A couple of weeks ago I asked the question “Is the economy effecting your baby making plans?” 25 people, or 13% said “yes” Sadly, I think I’m in that category as well. As much as I’d like to say the way things are economically isn’t effecting my plans at all, it’s not true. I’m luckily not worried about insurance or my job (knock on wood) but I do worry a little about our condo we still need to sell (or hopefully continue to keep good tenets in). It’s just one stress I wish I didn’t have to worry about right now.
Surprisingly to me, 129 people, or 68% said “No, not at all” to the question… Can I please get some tips from you? I know babies don’t have to be expensive but are you ever worried that things may change? Job loss or anything like that? I’m just wondering how people do it nowadays… What does the average family live off of and how?
I guess I am a little spoiled when it comes to things that I kind of want… I’d love to be able to afford cute clothing and a nice crib set… Whatever. I dunno. My mind goes back and forth on stuff like this.
And lastly, 35 people or 18% said “A little, we’re waiting to see what happens.” I can understand this group. I find myself in the waiting position a lot on things. I think things are/will get better, I’m not stressing about the economy as much as I was a month or two ago… Now I’m just thinking how I’ll make things work regardless.
A friend of mine sent me a link to a TIME article about Stay-at-Home Moms having to go back to work because their husband’s lost their jobs, or had such a decrease in pay. I don’t have to worry about this in that exact sense because I don’t see myself being a SAHM, but it’s crazy to see so many women having to go back to work because of this economy. In the article the mentioned this great company I think could be helpful for any women who may be considering going back to work. It’s called Mom Corps, and they set moms up with jobs that are “flexible” or have good hours and such… Which I imagine is nice for women who want to spend as much time with their kids as possible.
Seeing all of these warning and such has really made me think before I have a baby (and/or possibly while I’m pregnant) I want to get as much in order as possible. I’ve gotten my food storage going! I got a lot of MREs (meals ready to eat) and I’m stalking up on water… I’m going to keep the gallon jugs under our bed. I’m going to try to make some 72 hour backpack kits for us too soon. It’s the least I can do while I’m playing “the waiting game” with myself.
What kinds of things do you do to save money, save time, SURVIVE in today’s world with children? I especially would love to hear from you peeps who say the economy isn’t effecting your plans. I mean, I believe in having faith and all but faith doesn’t pay every one’s bills.
Here I was, getting ready to gush about how full of faith my family is, yadda yadda…But you are right. Faith doesn’t pay every one’s bills. This is how I look at it: We DO have a lot of faith in the matter. We have been told by our prophets that we need to have a family. So, we had a kid, and we are planning on more. My husband has a good job. If he were to lose his job, we would be proactive in searching for a new job. My husband will pass out his resume EVERYWHERE. That is when the faith would really come into play. We are obeying the council of our prophet (which means we are obeying God) and we trust that Heavenly Father will bless us with a good job quickly. You just have to be willing to be proactive about it! When you are full of faith, there is no room for fear. I admit, sometimes I do worry, but then I remember that I am doing what I should be doing. If things get bad, I will just keep doing what I am supposed to be doing. I will be blessed in the end, whether the end is in this life or after, I don’t know.
I feel like I am babbling. To sum it all up: Be righteous. Be proactive. When you are full of faith, there is no room for fear. (I know, the faith thing isn’t what you want to hear, but it’s the majority of what we rely on in our home!)
When I got laid off, my son was 3 months old. I worked from home and it was really devastating to lose my job with no warning. However, I planned ahead – I put down money for cloth diapers (this has saved SO MUCH) and I was already breastfeeding. Clothes can be found for cheap and so can toys. Babies really don’t cost a lot of money aside from the hospital bill (and good insurance covers that).
The economy DOES prevent me from having another, but it’s not just that. I’m sure if I really wanted another, I would figure it out.
Honestly, a lot of it is faith. You have to know that your Heavenly Father will take care of you. My husband lost his job right after we had our second baby and right before we had our third, but we continued paying tithing and praying and things always worked out for the better. Also, babies are only as expensive as you make them. If you insist on name brand new everything, then yes, it’s going to cost a lot. But you can find nearly new baby clothes super cheap (and they grow so fast it’s really not worth paying full price), the same with a lot of other baby items. The only thing I wouldn’t get used is a car seat. You want to make sure it’s safe and hasn’t been in any accidents.
