Posted on 09/22/2013 5:29:16 AM PDT by cunning_fish
1. “I will cost you your dream house.”
Couples thinking about starting a family might want to boost their saving goals. The cost of raising a child from birth to age 17 is higher than the price of the average American home: Middle-income parents spend over $241,000 to raise a child, according to a study released last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. The median price of a home, in contrast, currently stands at $203,500. And statistics show that, unsurprisingly, the more a family earns, the more they spend on their kids.
There are some economies of scale. The cost per child decreases as the number of children increases—even though the overall cost continues to climb. Families with three or more children spend 22% less per child than those with only two children, as the kids get hand-me-down clothing and toys, help baby-sit, and share bedrooms. Plus, food can be bought in bulk and some child care services offer discounts for more than one child, says Mark Lino, a research economist with the Department of Agriculture. “But you’re better off economically if you have an only child, as most parents only have a set amount of income,” Lino says.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
I am very blessed
Do not speak like a Democrat. Democrats criticize Republicans as hypocrites when they fail to live up to the moral standards they espouse. Democrats feel it is better to not have the moral standard to begin with. This perverse logic is what you are using when you discuss how some Catholics contracept.
I saw a lot of that in the Christian homeschool community, too. Beans and rice and great joy in life.
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