European country.

might be doing this wrote:

Huh? Sagarin, usually you make sense but not this time. Perhaps you were replying to someone else?

Birth, Adoption, Childcare

* Allowance for the birth of a child (1710,49€ once)

* Allocation for a young child (171,06€/month)

* Aid to the family to hire a licensed mother's assistant (between 374,12€ and 748,24€/month).

* Allocation for raising children at home (between 134,13€ and 530,72€/month)

Children

* Family allocations (between 119-152€/month, more for each child between the ages of 11-20)

* Familial complement (155€/month)

* Allocation for parental presence (39-47€/day + 101€/month)

Beginning of School Year

* Allocation for the new school year (286,01€, paid in September)

France heavily subsidizes children and families from pregnancy to young adulthood with liberal maternity leaves and part-time work laws for women. The government also covers some child-care costs of toddlers up to 3 years old and offers free child-care centers from age 3 to kindergarten, in addition to tax breaks and discounts on transportation, cultural events and shopping.

This summer, the government -- concerned that French women still were not producing enough children to guarantee a full replacement generation -- very publicly urged French women to have even more babies. A new law provides greater maternity leave benefits, tax credits and other incentives for families who have a third child. During a year-long leave after the birth of the third child, mothers will receive $960 a month from the government, twice the allowance for the second child.

...

Staub, a slender woman with an animated face framed by honey-colored hair that brushes her shoulders, took a year off from her job at SFR, a major cellphone company, collecting monthly maternity leave benefits and a guarantee that her job would be waiting for her when she returned.

Under French law, a woman can opt not to work or to work part time until her child is 3 years old -- and her full-time job will be guaranteed when she returns. "In other countries, maternity leaves are seen as a handicap for mothers who want to have a career," Staub said. "It's different in France."

...

"French society encourages mothers to work," Staub said. "The way work hours and vacation time are organized also helps families a lot. I have 36 days of paid holidays per year -- it's great to spend time with your children."

Healthcare and education are the 2 big expenses (in the US)

...there is a reason I choose to live only in countries w/ universal health and education.....

might be doing this wrote:

I'm curious as to what the yearly cost is for raising a 6 year old boy. Include everything (food, clothes, school supplies, fun stuff etc.) except health insurance and future college expenses. I know the total cost per year of having a kid varies by area of the country, but give me your guesstimates anyway.

I must be missing something because my calculations come out as ridiculously cheaper per year than I would have thought.

It will cost you your life. All of it. If you are not willing to bear this cost then don't.

Money is an absolutely trivial component of this equation. If you don't realize this already then...give it some thought at least.

your money or your life wrote:

It will cost you your life. All of it. If you are not willing to bear this cost then don't.

Money is an absolutely trivial component of this equation. If you don't realize this already then...give it some thought at least.

I would agree 100%.

Money is the last thing you should be worried about. Kids are the greatest thing in the world, but they are not easy. It is the hardest thing you will ever do.

Once that kid enters the world, it is no longer about you. Everything you do is for that child.

I love my daughter more than life itself, and would give up anything for her, including running.

Just be aware of that.

Money will work out. Unless you are totally broke, you will be fine.

Lastly, RunningArt, I love you man, but 13 months is nothing, especially is she is still breastfeeding. Wait until she hits up gymnastics, playground, school or anything social. That is when the sickness starts ROLLING in. Even if you keep her as healthy as a horse, some other kid is going to come in with the flu and cough all over her.

depends, are you raising it for meat or milk?

Slaughtering it early will save you big $$!

I would guess it costs me $25k a year to raise two boys. It's a heck of a lot less than what the government takes after they ransack our paychecks, so who cares what it costs.

I remember hearing the cost of raising a child until they can leave home age 18 was around $200 000 excluding college

here is a link which suggests the lowest is 55k but can be as high as 365k