My $297,641.32 … errr, investment?

The first time, my wife flung her arms around me and, through tears of sheer joy, whispered “we’re pregnant”.

The second time, she raced up behind me and squealed with delight.

The third time, she pushed open the bathroom door, locked her eyes on me, and pitched the plastic preggo stick square at my noggin. (To be fair to her, it was a Friday night and I’d just got home from the pub … so I wasn’t exactly on my A-game.)

That was twenty-two weeks ago.

For the record, we’re over the moon to be having a new baby … it’s just that Liz was wanting a few months before going back into the ‘baby bubble’. (Fun fact: at our pre-marriage counselling session, Liz put down that she wanted three kids … I put down six. Time will tell who wins.)

Here’s one thing I do know: unlike buying a slab of beer, it doesn’t get cheaper the more kids you have. According to a study by Suncorp, the average Australian parent spends $297,600 raising a child to age 17.

Hang on — $297,600? That’s a very specific number. Maybe Simon from Suncorp followed Junior around with a Casio every day of his life. And then on his 17th birthday Simon hit ‘equals’ and triumphantly announces, “You cost me $297,641.32! But hey, I’m your dad, so let’s round it down to $297,600.”

Either way, it’s a huge number.

Worse, Suncorp’s research suggests it costs $984 per month for the first two years of your child’s life. That’s a huge whack of dough for any young family, let alone for those of us who want six kids (no wonder Liz threw the stick at me!).

So in celebration of our currently baking baby, this week I’m answering questions from new parents and parents-to-be.

Tread Your Own Path!