It's Only Money

Not a whole lot of point to having kids if you're not going to provide things for them. And not a whole lot of point to having money if you're not going to spend it on someone you love.

My running joke has been that you can have kids or money but you can't have both. When you get a little ahead someone needs something.

We say that far too often. There are only so many places you can cut and save and there is only so much money coming in. It never seems to balance out. There's always something. Even with hand-me-downs and smart shopping to fill in the blanks, the kids need to be clothed and they are always growing out of things faster than you can swap out their closet. They always need food, that steadily increases as they get bigger and older.
When I get old they have some serious paying back to do to take care of me! ;)

hee! yes!
not for everyone, of course. the very wealthy don't lose discretionary funds (or get humble) because of their kids, and then of course there are the parents who don't care enough to even feed their kids properly.
but for the vast majority of us, they burn through our hard-earned cash like a plague of locusts, and we love 'em all the while.
;) khairete
S.

Um, yeah, kids do equal 'money pits'... but we do have the ability to be smarter shoppers too. Kids cost... a lot. One of the significant reasons we chose to limit our family to one child. We knew that Kiddo was all we could reasonably, comfortably afford.

This is why being financially stable *before* one decides to have a child is so important. When someone says "Oh, just go for it/have that baby, and it will all work out", the question which first pops into my head is often "I'm sorry. Are you high?"

Yes, children are money pits. Did you not get the memo? :P

Seriously they are worth it. Personally I believe that they are our eternity and more valuable than anything here on this earth.

Judging by my grocery bill, and the fact that we now need to get groceries every 8 days or so...yes I would say so!
The vast majority of our $$ is school, doctors, food for them (snacks, lunches, etc...), clothes, fundraisers, fun on the weekends, etc...

I sometimes wonder what I did with all my money and how I could have ever complained about not having any before I had kids.

It is only money. And spending it on kids is sure better than spending it on coffee, or beer, or wine, or fancy cars. Or dogs!

Maybe kids do keep us humble, reminding us of the very heart of existence -to reproduce. Children do help us to overcome our selfish ways, and ironically, I think the more children people have, the more humble and selfless they can become.

Children are a gift that are infinitely more valuable than any sum of money.

I don't consider our daughter to have been a money pit. Of course, we have spent a ton of money on her with extra curriculars, (orchestra, cheer, martial arts, etc... ) but to us it was worth it.

We are planners and we purposely did not conceive until we were financially stable and ready to raise a child. We anticipated how much it would cost to raise her and get her through college debt free.

Just because we have one child and dogs that we adore does not make us anymore selfish than someone who keeps popping out babies because they can knowing full well that they can't afford to raise them.

I consider our family to be pretty humble and selfless and it is just the 3 of us along with our 2 dogs! No family is perfect and there isn't a perfect answer to what makes a good solid family no matter if there is 1 child or 10.

Ok, off my soap box... as for the boots, I would not buy any unless I saw them on a clearance because it is the end of the season. My little space heater blew out and NO ONE around here has one due to the end of the season. :(

Have a happy day!

We have made that same comment to each other in our house. Kids grow frequently and at times by unexpected amounts. Thus, they outgrow their clothes and shoes insanely fast. Such is the nature of the beast. In a manner of speaking kids are money pits. I can't take the money with me when I die and why do I work if not to provide the necessities and the extras? Thankfully we are in a position to provide freely for our kids.

I disagree. Kids are a blessing and totally optional. :)
There are many things that to me are real money pits, new cars, cable TV, some cell phone plans...a money pit is something that sucks the money out of you with no return. Kids offer a HUGE return for those who spend the time to really invest in them.
Just my humble opinion.

B.

Yes, God love 'em! And I think they humble all parents sooner or later. It's not just the money we "invest" in them, it's our love, attention, hopes and dreams. And then the reality of adult children is just waiting around the corner for each of us. Humbling, indeed.

LOL - what @Suz said...
" they burn through our hard-earned cash like a plague of locusts, and we love 'em all the while. "

Ya know, I don't agree with a lot of my parents parenting but there is a lot of wisdom in purchasing smart. You don't buy boots for a small child that fit, you get them too big, never killed any of us. If you outgrew them in one season anyway you squished your feet in, again, none of us have issues from that and we spent a lot more time outside in our boots that probably the children of one city combined these days.

