Kids Ain't Cheap - But They Sure Are Worth It

5 Ways to Buy Legos at a Discount

October 21, 2021 | Leave a Comment

A few years ago, my daughter began a Lego obsession. She asked for Lego Friends sets for her birthday, and she was surprisingly quick at putting the sets together. Not long after, she advanced to Lego sets for teens like Lego Architecture sets with hundreds of pieces. If your child is a fellow Lego enthusiast, I don’t need to tell you how quickly the prices for these sets add up. Luckily, there are several ways to buy Legos at a discount.

How to Buy Legos at a Discount

You can buy Legos at a discount, but you have to be patient and use one or more of these methods.

Buy on Sale

Yes, Legos do sometimes go on sale. Often, especially during the holiday season or when a Lego model is discontinued, you can find the sets for 20% off. The best places to look are Target, Walmart, and Lego.com.

In addition, Lego.com sometimes offers free small Lego kits when you buy a set from them. Last Easter my daughter got two free, small sets when she purchased a larger one.

Buy at Costco

Costco doesn’t always carry Legos, but they do during the holidays. These sets are cheaper than you can buy them elsewhere, but they do sell out quickly. Keep an eye out for Lego sets in October at Costco.

Join Buy Nothing Groups

If you’re not looking for a particular set but just pieces, consider joining a local Buy Nothing group. People frequently sell large bags of miscellaneous Lego pieces at a low price. This can be an excellent way to start a Lego collection.

Other Things to Consider

You can utilize two other strategies to lower the overall price of Lego sets.

Help Your Child Save for a Lego Set

One of my friend’s sons wanted to buy a Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon kit. These retail for about $130. My friend didn’t want to spend that much on one set, so she made a deal with her eight-year-old son. If he saved $65 for the set, she would chip in the other $65. She was impressed with how hard he worked and how much he saved to afford the set.

If your child wants an expensive set and you have the money to split the cost with him, this agreement can be an excellent way to teach your child how to save.

Can Sell to Recoup Money

Remember, your child won’t always want to build Legos. When she is 16, she may have outgrown Legos. If she has kept all the pieces to her sets as well as kept the boxes in good condition, she should be able to sell the sets and recoup some of her money, unlike many other toys.

Final Thoughts

If your child wants some expensive Lego sets, try utilizing some of these strategies to save money. But remember, start your search earlier. You’ll likely need some time to buy the Lego set at a discount. You’ll need to search the sales and perhaps offer your child a money matching proposition to be able to afford the larger sets.

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Should Your Teen File a Tax Return for a Summer Job?

October 7, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Getting a summer job may be the first taste of freedom for your teen. She likely now has more money coming in than she did when she was only receiving an allowance. However, with increased freedom comes increased responsibility. Your teen may now also need to file a tax return. Whether she needs to file a tax return for a summer job will depend on several factors.

Should Your Teen File a Tax Return for a Summer Job?

The quick answer is, it depends. Here are a few factors to consider:

How Much Did He Make?

First, consider how much your teenager earned in a year. According to the IRS, if a single filer earned less than $12,550 in 2021, he does not need to file a tax return. (This new amount represents an increase to account for inflation, up $150 from last year.)

However, you must answer another question to know whether or not he needs to file taxes—did he have taxes taken from every paycheck?

Did She Have Taxes Withheld?

When your child starts a new job, she has to fill out a W-4 form. On that form, she has to determine whether or not she will have taxes deducted. If she thinks she will earn less than $12,550 in a year, she can claim “exempt,” and no taxes will be taken out of her paycheck. If no taxes were pulled from her paycheck and she earned less than $12,550 a year, she likely won’t have to file a tax return. To be certain, you can utilize the IRS’ free tool, Do I Need to File a Tax Return?

You may consider having your child go ahead and have taxes withdrawn from her paycheck for two reasons.

First, having taxes withdrawn from her paycheck is a good life experience. When she’s older and working full-time, taxes will be withdrawn. Learning that her entire salary is not her own because her employer will withdraw things like taxes and insurance is a good experience.