I’m in the amazingly and wonderfully large category of those who answered the economy is not effecting baby makin’ plans. For me (us) it is about submitting to Father’s plan and knowing, from LOTS of past experience, that as long as we keep going in Faith, He’ll work it out – assuming we keep doing as much as we can. (Work like it all depends on me, pray like it all depends on Him.)
The thing that seems to be THE biggest hindrance with regard to children, in my observation and humble opinion, is Pride. When people are unwilling to accept gifts of gently used clothing/items because they want something SPECIFIC for their child/baby… well, that makes a HUGE difference in how much $$ is required for the raising of a child. Our children cost us very little. We do have to spend more on food than we eat on our own. We live in a home a little bit larger than we might otherwise need. We need a van for family travel at this point (3 in car seats). We do buy diapers. And we may spend some money on a few other small things, but not much. Basically all the clothing our girls wear has been given to us and I’m SUPER grateful. We were given $100 gift card when our youngest was born and we purchased Christmas dresses for each of our girls. Inevitably the baby will wear what her older sisters do. So, in the long run it’s for her, too. Car seats have been given to us. Others even share food with us.
We aren’t destitute, but we’ve been scraping by for quite a while. The amazing and awesome thing is that now that the economy is slumping, my husband is in a position where he’s making MORE money. It’s a miracle, plain and simple, but when we have Hope and Faith, that’s the kind of thing He does!
To me, it comes down to whether I believe that Father truly can and WILL clothe us as the lilies of the field… and so forth. If we believe, TRULY believe, He can and WILL, then it will be.
It’s all His Plan. And our only real gift to give Him is our will. That’s one of the big goals of this life, to desire to fully submit our will to His Will! Children, family planning, and family life are no different than any other aspect of our lives.
I would say it is mostly faith. You do everything they tell you in church, and God will bless you. It won’t be easy, but it’s definitely worth it.
We make under 20,000 a year, have an apartment, pay for everything ourselves except for school, and our daughter doesn’t want for anything. It’s mainly budgeting. And always pay your tithing!!
It’s just a matter of faith. If you wait and wonder all the time, even if God is telling you it is the right time to have a baby, that’s showing him that you don’t have faith he will help you though.
He doesn’t want his children to fail, which is why he give you so many blessings, especially when you have children.
Well, it seems like adding my two cents will only add to the broken record of “Faith” that’s being played in your comment section, but oh well!
I don’t have any children (yet) but it has nothing to do with the economy. I look at my friends who have had children, and they are not in what would be deemed an “ideal” financial situation to have children in, but they are all doing so well. In each case, one or both of the parents are still in school, they’re renting 1-2 bedroom apartments, sharing one car and working odd jobs to get by. Their kids are well fed and cared for, and they are all happy.
The Lord takes care of his children, no matter what the economy is like.
I just plain don’t worry about it. I know…easier said then done right? I do have very strong faith that God will take care of everything for me as long as I try my best to do for myself. So far its worked really well. Everytime my kids grow to a new size a birthday or some sort of holiday comes around and family always buys clothes for them instead of toys. Sometimes I get lucky and have friends or family that will give me hand-me-downs on various things. I always take them as long as they aren’t in bad condition. As far as food goes we somehow get by. I’ve learned to cook a lot (which I hate!) because my family was plagued with food allergies. We can’t buy MRE’s because there are a lot of eggs and dairy in them. We need to start a garden. That would help out tremendously. Baking my own bread helps a ton too. You learn to get by on a lot less then what “they” say is possible. My kids are going to have to provide their own missionary/college funds the old fashion way. Mommy and Daddy won’t be able to help out there. Really good things can be found at second hand stores too. We found my kids crib at the D.I. for $25! My husband actually climbed inside it to make sure it would hold our first baby okay. He fit pretty good and I’m still kicking myself for not having a camera LOL! There are only a few things I don’t like used (e.g. mattresses, underclothing, stinky shoes, etc.) God’s always helped me out when things get tough…I doubt he’ll stop now.
We are affected by the economy but only our own….because we can’t have children of our own…we would need to have a $22000 windfall to have another child. I’m ok with one now and in no hurry for another, but I also love working.
