Is U.S. fertility at an all-time low? It depends............. Pew Research

[Mista]

Well I think they are calculating the majority of it by saying if you didn’t have kids you wouldn’t buy a four bedroom house (I probably still would). So they are factoring in the excess square footage you purchased. However having a big house isn’t a necessity...it’s more of an extravagance.

You may as well add in the 10’s of thousands spent on toys too. That isn’t a necessity either. Neither is soccer, piano lessons, and Kumon.

Food certainly is a factor...but even then it isn’t a big deal. School is free. Clothes not much of a big deal either until they want $150 sneakers. Giving them a used car at 16 when they get their license. These aren’t necessities either.

So I can see the average figure get high strictly due to lifestyle choices...not necessity.

It's the same here. We call it 'enrichment classes'. Then the parents will complain that the cost of living is too high to raise a kid.

 

[The-Hack]

Fine...I will get back to the dating scene and stop using condoms...No rest for the weary...

hahahaha............. oh man
your president is also too romantic
her style is also awesome
just imagine .......... OMG

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

It's the same here. We call it 'enrichment classes'. Then the parents will complain that the cost of living is too high to raise a kid.

Well it works for parents too. People complain the cost of living is high and then they tell you they pay $300/month for Premium cable TV channels, $200/mo for some crazy Equinox gym membership, $1000/mo for their luxury car, $1000/mo clothes at Neiman Marcus, and $200/mo for 5 guys to cut their lawn (with 4 or them sitting in the truck doing nothing).

 

[Fledgingwings]

Pakistan,India,China,Bangladesh.these countries contain 2/3 of the total population in the world.the family planning sport totally backfired in the subcontinent and the entire western world is in population decline.not just USA.

 

[Mista]

Well it works for parents too. People complain the cost of living is high and then they tell you they pay $300/month for Premium cable TV channels, $200/mo for some crazy Equinox gym membership, $1000/mo for their luxury car, $1000/mo clothes at Neiman Marcus, and $200/mo for 5 guys to cut their lawn (with 4 or them sitting in the truck doing nothing).

Exactly. We have much cheaper alternatives here and yet the young especially tend to choose the more expensive option. $7 coffee instead of $0.80 , $15 meal instead of $3. Mind you, higher prices doesn't necessarily mean better. And they take holidays in the region every few months to update their instagram.

Sometimes I think we in the developed world are too spoilt and self-entitled. I'm glad that there's compulsory savings here in my country, otherwise my age-group will have little savings when we retire. Guess who's gonna pay for their retirement if they don't have savings?

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Exactly. We have much cheaper alternatives here and yet the young especially tend to choose the more expensive option. $7 coffee instead of $0.80 , $15 meal instead of $3. Mind you, higher prices doesn't necessarily mean better. And they take holidays in the region every few months to update their instagram.

Sometimes I think we in the developed world are too spoilt and self-entitled. I'm glad that there's compulsory savings here in my country, otherwise my age-group will have little savings when we retire. Guess who's gonna pay for their retirement if they don't have savings?

The problem is people don’t know what real poverty or hardship is. When was the last time somebody starved to death in Singapore...50 years ago? People waste their money and complain about the stupidest stuff..damn my local Premium gourmet coffee house raised prices by $2. My $200/mo gym sucks because the heating system in the lap pool wasn’t working today. Oh give me a break life is so rough!

 

[Mista]

The problem is people don’t know what real poverty or hardship is. When was the last time somebody starved to death in Singapore...50 years ago? People waste their money and complain about the stupidest stuff..damn my local Premium gourmet coffee house raised prices by $2. My $200/mo gym sucks because the heating system in the lap pool wasn’t working today. Oh give me a break life is so rough!

Singapore's prosperity is only relatively recent compared to the West, maybe starting only from the 1980s.

There are still people alive who went through the brutal occupation under the Japanese during WW2. My parents who are born in the 1960s still grew up in an impoverished Singapore which just got independent, so they understand poverty.

So here you can find different generations with very different spending habits and outlook on life.

 

[TexasJohn]

Exactly. We have much cheaper alternatives here and yet the young especially tend to choose the more expensive option. $7 coffee instead of $0.80 , $15 meal instead of $3. Mind you, higher prices doesn't necessarily mean better. And they take holidays in the region every few months to update their instagram.

Sometimes I think we in the developed world are too spoilt and self-entitled. I'm glad that there's compulsory savings here in my country, otherwise my age-group will have little savings when we retire. Guess who's gonna pay for their retirement if they don't have savings?

You hit the nail on the head my friend! I honestly have never gone to a Starbucks for coffee - my home brew is just as good ( and this way I don't have to strangle a millennial ).

I have this admin assistant in the office, who makes about 1/4 of what I do, but is floundering in debt of her own making! she cannot afford the 2017 Corvette she drives, the Latte she "has to have" from Starbucks, or the other BS she puts on her own life... (OMG! I have to have this new iPhone)... it says it all

The Cost of Raising a Child Jumps to $233,610
By MAHITA GAJANAN
January 9, 2017
The cost of raising a child has increased in the last year, according to a report from the Department of Agriculture.

For a middle-income family to raise a child born in 2015 through the age of 17, the cost of rearing a child has hit $233,610, according to the report. The price jump is a 3% increase from the previous year, according to the report, with housing taking up a bulk of the expense at 29% of the cost. Food took the second biggest expense at 18%, according to the report.

The report, which tracks seven categories of family spending, including housing, transportation and clothing, helps court systems and government agencies determine the costs of child-support. The report does not track payments for college or financial contributions from non-parental sources, including government aid, Bloomberg reported.

The increase this year falls below the historic average annual increase of 4.3%, according to Bloomberg. Transportation expenses, driving in particular, have fallen due to lower projected energy costs. Among upper-income families, costs for childcare and education have increased.

The report classifies middle-class families as having a before-tax income of $59,200 to $107,000. Families with lower incomes are expected to spend $174,690, while families with higher incomes will likely spend $372,210.

http://time.com/money/4629700/child-raising-cost-department-of-agriculture-report/


It won't necessarily have to come out of your savings but your income. It is the average cost to raise a child from birth to adulthood so it is divided over 17 years, can be higher due to post secondary education. Cost of living in the US varies greatly.

I have no idea who this "Mahita Gajanan" is. I don't particularly care that he wrote an article in Time Magazine. He got his 15 minutes of fame. He is also way off.

I consider myself middle class. Definitely NOT a "rich" man.

What I do know is is this. Both my girls are grown and have kids and are self sufficient - no, we don't pay dowry here.

At age 61, my house is paid off, I have no credit card bills, or any other debt ( I thank the Lord for this), but I live within my means.

THAT my man is the key to it all! think about it. I am looking forward to retirement in a few years!

 

[Mista]

You hit the nail on the head my friend! I honestly have never gone to a Starbucks for coffee - my home brew is just as good ( and this way I don't have to strangle a millennial ).

I have this admin assistant in the office, who makes about 1/4 of what I do, but is floundering in debt of her own making! she cannot afford the 2017 Corvette she drives, the Latte she "has to have" from Starbucks, or the other BS she puts on her own life... (OMG! I have to have this new iPhone)... it says it all

Yep. The coffee I'm talking about is actually Starbucks.