A mom-of-three has been left horrified after finding out how much she spends a year on her kids.
It's no secret that raising a child is a costly endeavour – one that's been highlighted even further amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Although you might factor in the basic needs such as food and shelter, there are so many small costs that add up over the months, from school uniforms to holidays.
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The price tag of a little'un will obviously vary depending on a parent's line of work and location.
But if you're looking for a ballpark figure, recent Brookings Institution analysis of data from the US Agriculture Department found that the average total expenditures on a child from birth through to age 17 in America is $310,605.
In short, it's not cheap.
This became glaringly obvious to mom-of-three Dana, who decided to go through her family's outgoings with a fine-tooth comb before sharing the results on her TikTok page (@livijayfam).
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"I just totalled up how much my children cost me per year and the number is going to shock you... because it shocked me," she says.
Dana explains that she decided to be transparent about the sum after realising that finances are a major reason for family planning.
"It is a big factor in why people do or don't have kids, it's a big factor in when they have kids, how many kids they have, so I feel like the transparency can help someone," she adds.
"Money's very taboo, and a lot of people don't talk about it."
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The mom goes on to admit that she definitely goes 'overboard' in certain areas and the figure she presents is in no way the bare minimum required to have happy and healthy kids.
That being said, it should give an idea of just how much it can impact a person's bank balance and how costs can build up pretty quickly.
So, without further ado, let's get into it.
For context, Dana explains that her children are nine, six and three, so are still on the younger end of the scale.
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"Extracurriculars I spend $18,000 on a year," she says, adding, "Both my girls are in competition dance teams," while her son plays soccer.
Despite acknowledging that this is the expenditure that is probably going to be the one 'that gets people heated', she admits that she lowballed the amount as she didn't include things like convention stays.
While her two older girls go to public school, Dana's son attends preschool and that costs $600 a month and is for 10 months.
As for the holidays, she spends about $1500-$1800 per year on their presents, as well as around $500 on each kid for their birthdays.
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When it comes to things like clothes, uniforms and shoes, Dana explains: "I'm guesstimating but I'm going to say at least $3,000 a year – I would assume I spend at least $1,000 on each kid. I'm probably lowballing that one."
Food she reckons is about $1,200 extra (not including Dana and her husband), so that's another $14,400 each year.
And then she added another $3,000 on top for things she's forgetting about such as the car and holidays.
Altogether that comes to a grand total of $47,475 per year for three kids.
Thousands of people have commented on the eye-opening video, with many pointing out that you can have a fur baby for far cheaper.
"The average cat costs their family 300-700$ / year, just in case anyone was weighing options," quipped one.
Others shared their own experiences and concerns, including this mum-to-be who said: "About to have my first and daycare alone will cost $24k."
And then there were those who came to the realisation that their salary would not be enough to cover the cost of running a family.
"That was entire 2022 salary, whoa," said one, while another wrote, "I only make 32k a year BEFORE tax."
So, dog it is then.
Topics: US News, TikTok, Parenting, Money