As one who said it’s not affecting our plans…well, since it’s not our first baby, there won’t be many expenses. Clothing and blankets and cloth diapers keep from one kid to the next, so besides the medical side this won’t cost much. Yeah, the prenatal co-pays and things are something that may cause me a little stress over the coming months, but basically we just believe in following God’s lead on the timing of our children, and we trust that when He sends a child, He will make sure that there’s a way we can handle it (including financially). Right now my DH has resigned his job and is looking for a new one. We have paychecks and insurance through August (teaching is cool that way), and we don’t expect it to be too hard to find a new one–things went well at the job fair last weekend–but yeah, it is in the air, and that does make me a little anxious. But considering the fact that we didn’t prevent pregnancy (and more or less tried for it) for 14 months before it happened (never mind that only 5 of those were fertile months LOL!) I figure that this is the time when God wants this baby to come to us. So I’m trusting that it will work out.
I know, you’re right, faith doesn’t pay the bills…not exactly…but I think faith can help you have your eyes open at the right angle to see the ways in which *you* can pay the bills, you know?
Let me just say you don’t have to be jobless to be tight for money. Food storage doesn’t necessarily have to be for some future unmarked date; it might be for next month.
The Lord really does bless you so that, as Mommy Bee said, YOU can pay your bills.
I am of the same mindset as Mommy Bee. And, the scriptures tell us that things are not necessarily going to be all happy and peaceful again, since this is the dispensation of the fulness of time!
That is true that faith doesn’t pay your bills but I still trust in the Lord that my family is going to be alright. We don’t have much and I am expecting my fourth child. I am not working unless you consider my blog my job. (I do make some decent money selling advertising and writing reviews but it is nothing like a regular full time job outside the home)
My husband doesn’t make much and he only works part time. We don’t own our home but at least we have a roof over our heads. I’ll admit currently we are relying on a little government assistance and our extended families in order to support our growing family. Sometimes you just have to reach out to all of your resources and get all the help you can get.
Would I prefer that we made enough money to support our children with out the help? Certainly! I’m sure everyone does. But, I don’t want to get too stressed out about our current financial situation. I did that for over a year and it just made me depressed and I had trouble sleeping. So for now I am trying to remain positive.
I understand that this little hole that we are living in is only temporary. Hopefully the economy will turn around soon and my husband will find better paying a full time job with benefits. I am also thinking optimistically about my blog. Someday it will turn into a `decent second income for my family. But for now I am just going to accept how things are today and not let it get in between my plans to have this baby.
You know what, i voted that we are waiting because of the bad economy, but when i TRULY think about it, the economy has little to do with it. Hubby and I want to be a work at home family and the bad economy has actually QUICKENED that, so that when it is achieved, we will feel comfortable with conceiving. We believe that God put this on our hearts and that He will provide everything we need to make it happen.
I would have to say that no matter what anyone says or what surveys say or what the economy says – you have to be ready! If you don’t feel finacially ready, then you’re more than ok to wait – but if you feel that you HAVE to wait for finacial security or something – you don’t HAVE to do anything you don’t want to do. š
We have an 8 month old, so I’m not really even in the midst of having the discussion of another one for a while, but at this point if we WERE discussing it – I think I would just do it – granted I’d worry too. š
Stopping by from SITS! Stop by my neck of the woods for a few giveaways!
Very interesting topic. I am not married, so that’s what’s stopping me now. :0) However, I honestly can say that even if the economy stays in the current limbo for awhile, we will most likely not be factoring THE economy into our decision as much as OUR economy. If that makes sense. (and I have been unemployed for over 8 months now. So I think that’s a pretty honest answer)
Visiting your blog from SITS today–hope you have a great one!
Okay, you have a really cute blog. I just have a dumb question. Are you the girl that did the news on KBYU? You look just like her. Maybe it is your picture. Anyways, I look forward to reading your stuff.
Hey, thanks for stopping by! I really like your blog–your openness and sincerity are refreshing! It sounds like you’ve got plenty of advice on this one. Best of luck to you with everything. I’ve been through infertility and it was a really difficult time–and though it tried my faith, I grew tremendously through that time. I wish you well! Maybe I will see you around Austin!
Babies are cheaper than you think… if they are healthy. If you have insurance and a job this economy should not affect your child in any tangible ways. Now hospital visits, that’s another story.
we had five kids…they are all grown up now, and a couple have started their own families now. If we would have waited until we could have afforded to have kids, we probably would have never had them. My advice, don’t worry about it so much. When the time is right, it will happen, and God may not provide everything we ‘want’, but He does provide us with everything we ‘need’.
