Children are expensive to raise. $381k over 17yrs

[FeuerFrei]

Handy calculator.

Second page lets you itemize. It lists college costs for 18+ so ignore that.

 

[Luthien]

pedocide?

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
Handy calculator.

Second page lets you itemize. It lists college costs for 18+ so ignore that.

that link is crap. they list housing at 7500 or so, my house barely costs that much a year. for a family of 5. the childcare cost for a year is crap too, when my 3 kids were under 5 they cost me 1500 a month, not 1700 a year. lots of lofty ideas there, but not much reality.i easily paid for 2 brand new vehicles with daycare costs, the housing has to be paid anyway, and food has to be bought anyway. you dont buy much extra until they are quite older. the formula and diapers cost is pretty high, but not even in that list. sure, its food but it only lasts a couple years for diapers and about a year for formula.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: LeiZaK
A Modest Proposal

lol.. sell babies as food

"advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter."

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: b0mbrman

Originally posted by: Flyback
That is rather cheap compared to what you get in exchange (given that you raise the children properly and don't have delinquents).

I don't plan on having kids, but I definitely see the reward they bring. $381k is nothing in that sense.

To me, $1 million would be nothing.

But then again, I like kids more than most people

Then it's $300,000 more than nothing for you.

Actual OPPORTUNITY COST, not accounting cost, eclipsed $1.3 million years ago. This is a much more important measure since it takes into the real value of time and opportunity lost, not just the dollar cost.

Dang, costly little buggers.

 

[Whitecloak]

imagine what your parents would have paid for you and ask yourself if you are worth it.

 

[patentman]

Thats ~$1900 a month, somehow I think that is probably an estimate if you were to give your kid "the best" of everything, including a $120k college education. A big factor in that is probably daycare, which is inordinately expensive these days.

 

[patentman]

Originally posted by: Apex
Then it's $300,000 more than nothing for you.

Actual OPPORTUNITY COST, not accounting cost, eclipsed $1.3 million years ago. This is a much more important measure since it takes into the real value of time and opportunity lost, not just the dollar cost.

Dang, costly little buggers.

Opportunity cost? You mean the cost of having kids in terms of having to deal with taking care of them at the expoense of something else (i.e., if I do A, I can't do B)? Although from an economics standpoint you8 are technically correct that the opportunity cost of having kids is higher than actual cost to raise them, but you would be ignoring the value the parents place on having a family.

 

[BabaBooey]

No wonder I am broke......

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: patentman

Originally posted by: Apex
Then it's $300,000 more than nothing for you.

Actual OPPORTUNITY COST, not accounting cost, eclipsed $1.3 million years ago. This is a much more important measure since it takes into the real value of time and opportunity lost, not just the dollar cost.

Dang, costly little buggers.

Opportunity cost? You mean the cost of having kids in terms of having to deal with taking care of them at the expoense of something else (i.e., if I do A, I can't do B)? Although from an economics standpoint you8 are technically correct that the opportunity cost of having kids is higher than actual cost to raise them, but you would be ignoring the value the parents place on having a family.

True, but value doesn't play into price.

I'm not saying kids are not worthwhile, merely that the cost is much much higher than the $381k postulated.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Originally posted by: hanoverphist

Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
Handy calculator.

Second page lets you itemize. It lists college costs for 18+ so ignore that.

that link is crap. they list housing at 7500 or so, my house barely costs that much a year. for a family of 5. the childcare cost for a year is crap too, when my 3 kids were under 5 they cost me 1500 a month, not 1700 a year. lots of lofty ideas there, but not much reality.i easily paid for 2 brand new vehicles with daycare costs, the housing has to be paid anyway, and food has to be bought anyway. you dont buy much extra until they are quite older. the formula and diapers cost is pretty high, but not even in that list. sure, its food but it only lasts a couple years for diapers and about a year for formula.

You can modify the annual cost to suit your reality... then hit [recalculate].
I agree the default values are over the top.