USDA RELEASES ANNUAL STUDY WHICH NOTES THAT CHILD BORN IN 2008 WILL COST $221,190 TO RAISE
WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2009 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released a new report, Expenditures on Children by Families, finding that a middle-income family with a child born in 2008 can expect to spend about $221,190 ($291,570 when adjusted for inflation) for food, shelter, and other necessities to raise that child over the next seventeen years. Issued by USDA each year since 1960, the report is a valuable resource to courts and state governments in determining child support guidelines and foster care payments. For the year 2008, annual child-rearing expenses for a middle-income, two-parent family ranges from $11,610 to $13,480, depending on the age of the child.
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If we spent that much raising children, ALL of our income would go to them, with nothing left for poor old mom and dad. Guess they're cheaper by the dozen. And we as a society do have a lot of things in our lives that are not needs. Wants can get very expensive.
I was just thinking the other day that I truly could teach my children with nothing but books, pencils, paper, and the computer and internet access (though one really could make do without... like they used to!). A good globe is pretty handy too, but maps in a book would be just fine. We have very few things in our house that could be identified as classroom supplies that aren't in the above list. You don't need toy clocks, special math manipulatives, sentence strip holders, posters, etc. when you learn together. There's a real clock over there on the wall. Math manipulatives, if needed (my daughter is not so much a kinisthetic learner) can be found in the kitchen (beans, cups, scales, etc.). We don't need to post anything up for 30 kids to see at the same time, so everything is kept small.
Well, speaking of which, time to wrap up ancient African history, our biblical Hebrew vocabulary list for the week, our English spelling list, our explorations of phylum cnidaria, and learning the exciting phonics rule that, unlike what most people think "tube" is not pronounced "toob"! It ought to be pronounced "tyoob"! The things you learn... and learning I am. Many, many things each day on this incredible journey.
I was just thinking the other day that I truly could teach my children with nothing but books, pencils, paper, and the computer and internet access (though one really could make do without... like they used to!). A good globe is pretty handy too, but maps in a book would be just fine. We have very few things in our house that could be identified as classroom supplies that aren't in the above list. You don't need toy clocks, special math manipulatives, sentence strip holders, posters, etc. when you learn together. There's a real clock over there on the wall. Math manipulatives, if needed (my daughter is not so much a kinisthetic learner) can be found in the kitchen (beans, cups, scales, etc.). We don't need to post anything up for 30 kids to see at the same time, so everything is kept small.
Well, speaking of which, time to wrap up ancient African history, our biblical Hebrew vocabulary list for the week, our English spelling list, our explorations of phylum cnidaria, and learning the exciting phonics rule that, unlike what most people think "tube" is not pronounced "toob"! It ought to be pronounced "tyoob"! The things you learn... and learning I am. Many, many things each day on this incredible journey.
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Check out the original report at http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/CRC/crc2008.pdf .) Guess the most expensive part of raising a child? Housing: 23-35% (near as I can tell, they consider the entire house is for the kids (see p. 2)) Now, guess what went up the most between 1960 and 2008(see p 23 of report.) Child care increased 800% (Note--category is "childcare and education,) but Page iv says more than half respondents left the "education" category blank.)
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