Second, some states have different standard deductions. If you live in Arizona and are a single filer, you have a standard $12,550 state deduction just like the federal deduction. However, if you live in Iowa, the single standard state deduction is only $2,130. If your child works in Iowa and earns more than $2,130 in a calendar year, she will owe state taxes if she claims “exempt” on her W-4. If you don’t know what your state’s deduction is, having taxes withheld is easier.

One Exception

An important exception is if your child is an independent contractor, a.k.a a freelancer, and earns a 1099-MISC for his work. If he is a freelancer, he will need to pay self-employment taxes regardless of how much he makes in a year. In this case, he will need to file an income tax return every year.

Final Thoughts

Whether or not your child needs to file a tax return for a summer job depends on several factors. If you’re still not sure, the IRS tool should help you determine the answer.

Getting your child into the habit of having taxes withheld and filing a tax return is excellent practice for adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it.

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Save Money & Keep Kids Entertained by Rotating Streaming Services

September 23, 2021 | Leave a Comment

If you’re a parent, you probably feel like your life is constantly juggling between caring for your family and working to make ends meet. It’s easy when it comes to entertainment because the options are endless, but this can add up in cost quickly. So if you want to save money and keep kids entertained at the same time, you can try rotating streaming services. With a variety of movies and TV shows, you’ll have something new every week without going over budget!

The Benefits of Rotating Streaming Services

Rotating streaming services offers three main benefits.

Save Money

If you have several streaming services, the costs can add up quickly. In our family, Netflix is approximately $15 a month, Hulu is $7 a month, Disney+ is $8 a month, and Peacock is $5 a month. Sure, each service is not unreasonably priced, but together, they add up to $35 a month. Keep in mind, we get the most basic of the basic services. If you want to pay more to avoid commercials or bundle streaming services, you’ll pay more.

Recently, we cut Netflix and Peacock, so our monthly streaming costs went down to $15 a month. The $20 savings doesn’t sound like a lot, but over the year, we’re saving $240.

Limit Boredom

How is this for irony? When my kids had all four streaming services, they constantly told me there was nothing to watch. Then, I cut Netflix and Peacock about four months ago. They dug around Hulu and Disney+ and found shows to watch. They were happy for about three months.

Once they started complaining, I cut Hulu and reinstated Netflix. They were so excited because during the time we weren’t paying for Netflix, several new seasons of their favorite episodes had dropped. Now, they are happily watching their favorite shows in the evening. However, my daughter is already planning when we should cut Netflix again and reinstate Hulu.

Maximize Your Usage

When you have many streaming services, your kids can just gloss over what’s available. Because they have so many choices, sometimes they feel overwhelmed. I know as an adult, I used to feel overwhelmed by 200 cable channels when we had cable. Because there’s so much available, you don’t know where to start.

When you limit streaming services to two as we did, your kids have to dig deeper into each service to find shows they want to watch. This allows them to maximize what they get out of each streaming service.

Then, when it’s time to rotate, they can dig through the next streaming service. My kids have found shows they enjoy that they never would have tried if they continued to have so many streaming services available.

Final Thoughts

Streaming services are a luxury. Because each one is affordable, many people buy several streaming services at once. However, limiting and rotating streaming services can be better for your wallet and your kids. You limit their boredom, and they can maximize each streaming service. If you haven’t tried rotating streaming services yet, I highly recommend it.

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Better Ways to Gift Money to Children

September 10, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Children are the future, and one way to invest in them is financially. Gifting money to the children in our lives can help not only this generation but future generations. This generational wealth can cause a positive ripple effect in a person’s family tree. Manage your money correctly, so you can help the next generation. Then they can help the generation after them. However, you must first determine the best ways to gift money to children.

5 Ways to Gift Money to Children

There are five different ways to gift money to children. You might decide on one way or utilize several. Which you choose depends on your goals for the money, the children’s interests, and the children’s ages.