So yeah, duh, kids cost money but I would hate to imagine how much my kids would have cost if I wasn't smart about needs v wants.

I think that kids keep parents humble in many many ways...

Well if it's true that it costs $180,000 to raise a kid to adulthood (not sure if that figure is supposed to include the cost of college), then you can label that what you want. On a bad day with my kids, it's a money pit; on a good day, it's an investment. Ya might as well say, "it's only money," cause what else are you gonna do.

I like the plague of locusts analogy.

Absolutely they are but who better than to spend money on. As someone already mentioned, just shop smarter. While my kiddos are young and they aren't concerned with "Brand Names" I make sure to check all of the local consignement shops first before I go to the department store for clothes. You can't beat a $3 pair of Stewart Weitzman shoes! :o)

My husband and I were talking recently about how cheap we used to be when we were in college and for the first few years after. Then we had kids and suddenly, time became more important than money. We're more likely to pay for a service (like painting a room) than do it ourselves because our time has become so valuable. Same is true for items we need for the kids - we shop around for deals and are frugal when we can be, but sometimes convenience wins over price.

My soon-to-be ex-husband always said, "Hey, it's only money. I can always make more!" But now that I am seeking half of our joint assets and alimony, he has completely changed his tune! LOL!

It's not "only money". It represents food, shelter, freedom, security, power….

And my kids are not money pits. Turns out my husband and our house have been the biggest money pits.

No, I consider my children my biggest reward and do not have a problem spending money on them. There are times when I say no-but the definitely have all their necessities.
Now, my house=MONEY PIT. It's 50 degrees in here and I'm having a hard time getting an HVAC guy to answer/call me back (the furnace is only 1 1/2 years old!)
Two bathrooms-but were down to one and after the fourth plumber 'couldn't figure it out'we decided to wait until the snow thaws and pay to have our main snaked.
I could go on and on-at least the kids can make me laugh!!

Sometimes, kids make us smarter people and smarter shoppers. Personally with winter almost over? I would NOT invest in a new pair of boots if he has "almost" outgrown them. That's just me. If I were to invest in a new pair? Since they will only be used MAYBE once or twice until next winter? I would buy 1.5 size bigger - so that I have a pair ready for next winter...

Do I think kids are money pits? Sometimes...we just spent $400 on La Crosse for our oldest son....I don't even want to count how much I spent on his Tae Kwon Do! LOL!!

Your post makes me laugh. :) Yes, I guess we are all money pits in our own way. I'd hit up a thrift store for this one! My daughter just outgrew her snow boots and we are out skiing every Saturday so she needs them! Luckily a friend gave us some hand me down boots so I did not have to buy any that most likely will not fit he by next winter anyway. whew!

I buy clothes and toys second hand so I have more to spend on more important stuff, like activities and education.

Mmmm... Never thought of my kids as money pits. I have to say I get great enjoyment out of clothing my girls and watching their activities. While these things are expensive, they bring my husband and I great joy. We love to hear them play piano or see them on stage performing. I am sure you agree... It is all money well spent.

Now if they broke a window and I had to replace it or spilled nail polish on my new hardwood floor I may change my opinion.😉

My uncle used to say that all the time! "It's only money!" Of course, he was a doctor and he had a good quantity of it.

It's good to know when to spend money. But at the end of February I'd look for boots at a good clearance sale, or at a thrift store (some kid may have outgrown his boots before he got much use out of them!), or from a neighbor with a leftover pair the right size. After all, in a few months it'll be... another winter, another boot size.

Good for your husband for not fussing about this unexpected expense!

A money pit is *anything* you don't like spending money on. Purely subjective. It is not tied to human beings.

Yes! The money that goes into our checking account is pretty much exactly what we need plus a tiny extra. I might not use that tiny extra a few months and dont dare get excited cause I know a kid will need SOMETHING and it will evaporate.

Does anyone have kids without knowing they are money pits and time suckers? Try a consignment shop - they may still have boots even though it is late in the season.

If your growing kid needs boots, then he needs boots. He can't go barefoot, right? Yes, kids are money pits, but we all knew that before having kids, right?