I think babies are pretty cheap, actually. If you breastfeed, you are saving thousands of dollars right there (vs. formula feeding). And if you have a baby shower (or two) then you will likely receive all the baby furniture/clothes you need, from friends and family. And… as long as you have decent insurance, the hospital stay should be fully covered. Childcare can get pricey, if you plan to return to work and dont have a family member to help take care of the baby. But other than that, I think the real expenses come as they get older….
I think babies are pretty cheap, actually. If you breastfeed, you are saving thousands of dollars right there (vs. formula feeding). And if you have a baby shower (or two) then you will likely receive all the baby furniture/clothes you need, from friends and family. And… as long as you have decent insurance, the hospital stay should be fully covered. Childcare can get pricey, if you plan to return to work and dont have a family member to help take care of the baby. But other than that, I think the real expenses come as they get older….
Very interesting topic. I am not married, so that’s what’s stopping me now. :0) However, I honestly can say that even if the economy stays in the current limbo for awhile, we will most likely not be factoring THE economy into our decision as much as OUR economy. If that makes sense. (and I have been unemployed for over 8 months now. So I think that’s a pretty honest answer)
Visiting your blog from SITS today–hope you have a great one!
we had five kids…they are all grown up now, and a couple have started their own families now. If we would have waited until we could have afforded to have kids, we probably would have never had them. My advice, don’t worry about it so much. When the time is right, it will happen, and God may not provide everything we ‘want’, but He does provide us with everything we ‘need’.
I’m in the amazingly and wonderfully large category of those who answered the economy is not effecting baby makin’ plans. For me (us) it is about submitting to Father’s plan and knowing, from LOTS of past experience, that as long as we keep going in Faith, He’ll work it out – assuming we keep doing as much as we can. (Work like it all depends on me, pray like it all depends on Him.)
The thing that seems to be THE biggest hindrance with regard to children, in my observation and humble opinion, is Pride. When people are unwilling to accept gifts of gently used clothing/items because they want something SPECIFIC for their child/baby… well, that makes a HUGE difference in how much $$ is required for the raising of a child. Our children cost us very little. We do have to spend more on food than we eat on our own. We live in a home a little bit larger than we might otherwise need. We need a van for family travel at this point (3 in car seats). We do buy diapers. And we may spend some money on a few other small things, but not much. Basically all the clothing our girls wear has been given to us and I’m SUPER grateful. We were given $100 gift card when our youngest was born and we purchased Christmas dresses for each of our girls. Inevitably the baby will wear what her older sisters do. So, in the long run it’s for her, too. Car seats have been given to us. Others even share food with us.
We aren’t destitute, but we’ve been scraping by for quite a while. The amazing and awesome thing is that now that the economy is slumping, my husband is in a position where he’s making MORE money. It’s a miracle, plain and simple, but when we have Hope and Faith, that’s the kind of thing He does!
To me, it comes down to whether I believe that Father truly can and WILL clothe us as the lilies of the field… and so forth. If we believe, TRULY believe, He can and WILL, then it will be.
It’s all His Plan. And our only real gift to give Him is our will. That’s one of the big goals of this life, to desire to fully submit our will to His Will! Children, family planning, and family life are no different than any other aspect of our lives.
I'm a former journalist, and lifelong creator striving to make the world a better place. This is the space where I share my journey in making the most of every day by cherishing our individuality and celebrating our differences.
Here I was, getting ready to gush about how full of faith my family is, yadda yadda…But you are right. Faith doesn’t pay every one’s bills. This is how I look at it: We DO have a lot of faith in the matter. We have been told by our prophets that we need to have a family. So, we had a kid, and we are planning on more. My husband has a good job. If he were to lose his job, we would be proactive in searching for a new job. My husband will pass out his resume EVERYWHERE. That is when the faith would really come into play. We are obeying the council of our prophet (which means we are obeying God) and we trust that Heavenly Father will bless us with a good job quickly. You just have to be willing to be proactive about it! When you are full of faith, there is no room for fear. I admit, sometimes I do worry, but then I remember that I am doing what I should be doing. If things get bad, I will just keep doing what I am supposed to be doing. I will be blessed in the end, whether the end is in this life or after, I don’t know.
I feel like I am babbling. To sum it all up: Be righteous. Be proactive. When you are full of faith, there is no room for fear. (I know, the faith thing isn’t what you want to hear, but it’s the majority of what we rely on in our home!)
