Tuesday, March 3, 2009

a baby or a car?

It just occurred to me while looking on an adoption list-serve ( yes, that's where I hang out now, as well as on TTC websites) that the cost of adopting a baby is about the cost of a car - from a nice hatchback ( $16,000) to a top of the range family car ($30,000) and beyond ( read Hummer). I know this sounds really callous - but it got me thinking. If I was going out to buy a car I probably would not bat an eyelid at signing off on a car payment for that amount. Okay - I would bat maybe two eyelids. My own car was somewhere in the low range. I wonder if there is a company that does zero down and zero % financing on a baby? People keep saying they wonder why adoption is so expensive - me included - and complicated? If you think of it as an investment that will last a lifetime it's kind of cheap really. And a baby is way cuter than a car. And some of them learn to talk and do all kinds of clever things. I guess babies are bad for the environment if you think of all the mountains of "disposable" (sic) diapers there are out in the landfills. But thinking about it in relation to a car payment help me feel a bit better about the expense. It's really not that much when you think about it like that. And no I know I can't just wander into a showroom and get one. Although S does like to talk about hanging out at the fire station and waiting for someone to hand over a baby! I think that's going to be plan B.
There is so much to learn about adoption - and to consider - like do I really want to go there? !!!!
Ho hum!!!!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

i LOVE the idea of sitting outside a fire station, waiting for a baby to be dropped off! i'm gonna try that!

i like your analogy, makes me feel a little better about the $15k we have sitting on a credit card from IVF. there's gotta be financing options for adoption, surely not everyone has that kind of cash just sitting around...

CyberSue said...

And babies don't usually depreciate, do they! In fact you usually learn to appreciate them more and more each day! If you're ready to go there I'll go with you, limping though I am through all my studies right now...xoxoxox

Lisa said...

After receiving an adoption packet several months ago from a private agency I almost choked when I saw the cost. It amazes me.

Anonymous said...

The car analogy is totally what we've thought of during this whole process and it does make it easier to wrap your head around.

The thing that cracks me up is my dad likes to talk about how I cost $7 (he even has the receipt). I was born on an Air Force base. I tell him what a bargain he got!

Carrie and MJ said...

Just a thought - if you are thinking about adoption, you can adopt through foster care and it is all free! That is the road we are starting to head down as we are on cycle 8 of injectibles and the doc won't do any more.

tireegal68 said...

Carrie and MJ - thanks for the info - yes I had thought about fostering and am not sure yet. I think the verdict on all of it is...I'm not sure.....
thanks!:)

K said...

We discussed this so many times while working on the financing for our IVF. Yes it's a lot of money, but you know what? People spend that much and more on a long list of things that may be super-important to them but are meaningless to us. And what is the money for if not to protect your family and bring you the things you want most?

I don't know about zero interest, but we ended up getting a home equity line to pay for IVF and the interest rate is about 1/4 of the rate on our credit cards. It's a great option, if you have it available.

Thinking of you as you sort all this out...

Lisa said...

Here's a link to what they did. It's a short video. Really incredible.
http://www.spine-health.com/video/lumbar-micro-endoscopic-discectomy-video

Becky Le Cochon said...

Hey,
i got you note on FB but I deleted it by mistake.... send the request again and also email me at so I can add your email addy k.

A said...

No matter what direction you would decide to go the cost is out of control. Makes me sick just thinking about it...

Holly said...

LOL about sitting at a fire station! Not a bad idea!

The analogy is perfect! And kids don't depreciate - like CyberSue said!

For our TTC expenses, we used some credit card money and used our "reward points" for gift cards and gifts for birthdays and holidays. At least we felt we got something out of it.

Thanks for the congrats on our blog!!! It's amazing how supportive everyone is!

Brett said...

perhaps they think that the more you pay the more you want one and are likely to look after one better