Give Cash

The most basic way to give money to kids is to give them cash.

Pros

Giving cash is desirable for two main reasons. First, it’s easy to do. Second, the child gets instant gratification. I still remember how much I loved getting cash when I was little because there were so many possible ways to spend the money!

Cons

However, there are also cons to giving cash. Because the money isn’t invested, it can’t grow and earn interest as it could if you gifted the child money in an investment vehicle. Second, you don’t want to give the child too much cash at once. A cash gift is usually suitable if it’s a smaller amount, which isn’t helpful if you want to gift more money. Third, most kids like to spend cash, so they may not keep it long term as you might want them to.

Contribute to a 529 College Savings Plan

One of the best ways to gift money to children is through a 529 college savings plan.

Pro

The major pro with this strategy is that the money can grow throughout the child’s entire childhood. Whether you give a lump sum early in the child’s life or give yearly to a 529, with compounding interest, this gift could pay part or all of the child’s college expenses. Also, there’s no limit to how much you can contribute annually to a 529 plan. However, if you gift more than the allowable yearly gift amount (currently $15,000 for 2021), you will need to pay a gift tax.

Con

However, there is one major con to this type of gift. If the child doesn’t go to a private school sometime during kindergarten through 12^th grade or doesn’t go to college, the child can’t withdraw the money tax-free. Instead, he’ll have to pay a tax penalty since the child won’t be using the money for an educational expense.

Contribute to a Roth IRA

For a less traditional gift, consider giving to the child’s retirement. You can do this by contributing to the child’s Roth IRA if the child is employed and making some money yearly.

Pro

Imagine if you had put money in a Roth IRA when you were 16, and it had grown for 50 or 55 years? The pro here is easy to imagine—compounding interest.

Even if you made one lump sum contribution to the child’s account and didn’t contribute anymore, at retirement, the child would still have easily 20x more money than when you made the initial contribution. That’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Cons

There are a few cons to this gift. First, you can only contribute as much as the child makes working. So, if the child only makes $3,000 in a year, that is all you can contribute to their Roth IRA. The second problem is that even if the child makes $10,000 a year, you can only contribute to the maximum yearly contribution limit of $6,000 a year for a person under 50.

Contribute to a UGMA

A more flexible choice is to gift the child money through a UGMA (Uniform Gift to Minors Act) account.

Pros

If you’d like to gift a child a large amount of money, this is a perfect account to do that because it has no limit. In addition, the money is not earmarked for one particular expense such as a 529, which can only be used for educational expenses.

Con

The major con with this type of gift is that you have no control over the money when the child is of age. If he uses the money to buy an expensive sports car, you can’t do anything about that. Also, once you give the gift, it is irrevocable. Make sure you want to gift the money before you do. Finally, as the money is technically the child’s, the account can affect her ability to get financial aid when she goes to college.

Contribute to an ABLE Account

If you have a child or grandchild with special needs, consider contributing to an ABLE account for them. A child can have an ABLE account set up if she was younger than 26 when the disability was diagnosed. She can open and maintain the ABLE account at any age.

Pros

Many kids with disabilities receive government services and funding. While this is a blessing, this funding often comes with strict rules. For instance, once the child is an adult and working, she cannot make more than a certain amount or she loses services and funding. However, relatives can put money in an ABLE account for the child to use. This money does not count against the amount they’re allowed before losing benefits.

Cons

The con is that the child can only receive $15,000 per year in her ABLE account. So, if you’re the grandparent and the child’s parents contribute to her ABLE account, you need to coordinate with them so that the child only receives $15,000 total in a year.

Final Thoughts

Investing in our children is one of the best things we can do for our kids and for our future generations. If you are a parent or grandparent or even an aunt or uncle, you can use one or more of these five ways to gift money to children. Which way you choose depends on the child’s needs and goals.

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Editors Note: If you are investing for your children, you might consider actually teaching them how to invest. A good place to start is a very good article by How Much Is That In Tacos titled “Teach Kids About Early“. Check it out of you have a chance.

