Here’s Athan calming the readers down before we embark on what could be an ugly topic.
A few years ago, a very good friend of mine came to visit with his (then infant) child. We got to talking about the costs and logistics of raising a (single) child, and something he told me stuck with me till today. In response to a question about the approximate multiplier I should apply to my household budget, he simply said, “You can make it as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.”
Some costs you cannot avoid. This being the United States of America, it is nigh impossible to bring the kids anywhere without a vehicle that can seat 3n people (with n being the number of children to be transported). As such, a minivan became “essential” (I shudder as I write the word, especially since I am so keenly aware how vapid and self-important that sounds). We also had to purchase cribs, but this we mitigated by buying them used. And don’t get me started on the hospital fees. I could go on forever, but suffice to say, as with any major event in your life, it is my sincere hope that readers would be somewhat prepared to at least deal with these up front “fixed costs” by leaning on incomes, friends, family, savings and coupons.
So what to do about the recurring costs? Diapers, formula, clothes, bottles, pacifiers, diapers, baby tanning lotions, baby skin lightening creams, diapers…
Short answer: Don’t worry. We humans are ingenious creatures. We’ll find a way. Can’t afford diapers? Discover a new way to fertilize your vegetable garden in a green yet economical way. Baby bottles cost an arm and a leg? Collect beer bottles and rubber gloves from the neighbors and repurpose them into BPA free and retro chic formula delivery devices.
Ok, none of those answers were really serious. But they aren’t half bad either, right?
On balance, the monthly expenses for the triplets are roughly revenue neutral. Gia may not work, but we spend way less on gas and car maintenance since we only have one commute to deal with. The triplets may be voracious eaters, but boosting Gia’s breast milk production (by feeding Gia more) mitigates the costs of formula. Diaper costs have been offset by eating out (or the lack thereof). Our grocery budget (I lump diapers in there because I’m too lazy to set up a new budget in mint.com) has remained essentially unchanged month to month. The only reason December 2011 cost more than average was because we were feeding relatives over Christmas.
As I often say in this blog, we are probably a little different than the American norm in that Gia doesn’t need to work to keep the household budget in the black. So I can’t really speak to the costs of childcare, nor any situation which requires one or both parents to commute a lot. I also don’t have the faintest idea what it would be like to be a single parent raising triplets.
But I do know this. We live in an unprecedented era where data is more accessible than it has ever been over the entire arc of human history. There are tons of resources and ideas floating out on the interwebs (where else do you think belly massages came from?). Worried about the cost of one item? Offset it by cutting from a different item. Pay for formula by making your own laundry detergent (for example).
If we can do it, you can do it too!
