Comments on: Raising a Kid Costs $221,000: I Challenge That Raising 4 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/ Life, Motherhood, Food Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:15:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mother Mayhem http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-472 Mother Mayhem Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:23:50 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-472 Jack and I have 1. Emily has special needs and is homeschooled. The most money we spend is clothing and feeding her. She has an overgrowth syndrome that causes her to grow out of clothes and shoes faster than average. I used to use second hand shops to keep her butt covered, but she is at a size now that can't be found. Her shoes are a also a women's size 13. Have to special order those. SIGH. Food? The kid has a hollow leg! LOL I try to shop the sales at the grocery. Helps a little. ;o) Jack and I have 1. Emily has special needs and is homeschooled. The most money we spend is clothing and feeding her. She has an overgrowth syndrome that causes her to grow out of clothes and shoes faster than average. I used to use second hand shops to keep her butt covered, but she is at a size now that can’t be found. Her shoes are a also a women’s size 13. Have to special order those. SIGH. Food? The kid has a hollow leg! LOL

I try to shop the sales at the grocery. Helps a little. ;o)

]]> By: zeemaid http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-471 zeemaid Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:42:32 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-471 btw great post! ;) btw great post! ;)

]]> By: zeemaid http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-470 zeemaid Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:41:59 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-470 We try to cut costs by shopping thrift stores and by making a lot of our own snack type foods. Just be eliminate the inside aisles of the grocery store shaved at least 50 dollars off our bill. I always know when we've lapsed back into box snack habits because our bills go up. We try to cut costs by shopping thrift stores and by making a lot of our own snack type foods. Just be eliminate the inside aisles of the grocery store shaved at least 50 dollars off our bill. I always know when we’ve lapsed back into box snack habits because our bills go up.

]]> By: Alicia http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-469 Alicia Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:02:01 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-469 geez. i always thought it was more!! but its still an insane amount of money! we go garage saling and to consignment shops a lot...and always buy on clearance! geez. i always thought it was more!! but its still an insane amount of money! we go garage saling and to consignment shops a lot…and always buy on clearance!

]]> By: faemom http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-468 faemom Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:48:56 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-468 When I heard the report coming on, I ushed my husband out of the room. I'm a saver, raised in a five person family with a city income. My husband is a spender, raised as the only child with a teacher's salery. I'm cutting where I can, but I can't imagine absorbing that much. I wonder how they got their numbers. When I heard the report coming on, I ushed my husband out of the room. I’m a saver, raised in a five person family with a city income. My husband is a spender, raised as the only child with a teacher’s salery. I’m cutting where I can, but I can’t imagine absorbing that much. I wonder how they got their numbers.

]]> By: Ameya http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-467 Ameya Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:20:00 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-467 Lolol. I don't know a single person who could possibly spend that much money on children. I was very materialistically spoiled and my mom certainly never shelled out that much for me! I have a person who keeps commenting to me how we can't afford the baby we are expecting, and how babies are 10,000 on average, THE MEDIA TELLS HER SO. It's ridiculous. Even the babycenter cost calculator everyone keeps sending me to says less than 1000, and most of what is in that 1000 is getting donated to us by friends & family anyway. Our biggest cost is cloth diapers, and we aren't getting carried away with that, so even that is no big deal (and will be used for later babies). All those cost estimates seem to be people looking at all the "must-have" items, or talking to people who are geared towards having all those "must-have" items. Though with the housing.. maybe that's just because I live in a "dying" city in the midwest.. our housing is certainly not as insanely expensive as people living elsewhere. I can get a 4-5+bedroom house for the same monthly rent as a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in big cities, so i dunno. I'd be curious as to how they made up for these differences. Anyway, we definitely won't be spending that much! We aren't big consumers, we prefer simple & handmade/natural stuffs. Lolol.

I don’t know a single person who could possibly spend that much money on children. I was very materialistically spoiled and my mom certainly never shelled out that much for me!

I have a person who keeps commenting to me how we can’t afford the baby we are expecting, and how babies are 10,000 on average, THE MEDIA TELLS HER SO.