Paying for Extracurriculars Without Breaking the Bank

August 26, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Kids are naturally curious and tend to get excited about sports, musical instruments, and all sorts of group activities. While you may appreciate their enthusiasm, you also likely have to balance your budget. I’ve learned over the years that paying for extracurriculars without breaking the bank is possible.

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How Much Does Unschooling Cost?

August 12, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Homeschooling can take many different forms, from essentially recreating school at home by using workbooks and taking multiple tests to a Charlotte Mason method where children derive their education largely through reading living books. There is also the Classical Education philosophy based on learning the classics like Greek and Roman history and language. However, perhaps the most misunderstood homeschool philosophy is unschooling. While detractors say unschooling isn’t really schooling at all, unschoolers see it as a viable educational form. If you’re interested in unschooling, you first must understand what the philosophy is and how much unschooling costs.

What Is Unschooling

Unschooling is an educational philosophy. Unschoolers don’t typically have their children take standardized tests or any other test. They don’t use textbooks or follow a set curriculum. Instead, the child determines what he would like to study based on his interests.

Cooking, gardening, and raising animals can all be part of the school day for an unschooler. Unschoolers also may code a robot, research the Titanic, do a science experiment, or record a new YouTube video all in the name of school. The idea is that unschoolers will learn more deeply because they’re working on things that interest them and that they choose to pursue. Hopefully, this helps the child become a lifelong learner.

However, critics argue that unschooling does not lead to a well-rounded education necessary for adult life. If an unschooler is not interested in math, she may not study it, which could cause problems in adulthood. Similarly, one who is interested in science may not study writing because she’s not particularly strong in that area.

How Much Does Unschooling Cost?

Unschooling costs can vary widely depending on the amount of money the parent has to dedicate to unschooling and the child’s interests.

Ways to Unschool for Free

If you don’t have much money to dedicate to unschooling, that’s okay! You can still give your child a stellar education. Consider these opportunities:

The Library

The library offers many educational items for your child from library books to movies to foreign language learning programs. In addition, most libraries offer regular learning programs such as wildlife experts who bring animals to the library or scientists who teach astronomy. Most libraries also offer activities like chess club and teen time that your child can join.

The Outdoors

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

One of the greatest classrooms is the great outdoors. Give your child ample time to hike and take nature walks. Some children enjoy keeping a nature journal. They can search for animals, observe the seasonal changes, watch birds. . .the possibilities are endless.

The Internet

There are some high-quality educational services on the Internet.

EdX

EdX offers free online college classes from 160 universities including Harvard, MIT, Boston University, and the University of California, Berkeley, to name a few. You can study architecture, math, literature, engineering, food and nutrition, and many more subjects with some of the greatest minds in the United States.

YouTube

If you think of YouTube as a place to waste time, think again. You can find tutorials and even educational lessons. My daughter and I are studying Japanese, in part through YouTube lessons that we find.

If You Have Money to Spend

If you have more money to spend on unschooling, you can take advantage of other academic resources.

Camps

Educational camps offer your child a unique way to learn. There are science camps, sports camps, liberal arts/reading camps. You can find what you need for your child if you have the money to pay for it.

Subscriptions

Likewise, you can also take advantage of subscription services to help your child in her educational endeavors.

Magazine Subscriptions

Magazine subscriptions from National Geographic to LEGO Magazine to Architectural Digest may feed your child’s desire to learn more about their current unschooling interests.

Box Subscriptions

Likewise, box subscriptions can also help spark your child’s creativity. Some of the most popular educational subscription boxes include Kiwi Crate for science and art, Atlas Crate for geography and culture, Tinker Crate for science and engineering, and Eureka Crate for engineering and design.

If your child is more creative, there are I Create Art boxes for budding artists. Young chefs may enjoy Eat2Explore cooking boxes.

For most interests a child can have, you can find a subscription box.

Tools & Learning Aids

If you have a budding scientist, and you can afford to buy a student microscope, your child can spend time creating slides and looking under the microscope.

