My wife and I had been exploring adoption for well over a year when I got a message that would change my life. I was working when my wife texted me to ask if I wanted to adopt two young girls.
At the time, we already had biological children- two boys. They were ages two and five. The girls would come to us at ages five and eight. Their parents could no longer take care of them due to health issues, so they were both put into the foster care system.
The high cost of adoption
My wife heard of the girls through a colleague, as the pair had come to town to visit a relative. One way we were lucky in our story is because we did not have to pay an adoption agency when we decided to go through with it. This really turned out to work for us all very well as the average cost of an agency is around $43,000, although it can vary greatly. However, we did have to pay for a home study before the girls were allowed to come and live with us. We also paid the agency they were from, but we know we got lucky when it came to the total amount.
Caring for children in today’s world
No matter how frugal you are, caring for a child is expensive. We took on two more without hesitation, so we knew our costs were about to at least double. For us, it was more than that.
It all started with our vehicles. The car that previously sat two kids would not hold four. We needed to buy a minivan. We had also planned a family vacation before the girls arrived. We were lucky enough to be able to bring them along, but we really hadn’t thought about the extra airfare and the hotel costs associated with two more people.
We also needed a bigger house to hold a family of six. Our medical bills and insurance costs went up. We needed to spend money on new clothing and more toiletries. Our grocery bill rose dramatically. We also had to increase the amount of money we put into savings for their education.
Making the change
As we started to spend more and more, I realized that my financial mindset was beginning to change. I started to read books, blogs, and articles dedicated to saving money. I listened to money-saving podcasts and watched our spending like a hawk. I constantly looked for more ways to save money and decrease our debt. I even started my own blog as a way to generate a side income.
I never realized how adopting two children would cause so many changes when it came to money. Yes, it can be expensive to raise four kids today, but I am always learning new ways to make money. I will also seek out new ways to save as much money as possible without being too cheap! Our family is doing very well financially, and we all love one another tremendously. That’s what really matters anyway!
