The Inflation of Life - Cost of Raising a Child Has Soared! (I want children!) But...

[DalTheJigsaw123]

Your little bundle of joy is going to require a wad of cash.

The cost of raising a child from birth to age 17 has surged 25 percent over the last 10 years, due largely to the rising cost of groceries and medical care, according to the Department of Agriculture, which tracks annual expenditures on children by families.

The government's most recent annual report reveals a middle-income family with a child born in 2010 can expect to spend roughly $227,000 for food, shelter and other expenses necessary to raise that child - $287,000 when you factor in projected inflation.

 

I just want one. I bet marriage is also expensive!

Probably more like $20,000 for a small one....

 

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/inflation-life-cost-raising-child-145736881.html

[Cat Pillar]

Your little bundle of joy is going to require a wad of cash.

The cost of raising a child from birth to age 17 has surged 25 percent over the last 10 years, due largely to the rising cost of groceries and medical care, according to the Department of Agriculture, which tracks annual expenditures on children by families.

The government's most recent annual report reveals a middle-income family with a child born in 2010 can expect to spend roughly $227,000 for food, shelter and other expenses necessary to raise that child - $287,000 when you factor in projected inflation.

 

I just want one. I bet marriage is also expensive!

Probably more like $20,000 for a small one....

 

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/inflation-life-cost-raising-child-145736881.html

 

As far as the wedding goes, depends on how big you want to have it. My friends spent around $1000 on theirs...but they only invited close family and we held it in their backyard.

[eye_of_the_storm]

Your little bundle of joy is going to require a wad of cash.

The cost of raising a child from birth to age 17 has surged 25 percent over the last 10 years, due largely to the rising cost of groceries and medical care, according to the Department of Agriculture, which tracks annual expenditures on children by families.

The government's most recent annual report reveals a middle-income family with a child born in 2010 can expect to spend roughly $227,000 for food, shelter and other expenses necessary to raise that child - $287,000 when you factor in projected inflation.

 

I just want one. I bet marriage is also expensive!

Probably more like $20,000 for a small one....

 

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/inflation-life-cost-raising-child-145736881.html

 

you dont have to be so "traditional" / "offical"

 

Why not just get a few good friends to witness and a noble friend to make the union

 

somewhere nice in nature and cut all the rest

 

as for raising children etc / its getting more difficult as an individual or partnership / why not revive community / tribal living with good friends? supporting each other

[eye_of_the_storm]

ah CP sneaking in just before me good stuff!

[DalTheJigsaw123]

Thanks! Well, my part of the family/friends small, my girlfriends is not. She was in the newspaper ...for the size of her family...over 2,000 people! Lol, and no she is not close to all of them, but I am sure at least a few hundred from that amount will want to come?

[joeblast]

You can get away with cheap for a wedding, but not so much wrt a kid. Providing and all that aside, aint nothin your kid will want more than to simply hang out with you.

[zanshin]

If you want money more than you want kids, then don't have kids.

 

Sorry- won't retract that because I did mean it, but realized I sounded snotty. Congratulations and good luck with your wedding. Anyway you can do lots of creative stuff to make the pricetag less than that and have fun doing it, growing your own food, take advantage of parks and nature for entertainment, library, building forts in back yard from lumbar salvaged when neighbor ripped out his deck right now, buy clothes and toys at garage sales or thrift stores because kids tend to trash them anyway.

Edited May 10, 2012 by zanshin

[Enishi]

Reading stuff like this makes me quite grateful not to have kids, especially when I've had to reach into my savings to help close friends left destitute by our worsening economy.