Baby Steps: Dollars and sense

My husband and I are not wealthy. In fact, we’re not even well off.

We have what we need and we try to stick to a budget. I mostly handle the bills because I am a nutcase and must pay them immediately as they come through the front door. Unfortunately, most months we are not able to put a lot of money aside.

Bottom line – we do not have thousands of dollars just sitting around waiting for something to do.

Now that we are looking at spending several thousand for something that many people can accomplish for free, the question is: How do we afford it? My attitude is – we find a way.

From what I’ve learned so far, adoption and IVF cost almost the same amount and both can vary quite a bit. Brochures and websites list the cost for adoption all totaled up around $12,000. That’s with travel expenses, attorneys and administrative fees all added together. Though, all those prices are subject to change based on the kind of adoption and where the baby is.

In vitro is much the same in that there are several costs that pile on top of each other. From drugs, to removing the eggs, to implanting them again and so on can cost up to $15,000.

The numbers are still hard to swallow. Essentially having to buy a baby will put us in debt as much as buying another car! But I know someday down the road I will have thousands of dollars in the bank and, by that time I suspect, my baby-making days will have passed.

We’re still far from making a decision, but it’s time to consider the good, the bad and the expensive!