When I got laid off, my son was 3 months old. I worked from home and it was really devastating to lose my job with no warning. However, I planned ahead – I put down money for cloth diapers (this has saved SO MUCH) and I was already breastfeeding. Clothes can be found for cheap and so can toys. Babies really don’t cost a lot of money aside from the hospital bill (and good insurance covers that).
The economy DOES prevent me from having another, but it’s not just that. I’m sure if I really wanted another, I would figure it out.
Catching up on my blog hopping. Totally loving your new header. That could be you soon. š
Honestly, a lot of it is faith. You have to know that your Heavenly Father will take care of you. My husband lost his job right after we had our second baby and right before we had our third, but we continued paying tithing and praying and things always worked out for the better. Also, babies are only as expensive as you make them. If you insist on name brand new everything, then yes, it’s going to cost a lot. But you can find nearly new baby clothes super cheap (and they grow so fast it’s really not worth paying full price), the same with a lot of other baby items. The only thing I wouldn’t get used is a car seat. You want to make sure it’s safe and hasn’t been in any accidents.
I’m in the amazingly and wonderfully large category of those who answered the economy is not effecting baby makin’ plans. For me (us) it is about submitting to Father’s plan and knowing, from LOTS of past experience, that as long as we keep going in Faith, He’ll work it out – assuming we keep doing as much as we can. (Work like it all depends on me, pray like it all depends on Him.)
The thing that seems to be THE biggest hindrance with regard to children, in my observation and humble opinion, is Pride. When people are unwilling to accept gifts of gently used clothing/items because they want something SPECIFIC for their child/baby… well, that makes a HUGE difference in how much $$ is required for the raising of a child. Our children cost us very little. We do have to spend more on food than we eat on our own. We live in a home a little bit larger than we might otherwise need. We need a van for family travel at this point (3 in car seats). We do buy diapers. And we may spend some money on a few other small things, but not much. Basically all the clothing our girls wear has been given to us and I’m SUPER grateful. We were given $100 gift card when our youngest was born and we purchased Christmas dresses for each of our girls. Inevitably the baby will wear what her older sisters do. So, in the long run it’s for her, too. Car seats have been given to us. Others even share food with us.
We aren’t destitute, but we’ve been scraping by for quite a while. The amazing and awesome thing is that now that the economy is slumping, my husband is in a position where he’s making MORE money. It’s a miracle, plain and simple, but when we have Hope and Faith, that’s the kind of thing He does!
To me, it comes down to whether I believe that Father truly can and WILL clothe us as the lilies of the field… and so forth. If we believe, TRULY believe, He can and WILL, then it will be.
It’s all His Plan. And our only real gift to give Him is our will. That’s one of the big goals of this life, to desire to fully submit our will to His Will! Children, family planning, and family life are no different than any other aspect of our lives.
I would say it is mostly faith. You do everything they tell you in church, and God will bless you. It won’t be easy, but it’s definitely worth it.
We make under 20,000 a year, have an apartment, pay for everything ourselves except for school, and our daughter doesn’t want for anything. It’s mainly budgeting. And always pay your tithing!!
It’s just a matter of faith. If you wait and wonder all the time, even if God is telling you it is the right time to have a baby, that’s showing him that you don’t have faith he will help you though.
He doesn’t want his children to fail, which is why he give you so many blessings, especially when you have children.
Well, it seems like adding my two cents will only add to the broken record of “Faith” that’s being played in your comment section, but oh well!
I don’t have any children (yet) but it has nothing to do with the economy. I look at my friends who have had children, and they are not in what would be deemed an “ideal” financial situation to have children in, but they are all doing so well. In each case, one or both of the parents are still in school, they’re renting 1-2 bedroom apartments, sharing one car and working odd jobs to get by. Their kids are well fed and cared for, and they are all happy.
The Lord takes care of his children, no matter what the economy is like.
I just plain don’t worry about it. I know…easier said then done right? I do have very strong faith that God will take care of everything for me as long as I try my best to do for myself. So far its worked really well. Everytime my kids grow to a new size a birthday or some sort of holiday comes around and family always buys clothes for them instead of toys. Sometimes I get lucky and have friends or family that will give me hand-me-downs on various things. I always take them as long as they aren’t in bad condition. As far as food goes we somehow get by. I’ve learned to cook a lot (which I hate!) because my family was plagued with food allergies. We can’t buy MRE’s because there are a lot of eggs and dairy in them. We need to start a garden. That would help out tremendously. Baking my own bread helps a ton too. You learn to get by on a lot less then what “they” say is possible. My kids are going to have to provide their own missionary/college funds the old fashion way. Mommy and Daddy won’t be able to help out there. Really good things can be found at second hand stores too. We found my kids crib at the D.I. for $25! My husband actually climbed inside it to make sure it would hold our first baby okay. He fit pretty good and I’m still kicking myself for not having a camera LOL! There are only a few things I don’t like used (e.g. mattresses, underclothing, stinky shoes, etc.) God’s always helped me out when things get tough…I doubt he’ll stop now.
