My kids are sucking me dry!!!!

[rileyroosmom]

Just looking to vent

On Thursday I put down a deposit for my dd4 upcoming birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, party will cost about $200 ok
Friday is registration for her soccer league, $100 (I saved a whole $10 by being able to reuse last season's uniform!) ok
Check my emails and it's time to register the boys for baseball, $300 (I could register on line, with a conveince fee of $10/kid...not!)
Went to buy basketball shoes for ds8 first practice, $40, dd4 finds a pair at Stride Rite outlet for $10!!!
My dh comes in to say he thinks his brand new weed wacker that I bought him for Christmas was stolen from the garage, still in it's box. Upon further investigation, my oldest son (12) threw it out with all the other boxes!!!! He said he didn't think anything was in it!! We are now out $120!

So this weekend cost ....$770 dollars!!!
Last weekend, minivan needed breaks, $300 and dh bought a bike shed, $300

There goes all my extra money!!!

Kids are expensive. I think I feel worse now that I added it all up like that!!

 

[JimVL]

Kids are expensive.

Just wait until they are "adults".

 

[Cass]

Wow, what an unlucky weekend for you!! hope next week goes a little better, at least the holidays are over for a while. Don't celebrate groundshog day

 

[Stacerita]

Got to agree. Kids are expensive. I have one and because of that Im almost always broke. Softball signups start this month then in March start baseball signups. Yep, she does play both so there goes lots of money out the door. And it always seems like she needs some new piece of equipment. I know she is in need of a new rolling duffel. UGH, those prices are crazy. Its a good thing that Santa brought some stuff he new she would need. I just hope she can wear her cleats again. I just bought her a pair last spring season, then a new pair during winter ball. And she isn't growing that much!! And then there is Girl Scouts, her art activities, plus the little things at school that cost. When ever she asks to join another activity or sport, I always have to remind her that we can't do everything and that mom isn't made of money. People always say how kids cost a lot., Boy, they weren't kidding.

 

[Jennifer S]

Kids are very expensive - that's the main reason I only had two. Wait until college and weddings, etc.

 

[Minniespal]

I think I feel worse now that I added it all up like that!!

 

[powellrj]

there are days I want to just hand them the check book and tell them to take it all! Mine go back to school after 2 weeks home. I know they will start the money drain again!

 

[slo]

My mom sent this to me a couple of weeks ago and I just love this. It makes your frustrations feels not so bad after you read it.


The price of children
This is too good not to pass on to all. Something
absolutely positive for a change. I have seen the
breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is
the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.
It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a
child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a
middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That
doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so
bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't
have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the
opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140?

* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the
boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* wishing on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under
refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle
wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's
Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You
get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a
baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to
ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to
your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs
in your obituary called grandchildren and great
grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing,
criminal justice,communications, and human sexuality that
no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank
right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a
boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a
broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever,
and love them without limits, So . . one day they will like
you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal
for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren!!!!!!!



I hope you enjoyed this!!

 

[gr8tpanther]

Being a single mom, I keep my kid expenses to a bare minimum! Only REAL expense I have is Karate class and Roller skating! We gave up Soccer, which was the only sport either of my kids were remotely interested in and didn't last but a few years.

Christmas and Birthdays consist of the minimum (cake, ice cream) and clothes if they need them. If they don't need clothes, they get $$ to spend. But then, each of my kids got money for Christmas and they STILL have their money, they didn't want anything.

 

[barkley]

i am the "evil mom" (in the eye's of some of my kid's friends/parents-surprisingly not in the eyes of my kids )-

we don't do anymore high cost bday parties (chuck e. cheese, movie theatre bashes, jump house extravaganzas-though i never did one of these cuz i thought it would ruin the lawn ). kids don't do any pay for participation activities (if they wanted to pick one activity that they actualy participated in vs. the sports teams around here that take everyone who comes out and as a result the kids get no or very little time on the field i would go for it).

the trade off being-they get to go for a week to sleep away summer camp, we get to take a couple of inexpensive family vacations each year (and one nicer one ever other year or so), and when a one time activity comes up they are more likely to get to go (sleep away sports camp, circus in the "big city" nearby...).

it just got to a point where all the "little" fees/charges and the like were eating our budget alive. i finaly started saying "no", the world did not end, the kids survived and they have actualy become more cost conscious before asking to do something.

not saying it's for everyone-but it works for us.

 

[rileyroosmom]

That was great slo, thanks for sharing!!!

 

[noseybuddy]

Well DS(17) senior trip is in April to WDW. Total cost is $900, have to pay in four payments of $225. After you pay the second payment which was due this past Nov. you DON't get your money refunded if you decide not to go. Well guess what, DS decided he doesn't want to go. I'm like what?!?!?! That's $500 gone! Doesn't even seem to phase me. I told him he better get that money back. And on top of that his car died last night, looks like it might be the transmission, $$$$$. It never ends.............

