• Norgur
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    -21 year ago

    There’s a really good question right there: While children are expensive as fuck, they do prevent loneliness and wild shopping sprees because they keep you from going online for long enough. So: Are children actually saving you money in the long run because they stop the root for buying stupid shit and keep you busy enough so that you ain’t even thinking about getting said stupid shit?

    • @[email protected]
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      121 year ago

      Given that raising a child is, from a sourceless quick google, about $20-30k a year, they better not be. As for loneliness, a cat’s about $650 a year, and makes a similar level of intelligent conversation for the first ten years or so.

        • @TrickDacy
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          61 year ago

          It’s ok though, the US government will pay you to have children, because come tax time, the only thing more important than revenue is guaranteeing future wage slaves

        • @cjsolx
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          1 year ago

          Or maybe proper care for a kid really does cost $20k a year and half the population could not care for one without assistance or a partner to help cover those costs.

          Plenty of children go without in this country.

            • @XanderBrendon
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              31 year ago

              I have one child in daycare 4 days a week. The cost is $70 per day. It was actually one of the lower cost options in my area as it’s run by a mom out of her home. For child care alone, I’m paying over $14k /year. Now a typical family may not have the means to pay that. But they need time away from their kids to work the same as I do. Maybe they’re lucky enough to have family nearby that can help. But that’s still a cost that has to be paid when you talk about the cost of having a child. In this case the family member is a covering the.cost via donated labor.

      • @blady_blah
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        41 year ago

        IMO, children in their early life are mainly expensive in opportunity costs, assuming you have a full time parent taking care of the child. Diapers are food are relatively cheap but taking a parent out of the work force or the alternate, providing day care, is very expensive.

      • Norgur
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        21 year ago

        What the? Where I live, a kid costs between 350 and 700 per month, 250€ monthly tax reduction/month/child by the government not factored in

      • @[email protected]
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        11 year ago

        a similar level of intelligent conversation for the first ten years or so.

        At first I thought that was hyperbole. Then I remembered my friend’s 8yo…

      • Tar_Alcaran
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        11 year ago

        As for loneliness, a cat’s about $650 a year,

        Vet costs not included.

      • Frog-Brawler
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        1 year ago

        Admittedly, I don’t have a cat, but I would have thought they’re more expensive than that. My parents had / have cats. A vet bill is like $150 a pop.

        I think I’d want one of those self-cleaning litter boxes as well (if I had a cat). Those start around $600, right?

        • @TrickDacy
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          11 year ago

          Well vets visits shouldn’t be much more frequent than once a year, and believe it or not, $600 litter boxes are optional. Also, whatever litterbox you buy should last more than a year.

          • Frog-Brawler
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            21 year ago

            All fair points, but 2 unexpected vet bills in one year has a high stress tax as well.