Photo by Simon Delalande on Unsplash

You might buy a telescope for a child who is interested in astronomy or ample art supplies for a student who is interested in art.

A child who is interested in chemistry might benefit from a chemistry science kit. A history buff may want to take field trips to historic sites and museums to learn more.

If Money Is Available but Limited

Most of us aren’t independently wealthy. If you have some money to spend on your child’s education, but that money is limited, consider handing over control to your child. Let’s say you have $3,000 a year to spend on your child’s education. You can give your child $750 per quarter. Then, she can decide how to spend the money on her education each month.

If you feel comfortable letting her have this control, you are embracing the philosophy of unschooling as a child-lead schooling option. Plus, just letting her choose what to buy and deciding if the items were worth the money is an educational experience in itself. She’ll also learn how to budget the money. If she wants to attend an expensive camp in the summer, she’ll need to save the money from previous quarters to afford the camp.

Final Thoughts

Unschooling is a controversial form of homeschooling, but many unschoolers have gone on to be successful adults. If you opt for this form of homeschooling, know that unschooling costs as little or as much as you want it to.

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Where to Find Food If Your Children Are Going Hungry

July 22, 2021 | Leave a Comment

More than 10 million children a year go hungry in the United States. These hungry children have trouble focusing in school, which puts them at an academic disadvantage. In addition, summer is often a difficult time for them because they don’t get regular meals from the schools as they do during the school year. During the pandemic, more children struggled to get an adequate amount of food. If this is a problem your family is facing, several agencies can help you find food if your children are going hungry.

Where to Find Food If Your Children Are Going Hungry

Many different agencies offer programs that can help your children if you know where to look.

Local Food Bank

If you’re experiencing a temporary food shortage, consider visiting your local food bank. You should receive enough food for a week or two, which should be enough to get you by until your next paycheck. However, if you are facing long-term food scarcity, consider some of these other programs.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

The SNAP program (formerly food stamps) has rigid qualification requirements. Namely, your income cannot be more than 130% of the poverty level and your assets need to be limited. However, if you qualify, you can receive several hundred dollars a month to buy food, depending on your family size.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

The WIC program provides supplemental food to pregnant and nursing women as well as their children ages five and under. To qualify for WIC, you must meet several qualifications. However, you’re automatically qualified if you already receive SNAP benefits or if you’re on Medicaid.

National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

Young woman serving lunch to school girl at canteen

There are two tiers to qualify for the NSLP. If your family income is under 130% of the poverty level, your child qualifies for free school lunches. If your family income is between 130% and 185% of the poverty level, your child qualifies for reduced-price school lunches.

Summer Food Service Program

During the summer, your children can receive free food to make up for the food they are not receiving because school isn’t in session. The summer food service program requires no documentation of eligibility. You can call, text, or contact your local food bank to find locations distributing food during the summer.

Backpack Program

The Backpack Program fills the need for food on the weekend when kids aren’t getting free school meals. This food bank locator can help connect you with a local food bank that may be participating in the Backpack Program.

Final Thoughts

No child should go hungry. These programs can help ensure your children get enough food so they can grow strong and focus on their school work. In addition, if your money is stretched tight, these programs offer a bit of leeway so you can focus on other expenses such as housing and utility expenses.

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Where to Get Free Cloth Diapers for Low-Income Families

July 8, 2021 | Leave a Comment

For families on a tight budget, the blessing of a baby also comes with difficult choices. If they don’t have enough money for the basics, do they choose between diapers for the baby or food for themselves? Some parents have to stretch the diapers in unsanitary ways. They may change their child’s diaper less frequently than they would like or air out the diaper to use again. Parents shouldn’t have to make those difficult decisions. Thankfully, several organizations offer free cloth diapers for low-income families.

Where to Find Free Cloth Diapers

Several organizations offer free cloth diapers, though some do charge a nominal fee for shipping. If you find a diaper bank near you, you can avoid the fee by picking up the diapers directly from the organization.

