11.16.2005

And this is why I will remain childless...

Babies are an expensive-ass hobby, according to the baby calculator that a child-free web site linked to:

Here's what you're likely to spend to raise a child. (Before you despair, remember that your income is likely to increase over time!) Click on each category to see what's included in the expense. Note that you can change the annual amount you plan to spend on each category or the age at which you expect each expense to start or end and then recalculate your total.

Expense: Housing
Starting Age: 0
Ending Age: 18
Annual Cost: $5040

Expense: Food
Starting Age: 0
Ending Age: 18
Annual Cost: $2689

Expense: Transportation
Starting Age: 0
Ending Age: 18
Annual Cost: $2295

Expense: Clothing
Starting Age: 0
Ending Age: 18
Annual Cost: $965

Expense: Healthcare
Starting Age: 0
Ending Age: 18
Annual Cost: $1077

Expense: Childcare/Education
Starting Age: 0
Ending Age: 18
Annual Cost: $1618

Expense: Misc.
Starting Age: 0
Ending Age: 18
Annual Cost: $1738

Expense: College
Starting Age: 18
Ending Age: 22
Annual Cost: $44200

Total amount needed to raise a child: 454,396

Find out how much your little bugger will/would cost ya.

Anonymous at 5:32 PM

6 spoke

6 Comments

at Wednesday, November 16, 2005 7:26:00 PM  Anonymous said...

these figures seem to skew a bit on the low side, i'd say. i wasn't raised in luxury by any means but i'd bet that my parents spent alot more on $1000 on eighteen years worth of clothing.

 

at Wednesday, November 16, 2005 9:09:00 PM  Anonymous said...

thank god! i was envisioning the children of America dressed in rags with Kleenex boxes on their poor little feet.

 

at Thursday, November 17, 2005 7:50:00 AM  annamaria said...

Those numbers are still a little off, though. It calculates the cost of college from 18-22 (do people really graduate in four years??), but not clothing, food, or healthcare. Christ, my siblings and I range from 27-41 years old, and my parents still won't let us pick up the tab when we go to a restaurant!

 

at Thursday, November 17, 2005 10:12:00 AM  Kurt said...

I think they missed on the transportation number too. My youngest costs us about $800/year in car insurance alone. Add the mileage allowance in for another $3000 and their number is toast. That also doesn't include the cost of the car. BTW, it's cheaper for kids to have their own cars (insurance-wise) than to be on the policy w/o one. Insurance companies know the kids will get the car so they get listed as primary drivers these days.
And you know what? It's worth every penny to have 'em.

 

at Thursday, November 17, 2005 10:28:00 AM  Unknown said...

The quote for college is off too. When I setup Ben's college fund (when he was still a fetus) I was told that by the time he gets to college, he would need about $110,000 to complete 4 years at an instate university.

 

at Thursday, November 17, 2005 1:42:00 PM  ID said...

haha. Suckers.

 

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