Are you getting ready for a baby? Seems like having a child is expensive right from the start doesn’t it?
And to think the expenses continue for 18 years. Then there is college and beyond.
Planning for a newborn is a mixture of excitement and anxiety. A new baby comes with a not-so-tiny list of things to buy and things to do. Car seats, clothes, food, activities, sometimes schooling; it all adds up big time!
The team over at TheSimpleDollar.com has published their comprehensive 2016 resource meant to help parents/parents-to-be not only understand, but to quantify the cost of having a child.
This guide not only identifies common expenses, but provides helpful cost management strategies including a calculator to help estimate first year costs.
It is a pretty complete guide. It even goes into prenatal medical expenses. Though it seems to have missed some essentials like maternity clothes and the Tummy Shield, a must-have maternity seat belt adjuster. Both you’ll need at about 12 weeks pregnant.
Even if you get hand-me-downs, there’s usually still something you need to fill out your maternity wardrobe. On the other hand, there are some things on their must-have list, that you might be able to go without. For instance, even through 3 babies, we never had a swing or a baby bath tub.
We want to know, did you take cost into consideration before deciding to have a child ? Share your comments below.
TheSimpleDollar.com was created to help people make truly better decisions by clearly laying out their options with content topics spearheaded by leading industry professionals. Because of their unbiased approach, they have been a trusted source for government entities and organizations throughout the US.