The Cloth Option

The Cloth Option is a company that will give you enough cloth diapers to diaper your baby for at least a day. Then, you’ll need to wash them for the next day’s use. Newborns will receive 20 diapers, infants 15, toddlers 10. When you’ve potty-trained your child, give the cloth diapers back and get the next size.

To receive the free diapers, you must first fill out an application and provide proof of residency and the baby’s birth or your pregnancy.

Share the Love

Free Cloth Diapers for Low Income Families

Photo by Padmavathi Ashok Kumar on Unsplash

Share the Love was started in 2012 by a mom, Jennifer Labit, who had only $30 a week plus WIC benefits to both feed her family and buy diapers for her newborn. Thankfully, a friend gifted her with a diaper subscription and then cloth diapers so she could properly care for her baby.

After you apply to Share the Love’s program and are approved, you will receive 15 cloth diapers. You must return these by the time your baby turns three years old. Share the Love has locations in nearly all 50 states.

GroVia Gives

GroVia Gives lends a set of 16 bamboo cloth diaper inserts and four covers for a family to borrow. The diapers should fit a child between 10 to 35 pounds. Parents interested in this program must first fill out an application and show proof of being on WIC and having a child. They also must pay a $40 lending fee, which is partially used for the cost of shipping the diapers.

When you have potty trained your child, send the diapers back. They then receive $20 to spend on the GroVia.com website.

Ask for Cloth Diapers as a Shower Present

When you fill out your baby registry for your baby shower, make sure to add cloth diaper supplies. You may get enough at your shower to allow you to diaper your baby for free throughout his baby and toddlerhood. If you want the diapers to last through multiple children, which they can if you take good care of them, choose gender-neutral patterns.

Final Thoughts

If your money is stretched and you’re choosing between food and diapers, apply to one of these diaper banks. They can give free cloth diapers for low-income families. Then, your money can be used in other needed ways and your baby doesn’t have to suffer from infrequent changes.

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Cheap, Fun Ways To Stay Cool This Summer

June 17, 2021 | Leave a Comment

After a long, cold winter, most of us embrace the warmer summer temperatures. . .until the weather becomes uncomfortably hot. We’re in Arizona and going through a heat wave; the daily highs will be 114 to 115 degrees for the next week. However, just because it’s hot doesn’t mean you and your kids have to be confined to the house all day. There are many cheap, fun ways to stay cool this summer.

Outdoor Activities

Play in the Water

Slap some sunscreen on and break out the sprinkler! My girls are 11 and 12, and they still love to run through the sprinkler and cool down.

If your kids are too young for a sprinkler opt for a kiddie pool or water table. When our kids were little, they could play for hours splashing water and throwing stuff in the water of their small stand-up water table. This is cheap, easy entertainment while still enjoying the summer.

You could also take the kids to the local community pool. Once a week my husband takes the kids to our community pool to cool off for a few hours.

Enjoy the Shade

Trust me, I know, some days even shade doesn’t cut it, but for the other days, plan a day of shaded activities only. One fun idea is to build a fort outside with sheets to play in! You’re protected from sun yet burning off some energy while enjoying fresh air.

Eat Some Cool Treats

Experiment with fun, cool healthy treats. Freeze smoothies into popsicles, eat some frozen fruit or jazz up water with frozen fruit for added flavor. Making homemade ice cream and experimenting with flavors is another option.

Indoor Activities

Walk Inside

If you need the A/C, try getting exercise at the same time. Super hot summer days are a great excuse to go to the mall…for a walk. Malls are air-conditioned and have wide halls that make a great walking path. If a true shopping trip isn’t in the budget, go to the mall and maybe grab a small treat like an ice cream at the food court. As long as your child knows the stipulations for the trip to the mall, whining should be limited when they can’t get the t-shirt/teddy bear/cell phone that they need.

Go to the Summer Movies

Every summer, theaters around the country offer discounted movie tickets for kids and their parents. Often, you can buy tickets for as little as $1. True, you don’t get to choose which movie you see at that price; you have to see the movie that the theater company designates. However, who can argue with a cheap movie and two hours of air conditioning while you watch?

