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I know what you are saying, but I have found raising children to be amazingly cheap (so far). I have a 3yr old and 5 yr old--breastfeeding was free, I get nice clothes for them from consignment stores, and they really haven't made much of a dent in the food budget at all. (I know that will change!) The biggest expense was that I cut my salary in half to go P/T, but I have no daycare expenses as I am blessed to have a mother and MIL who watch my children 7 hrs/wk each. We did move into a slightly bigger house when our second was born too, but it's not like each kid NEEDS their own room. I keep waiting for raising kids to get "expensive" like everyone warns, and I guess that will be college. But by then we will be in our late 40s and we've been saving for it.

Good for you. So often the "expenses" people whine about entail showering their kids with all kinds of material goods. They don't need their own cars, trips to Disneyland, or $350 sneakers.

I know what you are saying, but I have found raising children to be amazingly cheap (so far). I have a 3yr old and 5 yr old--breastfeeding was free, I get nice clothes for them from consignment stores, and they really haven't made much of a dent in the food budget at all. (I know that will change!) The biggest expense was that I cut my salary in half to go P/T, but I have no daycare expenses as I am blessed to have a mother and MIL who watch my children 7 hrs/wk each. We did move into a slightly bigger house when our second was born too, but it's not like each kid NEEDS their own room. I keep waiting for raising kids to get "expensive" like everyone warns, and I guess that will be college. But by then we will be in our late 40s and we've been saving for it.

Now that's amazing! I've never heard anyone make that statement before, ever. I have a childhood friend my age (38) who is in the same income bracket etc, and he can't understand why I can't afford the same toys he can afford. He just can't grasp that I have two children who've attached themselves like leeches to my checkbook. The difference in the grocery budget alone is staggering.