We are affected by the economy but only our own….because we can’t have children of our own…we would need to have a $22000 windfall to have another child. I’m ok with one now and in no hurry for another, but I also love working.
As one who said it’s not affecting our plans…well, since it’s not our first baby, there won’t be many expenses. Clothing and blankets and cloth diapers keep from one kid to the next, so besides the medical side this won’t cost much. Yeah, the prenatal co-pays and things are something that may cause me a little stress over the coming months, but basically we just believe in following God’s lead on the timing of our children, and we trust that when He sends a child, He will make sure that there’s a way we can handle it (including financially). Right now my DH has resigned his job and is looking for a new one. We have paychecks and insurance through August (teaching is cool that way), and we don’t expect it to be too hard to find a new one–things went well at the job fair last weekend–but yeah, it is in the air, and that does make me a little anxious.
But considering the fact that we didn’t prevent pregnancy (and more or less tried for it) for 14 months before it happened (never mind that only 5 of those were fertile months LOL!) I figure that this is the time when God wants this baby to come to us. So I’m trusting that it will work out.
I know, you’re right, faith doesn’t pay the bills…not exactly…but I think faith can help you have your eyes open at the right angle to see the ways in which *you* can pay the bills, you know?
Amen to what Jessie and Kayce said.
Let me just say you don’t have to be jobless to be tight for money. Food storage doesn’t necessarily have to be for some future unmarked date; it might be for next month.
The Lord really does bless you so that, as Mommy Bee said, YOU can pay your bills.
I am of the same mindset as Mommy Bee. And, the scriptures tell us that things are not necessarily going to be all happy and peaceful again, since this is the dispensation of the fulness of time!
Best of luck in your decisions!
That is true that faith doesn’t pay your bills but I still trust in the Lord that my family is going to be alright. We don’t have much and I am expecting my fourth child. I am not working unless you consider my blog my job. (I do make some decent money selling advertising and writing reviews but it is nothing like a regular full time job outside the home)
My husband doesn’t make much and he only works part time. We don’t own our home but at least we have a roof over our heads. I’ll admit currently we are relying on a little government assistance and our extended families in order to support our growing family. Sometimes you just have to reach out to all of your resources and get all the help you can get.
Would I prefer that we made enough money to support our children with out the help? Certainly! I’m sure everyone does. But, I don’t want to get too stressed out about our current financial situation. I did that for over a year and it just made me depressed and I had trouble sleeping. So for now I am trying to remain positive.
I understand that this little hole that we are living in is only temporary. Hopefully the economy will turn around soon and my husband will find better paying a full time job with benefits. I am also thinking optimistically about my blog. Someday it will turn into a `decent second income for my family. But for now I am just going to accept how things are today and not let it get in between my plans to have this baby.
You know what, i voted that we are waiting because of the bad economy, but when i TRULY think about it, the economy has little to do with it. Hubby and I want to be a work at home family and the bad economy has actually QUICKENED that, so that when it is achieved, we will feel comfortable with conceiving. We believe that God put this on our hearts and that He will provide everything we need to make it happen.
We’re totally worried about it. I feel like we have a lot to do to prepare!
Ana Lee
missanalee.blogspot.com
I would have to say that no matter what anyone says or what surveys say or what the economy says – you have to be ready! If you don’t feel finacially ready, then you’re more than ok to wait – but if you feel that you HAVE to wait for finacial security or something – you don’t HAVE to do anything you don’t want to do. š
We have an 8 month old, so I’m not really even in the midst of having the discussion of another one for a while, but at this point if we WERE discussing it – I think I would just do it – granted I’d worry too. š
Stopping by from SITS! Stop by my neck of the woods for a few giveaways!
Very interesting topic. I am not married, so that’s what’s stopping me now. :0) However, I honestly can say that even if the economy stays in the current limbo for awhile, we will most likely not be factoring THE economy into our decision as much as OUR economy. If that makes sense.
