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Conference quokka::non_custodial_parents

Title:Welcome to the Non-Custodial Parents Conference
Notice:Please read 1.* before writing anything
Moderator:MIASYS::HETRICK
Created:Sun Feb 25 1990
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:420
Total number of notes:4370

366.0. "CP's: what does it cost to raise a child?" by MSBCS::GIRONDEL () Wed Oct 11 1995 15:17

    
    
    	A lot is continously said about how unresonnable the 
    amounts of child support are and how unrelated these awards 
    are compared to real costs.
    
    	I would like to open this note to all CP to tell us
    what their actual cost experience is.
    
    	So here it goes: what does it cost to raise a child:
    
    
    
    
    		Age:	0-5	5-10	10-15	15-18	college *
    		----	---	----	-----	-----	-------
    
       Per week
       Per year 
    
    
    
       Thanks..This should be interesting reading.
    
    
        Please make sure you include everything, from friends' birthday
    		presents, to school field trips....
    
    	* Assume child is living on campus. Exclude Tuition/room & board
    
    
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
366.1Here goes...QUOKKA::29169::SMITHWed Oct 11 1995 18:3629
2 children, girls, 15 and 17
These numbers are Exact, from my quicken account.

from 10/94-9/95

allowance   $239.50 (the older is working and no longer gets an allowance)
clothes      334.36 (school shopping, August mainly)
gifts        265.20 (Birthday's, doesn't incl. xmas (add $400) a CP expense?)
lunch money  524.00
medical      382.93 (after insur., incl med and dental, usually ncp's cost)
phone        373.40 (their own phone line, they reimburse me for toll calls)
recreation   439.26 (trips, special handouts, sports equipment)
school       334.50 (school trips, sports, clubs, etc.)
other        204.80 (stuff?, I'd need to look it up)
            -------
Total       3097.95 (kid specific)

Groceries   1346.58 (2693.16 total, I divided equally to the 4 of us)
eatting out  180.00 (estimated amount from total that they were with us)

Vacations    729.56 (1/2 cost of family trips, six flags, etc.)
                    (maybe should be considered a cp's expense)

Sub total   5354.09 ($102.96/week)
Morgage     ????.??  Whatever you might think is fair, I'd need a place anyway,
                     so what do additional bedrooms cost average?

I also pay their health insurance but most CP's don't pay that, I put some
away for college, most don't do that either.
366.21st reply: thanksMSBCS::GIRONDELThu Oct 12 1995 09:498
    .1
    
    	Thanks for taking the time to provide such a detailled reply!
    	Other CP's: please come forward!
    
    	Thanks
    
    
366.3Some of my reckoning..QUOKKA::15838::JACQUES_CACrazy ways are evidentMon Nov 13 1995 17:0536
    Here's the figures I just compiled over the weekend for my 
    daughter's father's lawyer.  She is 14mths old at this time.
    From her birth:
    
    FOOD:  $812.00 (this is formula and baby food.  She has gone on
             table food since July of this year.  I did not figure 
             the "real" food bills in).
    
    DIAPERS/WIPES: $322.00
    
    CLOTHING: $627.00  (been living off all the clothing gifts and
                        hand-me downs from her cousins.  But some
                        things still had to be bought.  Now the 
                        hand-me-downs are getting further and fewer
                        between as she gets into clothes that get beat
                        up more.  I expect this expense to grow)
    
    MEDICAL  - $40.65 per week
    
    DAYCARE  - $100.00 per week
    
    OUT OF POCKET MEDICAL  - doctor and prescription co-pays = $178.00
    
    MISC - booster seats, soap and laundry detergents (special buys to
      accommodate her ezcema), various baby accessories = $128.00
    
    
    This is compiled off the receipts I have kept.  Now, I wasn't as 
    consistant keeping them in the first couple of months, but got real
    good after that.  I expect a rough estimate of missing receipts to
    be $50.00 or less.   
    
    Some items, like a new car seat, her father pitched in at the time
    I bought them.  They are not included above.
    
    						cj *->
366.4child are not cheapQUOKKA::34309::KGRAHAMTue Apr 23 1996 19:2730
    1 child, girl 2.5 yrs 
    
    These numbers are not exact, and do not include everything just some of
    basics.
    
    
    clothes      $150 min, quarterly on clothes because she out grows 
    		 her clothes so fast  (min $600 yr)
    
    shoes	 307 on shoes since last summer
    
    gifts        $40 
    
    medical      $17 weekly of of pay, does not include co-payment for
    		 doctors visits   ($884 yr)
    
    recreation   $60 discover zone, videos, chuckie cheese, etc
    	          30 dance class to be enrolled in this summer ($360 yr)
     
    daycare       $100 a week  ($5200 year)
    
    food	  $30 week ($1040)
                -------
    Total       $8491
    
    Remember these number do not include other things such as washing,
    transportation to and from, shelter, etc.
    
    
    
366.5MKOTS3::RAUHI survived the Cruel SpaWed Apr 24 1996 11:022
    Expesive shoes? $307.00, must be some great shoes for a 2.5 year old.:)
    Or are they medical needed special shoes to help correct walking?
366.6Wow!QUOKKA::15838::JACQUES_CATrust me, I'm a ratWed Apr 24 1996 13:143
    :-)  :-),  George, I was wondering about the shoes myself!
    
    							cj
366.7QUOKKA::34309::KGRAHAMWed Apr 24 1996 18:085
    No they are not special shoes her feet are just growing faster that
    most babies her age.  Since last June, I have brought 3 pairs of
    sneakers, 2 pairs of sandles, a pair of boots, and 2 pair of every day 
    shoes, and 2 pair of church shoes.  I was not buying shoes just to be 
    buying them each time she had outgrown them.      
366.8MKOTS3::RAUHI survived the Cruel SpaThu Apr 25 1996 12:319
    .7, please understand I am not trying to put you down or anything. As I
    looked at the entry and saw the amount of money spent on childrens
    shoes I was taken back. I buy shoes for my daughter also. Eva is a
    growing child, she is off the charts for her age group. Yet, I don't
    recall spending this amount of money on shoes. And she has sandles,
    sneekers, Sorel boots, and church shoes. The Sorels are the expensive
    shoes for a child. Cold feet, colds thru the winter.
    
    
366.9QUOKKA::34309::KGRAHAMThu Apr 25 1996 18:198
    I did not take it as a put down, an I can understand your response.  It 
    is alot of money to spend on shoes.  The shoes I buy her are a little 
    expensive because I found that when I took her to places like stride
    rite the shoes really did not fit her long skinny feet. Length wise
    they fit, but width wise we had problems.  I began taking her to a shoe
    store that specialize in fitting hard to fit feet.  I guess I pay good for
    her shoes and make sure the fit correct because there is nothing like
    wearing uncomfortable shoes.