How much *should* you make, not *have to make* to have kids? My calculations say at least 70k a year for one kid.. Please don't say some really low number.. otherwise opinions please!
2007-10-18 11:16:24 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
People get by with a lot less than that and have kids. It depends on where you live, what is the cost of living, and those kinds of factors.
Also, what do you want your standard of living to be, and is one of you going to stay home and take care of the baby full time, or do you need to pay for childcare? Do you have relatives nearby to help babysit, or will you need to pay for babysitters? Will you throw a babyshower and get lots of stuff from friends, or will you have to shell out big bucks for furniture, clothes and toys all the time? Diapers are a big expense. So is formula, which is one of the reasons to breastfeed (besides the superior nutritional value.) There are a lot of factors besides just your income to consider.
2007-10-18 11:21:22 · answer #1 · answered by daisy mcpoo 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
70k? We have 2 kids ages 2 years and we're going to have a newborn here soon and my husband only makes 27k a year and I'm a stay at home mom - after all of our bills are paid, groceries are bought (including diapers, wipes and formula), we still have $500 to $1,000 left over at the end of the month. And we're not on any kind of assistance either. It's just all about budgeting well. If you needed $70k to have kids, then most people around here (rural midwest) wouldn't have them because the average household income is $30,000. That's the truth.
2007-10-18 11:26:08 · answer #2 · answered by ~*Mrs. GM2*~ 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There is no dollar amount. I live in Southern California where things can be somewhat expensive. Both my husband and I work. We make okay money but we are paying off debt and two cars besides paying rent. We have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and I'm 13 weeks pregnant. We manage. We cut back on things that we don't really need and have learned to save up and pay cash for things we want. You can never really prepare for all the expenses of a child. 70K seems really high to me but if you can make that, more power to you.
2007-10-18 11:21:53 · answer #3 · answered by Precious 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It can be done at 30k if the child has no need of classes, extra curricular and what not. After about 45k you are able to afford those little extras like music lessons, the sport the child wishes, Scouts and so on. Basically it depends on your goals for your child and your ability to pay to make those goals attainable. There are parents who raise children on far less than 30k a year and those who do it with far more. To come up with an accurate budget you need to look at what you might need to sustain your lifestyle and provide the child with a lifestyle in kind. I live in Los Angeles and the cost of living is high - kids need to keep up with their peers and participate in many outside functions to be on par, by contrast my sister lives in Denver and she hasn't any of the same issues. Look at your life and your goals and see what the added cost of an additional person will be. The average increase of layout is about 22%. Good Luck!
2007-10-18 11:39:09 · answer #4 · answered by Walking on Sunshine 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on where you live and the economy where you live.
I live in a rural, southern town where everything is fairly inexpensive. My husband makes roughly 50k a year and we support 2 kids and get by without any state aid or any of that and I'm a stay at home mom.
My sister lives in Portland, OR and would probably be on the streets if she only made 50k a year and had to support 2 kids.
2007-10-18 11:25:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
when i was doing the research a few months back...this is what i came up with..
its pretty clear it will be tied to lifestyle, location. but the government numbers were between 7500. and 12500. per child..when i did my numbers, they came out to 10500 for the first one and a bit less for the second and so on..saving for education caused a big swing in the numbers. so i took that into consideration. the amounts they had listed for transportation seemed really high too.
so my answer is....whatever your basic cost of living expenses are now...add between 7500 to 12500 for each little handfull ya plan on having.
oh..n by the way..i know people that have 4 kids n make 35k...and they are a pretty happy bunch. family is what really matters : )
2007-10-18 11:51:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
more than anyone can ever afford! we don't make much $ at all but we always pay the bills in full on time and are able to still have fun!
we make less than 30k by the way
2007-10-18 11:42:16 · answer #7 · answered by blank 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on your financial situation, where you live, job, income... Babies are not cheap, you have food, doctors, OBGYN's, hospital, furniture, bottles, clothes, diapers, toys etc.. You should start off slowly have enough to support, yourself, your spouse, and the child.. Overall it's worth it
2007-10-18 11:29:24 · answer #8 · answered by Miss K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i only make about 15k a year and i want to have a child but i will more than likely have aid, which i wouldnt be proud of, but im hoping to wait a bit longer.
do you think i could make it?
email me on your thoughts
2007-10-18 13:40:00 · answer #9 · answered by Jen L-Baby #1 due Nov 15, 2010 ! 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think you should be on welfare and having kids. Other than that you never make enough money to have kids :P.
2007-10-19 01:23:05 · answer #10 · answered by his wife 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