 

[Chris2597]

If you think they are expensive now....just wait until they are teens and you have outrageous insurance premiums on your car, buying them a car (even higher premiums), prom dresses, tuxes for prom, $$ for dates, gas bill for cars, high school dance team (about 3500 a year), yearbooks 75.00, college tuition, books, regististration fee for SAT/ACt. OUCH!!
My dh and I feel like we are being buried with all of their expenses....I thought they were expensive when they were little but it was just dress rehearsal for their teen years.
My parents never offered or spent like we do....and I feel we are fairly conservative compared to other family and friends with children the same age.

 

[Tiggeroo]

i just had a talk with the three kids. There are two college freshman and one jr. I am being buried by expenses and can't deal with it anymore either. It's all the little things that are adding up. I told them they are adults with adult expenses and dh and I are trying to make our money stretch to cover 5 adults.
My kids don't ask for alot but they are irresponsible in alot of little ways. One son runs track full time and can't work during the school year but saved nothing from his summer money. The other two work all year. But they don't have much in savings. They were both working jobs that three weeks before Christmas they knew would end this week. Neither of them has looked for a new job yet. They've never been out of work but they have no savings. I've tried to warn them that looking for work in Jan. is going to be alot harder then June. I'm sitting here worrying about how we will cover their car insurance and phone bills and gas if they don't work for a few weeks. I don't have the spare money but they need the cars to get to school. Busses are not even remotely an option here.
They're drivng me nuts. They are fairly responsible kids who generally seem to not have a clue.

 

[barkley]

If you think they are expensive now....just wait until they are teens and you have outrageous insurance premiums on your car, buying them a car (even higher premiums), prom dresses, tuxes for prom, $$ for dates, gas bill for cars, high school dance team (about 3500 a year), yearbooks 75.00, college tuition, books, regististration fee for SAT/ACt. OUCH!!
My dh and I feel like we are being buried with all of their expenses....I thought they were expensive when they were little but it was just dress rehearsal for their teen years.
My parents never offered or spent like we do....and I feel we are fairly conservative compared to other family and friends with children the same age.

no flame intended-but is it a normal practice these days for parents to fund dating? i ask cuz my kid's are young so i don't realy know anyone with dating age kids. i recall parents maybe helping out with prom tickets, dress or a tux rental but even among the "richies" i went to highschool with i did'nt know anyone whose parents funded their dates.

again not flaming-just curious (i knew sweet guys that never asked a girl out in high school cuz either they did'nt have a job or once they used their pay for car insurance, repairs...they could'nt do it).

so do allot of parents help their kids out with dating money?

 

[Chris2597]

Tiggeroo, I hear you....Same here. My ds turns 20 tomorrow and stopped working about a month ago. He is leisurely looking for the right part time job..He didnt save a dime from his previous job, spent every last penney of his Christmas $$ on "things he wanted" and to top it off, he hasnt registered for school....dh told him "part time, you need full time if your arent in school"..Like that will happen.....Oh well....at least we have a break from tuition and books right now, but it just delays him finally getting on his own. I want them off of my payroll....
I think most of us have set ourselves up for this by giving and giving them material things for so long....It has become such an entitlement.

 

[Chris2597]

Barkley
It does seem in my kids group that parents do fund the weekend dating. I have pretty much stopped that with my ds as he is 20 now and I feel he should be working to earn the money for that.....(Read my above post)....
I think we live in the most pampered society since the Roman Empire....and parents have set ourselves up for this with our kids....
As I said, DH and I are on the more conservative side with our kids.....Most of my kids friends drive new cars, fully paid insurance by parents, ATM card with what seems an unlimited supply of cash, expensive clothes, purses....even spa treatments....It is out of control.

 

[wvjovifan]

I'm here to tell ya, it does get better...my 2 girls are 2 years apart and believe it or not, they have the same birthday.....we went through the birthday parties, dance lessons, tumbling classes, cheerleading, homecoming, prom, senior pictures, graduation.... one went to college, one went to beauty school.....finally they are both finished with school and both are working!!! They are 20 and 22 and still live at home, but are paying their own way. All those hours and hours I spent at practices and games and driving them everywhere and forking over $$$$$ is DONE!!!! I am amazed at how much time and money I have now!!!!! But they did suck me dry for years!!!!!

 

[Tiggeroo]

chris
I wouldn't give your son any money. The rule here is pt school, full time work. Full time school pt work.
I'm worried that my kids are going to put me in a corner where I either make them quit school or i pay insurance for them. It's going to be a tough choice. If I do help it will only be for transportation.