From: sga@cray.com (Steven G. Anderson)
Subject: Re: Is $1000 a month exorbitant?
Reply-To: sga@cray.com
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 11 Jan 93 10:02:02 CST

In article 11771@zooid.guild.org, Will Steeves <goid@zooid.guild.org> () writes:
>peri@cco.caltech.edu (Michal Leah Peri) writes...
>>karl@ddsw1.mcs.com (Karl Denninger) writes:
>>>Does anyone actually believe that it costs $1,000.00 a month ABOVE AND
>>>BEYOND a single parent's living expenses to raise a kid averaged over 18
>>>years?
>
>>        Daycare center          $600/month (a cheap one)
>>        Food                    $100/month
>>        Add'l Health insurance  $100-200/month
>>        Add'l medical costs     $50/month (dental, medical deductible,
>>                                            prescriptions, etc.)
>>        Clothing + Shoes        $50/month
>>        Add'l rent              $100+/month
>
>>This is already over $1000/month, and doesn't include school costs,
>>vacations, gifts (the average Christmas spending by American families
>>is $600/child), braces, music lessons, swimming lessons, camp fees,
>>nor lots or other expenses of raising a child in middle-class America!
>
>>>Does anyone believe it costs TWICE that?
>
>>Add in private school ($5000-15000/year), camp, music lessons,
>>and college (today $15000-25000/year, and rising much faster than
>>inflation!), and it can easily cost more than $2000/month!
>
>>Get a clue, Karl!
>
>While what you say about Christmas presents and college tuition, etc., is
>admittedly true, Karl's question dealt ONLY with how much it costs for
>a child to buy NECESSITIES per month.  Christmas presents, ponies, and
>other sundries do NOT count in my book as necessities, and should I choose
>not to pay for such extras, I would not pay for them.
>
>Before telling Karl to get a clue, get rid of your own prejudicial notion
>that child support should pay for almost everything above and beyond basic
>living expenses.
>
$600/month for daycare?  I would guess that this may vary radically in different
parts of the country.  My 4-year old is in full time daycare and it cost us just
about $400/month for a very good daycare center.  There are less expensive ones
around.

$100-200/month for additional health insurance,  Get a clue Michal.  Even if they
were paying the whole thing themselves it wouldn't be that expensive.  Furthermore
most child support does not figure in insurance.  Dad usually has to cover the child
with his insurance anyway.

$50/month for medical costs and deductables.  Only if you have a really sick kid.
My daughter had chronic ear infections for 2 straight winters and never cost us
that much for the monthly office visits and the anti-biotics.

$50/month is more than enough to keep to kid well clothed.  Where do you shop,
Rodeo Drive?  Ever heard of Target or Kids R Us?  We make two trips a year and
each one is from $100 - $150.  Add in a few misc. items and its at most $400/year,
and my daughter has more clothes than she can wear.

The rest of your list, private school, camp, college, etc are pure luxury and are totally irrelevent in figuring child support.  Even at your $1000/month figure
that only works out to $500/month in child support since the mother is supposed
to share the cost.  We figure that $400/month plus daycare for younger children
is about what it really costs.

Steve Anderson		140 more days of indentured servitude

Xref: sparky alt.child-support:4279 sci.psychology:4943