It’s ridiculous. Even the babycenter cost calculator everyone keeps sending me to says less than 1000, and most of what is in that 1000 is getting donated to us by friends & family anyway. Our biggest cost is cloth diapers, and we aren’t getting carried away with that, so even that is no big deal (and will be used for later babies).

All those cost estimates seem to be people looking at all the “must-have” items, or talking to people who are geared towards having all those “must-have” items. Though with the housing.. maybe that’s just because I live in a “dying” city in the midwest.. our housing is certainly not as insanely expensive as people living elsewhere. I can get a 4–5+bedroom house for the same monthly rent as a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in big cities, so i dunno. I’d be curious as to how they made up for these differences.

Anyway, we definitely won’t be spending that much! We aren’t big consumers, we prefer simple & handmade/natural stuffs.

]]> By: Tania @ Larger Family Life http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-466 Tania @ Larger Family Life Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:46:18 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-466 Absolutely not! This is just another example of how the media dictates our lives. The same media that thrives and survives by relying on our consumerism, and by telling us which latest things we "need". So if they say your baby needs a $1000 changing table, are parents going to feel inferior if they settle for anything less? Tania (via SITS) Absolutely not! This is just another example of how the media dictates our lives. The same media that thrives and survives by relying on our consumerism, and by telling us which latest things we “need”. So if they say your baby needs a $1000 changing table, are parents going to feel inferior if they settle for anything less?

Tania (via SITS)

]]> By: jana http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-465 jana Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:57:44 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-465 I love your blog, I just happened upon it somehow and I love posts that deal with moms who save money! its part of the job description....I did the cloth daipers too, with my second boy I couldnt he had some issues with his skin, I started canning and growing my own food too which has cut some costs. Thanks for sharing your life!! I love your blog, I just happened upon it somehow and I love posts that deal with moms who save money! its part of the job description.…I did the cloth daipers too, with my second boy I couldnt he had some issues with his skin, I started canning and growing my own food too which has cut some costs. Thanks for sharing your life!!

]]> By: mikey http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-464 mikey Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:02:02 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-464 OMGosh,your Mom must be sooo proud of your money saving skills...Thank goodness my girls make me proud when they let me in on something they do to save money...they are in their 20's now but I do remember something that they did in high school that made me realize that they would be o.k...I came home to something that looked like a dress store exploded in my living room.....prom dresses everywhere and a group of giggly girls right in the middle........a dress swap !!!! Bein g pompon/cheerleaders, they were reasonably close in size and stature....their scathingly brilliant idea was to swap dresses between each other, since they had several functions to attend and meager babysitters bank accounts. No one was they wiser because no two women look the same in a dress...it was their secret...and the giggles started again whenever they got together to look at pictures...no one was the wiser, but they were enriched by their experience. Thanks for sharing yours. OMGosh,your Mom must be sooo proud of your money saving skills…Thank goodness my girls make me proud when they let me in on something they do to save money…they are in their 20’s now but I do remember something that they did in high school that made me realize that they would be o.k…I came home to something that looked like a dress store exploded in my living room.….prom dresses everywhere and a group of giggly girls right in the middle.….…a dress swap !!!! Bein g pompon/cheerleaders, they were reasonably close in size and stature.…their scathingly brilliant idea was to swap dresses between each other, since they had several functions to attend and meager babysitters bank accounts. No one was they wiser because no two women look the same in a dress…it was their secret…and the giggles started again whenever they got together to look at pictures…no one was the wiser, but they were enriched by their experience. Thanks for sharing yours.

]]> By: Momma Such @ Raising My 4 Sons http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/2009/08/05/raising-a-kid-costs-221000-i-challenge-that-raising/#comment-463 Momma Such @ Raising My 4 Sons Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:26:15 +0000 http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/?p=803#comment-463 Interesting! I have no idea how much it has cost us even up to this point with our 4 sons. It is something to think about though. I'm following you from MBC! :) Interesting! I have no idea how much it has cost us even up to this point with our 4 sons. It is something to think about though. I’m following you from MBC! :)

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