(and I have been unemployed for over 8 months now. So I think that’s a pretty honest answer)
Visiting your blog from SITS today–hope you have a great one!
Okay, you have a really cute blog. I just have a dumb question. Are you the girl that did the news on KBYU? You look just like her. Maybe it is your picture. Anyways, I look forward to reading your stuff.
Hey, thanks for stopping by! I really like your blog–your openness and sincerity are refreshing! It sounds like you’ve got plenty of advice on this one. Best of luck to you with everything. I’ve been through infertility and it was a really difficult time–and though it tried my faith, I grew tremendously through that time. I wish you well!
Maybe I will see you around Austin!
Oh…sorry! I looked again and realized you’re NOT trying. I misunderstood! I feel like a dork!
Babies are cheaper than you think… if they are healthy.
If you have insurance and a job this economy should not affect your child in any tangible ways.
Now hospital visits, that’s another story.
we had five kids…they are all grown up now, and a couple have started their own families now. If we would have waited until we could have afforded to have kids, we probably would have never had them. My advice, don’t worry about it so much. When the time is right, it will happen, and God may not provide everything we ‘want’, but He does provide us with everything we ‘need’.
I think babies are pretty cheap, actually. If you breastfeed, you are saving thousands of dollars right there (vs. formula feeding). And if you have a baby shower (or two) then you will likely receive all the baby furniture/clothes you need, from friends and family. And… as long as you have decent insurance, the hospital stay should be fully covered. Childcare can get pricey, if you plan to return to work and dont have a family member to help take care of the baby. But other than that, I think the real expenses come as they get older….
I think babies are pretty cheap, actually. If you breastfeed, you are saving thousands of dollars right there (vs. formula feeding). And if you have a baby shower (or two) then you will likely receive all the baby furniture/clothes you need, from friends and family. And… as long as you have decent insurance, the hospital stay should be fully covered. Childcare can get pricey, if you plan to return to work and dont have a family member to help take care of the baby. But other than that, I think the real expenses come as they get older….
Very interesting topic. I am not married, so that’s what’s stopping me now. :0) However, I honestly can say that even if the economy stays in the current limbo for awhile, we will most likely not be factoring THE economy into our decision as much as OUR economy. If that makes sense.
(and I have been unemployed for over 8 months now. So I think that’s a pretty honest answer)
Visiting your blog from SITS today–hope you have a great one!
we had five kids…they are all grown up now, and a couple have started their own families now. If we would have waited until we could have afforded to have kids, we probably would have never had them. My advice, don’t worry about it so much. When the time is right, it will happen, and God may not provide everything we ‘want’, but He does provide us with everything we ‘need’.
I’m in the amazingly and wonderfully large category of those who answered the economy is not effecting baby makin’ plans. For me (us) it is about submitting to Father’s plan and knowing, from LOTS of past experience, that as long as we keep going in Faith, He’ll work it out – assuming we keep doing as much as we can. (Work like it all depends on me, pray like it all depends on Him.)
The thing that seems to be THE biggest hindrance with regard to children, in my observation and humble opinion, is Pride. When people are unwilling to accept gifts of gently used clothing/items because they want something SPECIFIC for their child/baby… well, that makes a HUGE difference in how much $$ is required for the raising of a child. Our children cost us very little. We do have to spend more on food than we eat on our own. We live in a home a little bit larger than we might otherwise need. We need a van for family travel at this point (3 in car seats). We do buy diapers. And we may spend some money on a few other small things, but not much. Basically all the clothing our girls wear has been given to us and I’m SUPER grateful. We were given $100 gift card when our youngest was born and we purchased Christmas dresses for each of our girls. Inevitably the baby will wear what her older sisters do. So, in the long run it’s for her, too. Car seats have been given to us. Others even share food with us.
We aren’t destitute, but we’ve been scraping by for quite a while. The amazing and awesome thing is that now that the economy is slumping, my husband is in a position where he’s making MORE money. It’s a miracle, plain and simple, but when we have Hope and Faith, that’s the kind of thing He does!
To me, it comes down to whether I believe that Father truly can and WILL clothe us as the lilies of the field… and so forth. If we believe, TRULY believe, He can and WILL, then it will be.
It’s all His Plan. And our only real gift to give Him is our will. That’s one of the big goals of this life, to desire to fully submit our will to His Will! Children, family planning, and family life are no different than any other aspect of our lives.