Go Bowling

Photo by Todd Diemer on Unsplash

Likewise, bowling alleys also offer discounted bowling rates for kids. While this activity is fun, it’s probably the least frugal activity on the list because the price of renting bowling shoes can add up quickly. If your kids have their own bowling shoes, then this activity becomes much cheaper.

Final Thoughts

Hot summer days don’t mean all fun has to be zapped. While it is more difficult, it isn’t impossible to find cheap fun ways to stay cool this summer.

What are your favorite ways to stay cool this summer?

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How to Afford Raising a Child with Special Needs

June 3, 2021 | Leave a Comment

When you have a special needs child, you are faced with a double financial whammy. Of course, there is the added expense for therapy, medication, counseling, tutoring, etc. These expenses alone can put a family into debt as they try to provide for their child. However, there’s another cost that is rarely discussed. Because caring for a special needs child can be time consuming, often one parent has to quit their job or reduce their hours to part-time. Now, there are not only added expenses, but a loss of income. How can one afford raising a child with special needs?

Thankfully, there is assistance available, if you know where to look.

Get a Diagnosis

The first thing you must do is get a diagnosis. For instance, if your child has autism, she likely can’t receive any therapy until she is officially diagnosed by a qualified professional.

You will need to talk to your pediatrician to see how to go about getting a diagnosis. There are a number of experts who diagnosis special needs children, depending on what special need you think your child has.

How to Afford Raising a Child with Special Needs

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

Once you have the diagnosis, you can begin to pursue therapy, if need be, and funding sources. There are a number of places you should look.

See What Your Insurance Covers

Once you have the diagnosis, the next step is to see what your insurance covers. All three of my children have special needs. While my husband’s insurance didn’t cover speech therapy (some insurances do, but ours didn’t), it did cover applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy for our children with autism.

Depending on the quality of your insurance, you may be surprised to find that it covers more than you would have expected.

Talk to Other Parents

If you’re in contact with other parents of special needs kids, make sure to talk to them. They can give you tips for where to find resources, whether they be federal or state aid or grants.

You can find other special needs parents at support groups and in places like Facebook groups. If you homeschool, you may find special needs parents in your homeschool groups because a surprising number of kids who are homeschooled have special needs.

The more people you can talk to the better because each parent has a different story and different places where they’re getting help and support.

Apply for Social Security Income (SSI)

Another option is to apply for social security income. Based on your family income and your child’s disability, you may qualify for SSI. You will need to fill out some forms and make an appointment at your local social security office. There, you will have an interview about your finances and your child’s disability.

Of note, if your child qualifies for SSI, you will also be able to cover your child through Medicaid.

If you don’t have private insurance but make too much to qualify for Medicaid, look into getting insurance through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Open an ABLE Account

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

An ABLE account allows you to save money in a special account just for your special needs child’s medical and living expenses. You or other relatives like grandparents can deposit up to $15,000 a year. This tax-advantaged savings account does not tax the income earned by the account.

Another advantage of this account is that if your child qualifies for governmental assistance, such as SSI or Medicaid, the money in their ABLE account does not disqualify them for services on a financial basis. Meanwhile, the money in the ABLE account can be used for their education, food, housing, support services, and an array of other needs.

Find What You’re Eligible for With Your State

Another fabulous tool to use is Benefits Finder. This tool asks you to input some information about your child and his disability. It can then help you see what benefits your child may be able to receive and what agencies to contact to pursue these options.

Determine If Your State Supports School Choice

Many special needs children simply don’t get the support and intervention that they need through the public school. If your state supports school choice, you may be able to apply for funding to help provide your child with the education they need, whether that be through homeschooling and using tutors and therapists or through a private school, which would otherwise be unaffordable.

I’m in the state of Arizona, and they offer Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA). I have one child who has both dyslexia and a speech issue, so we applied and qualified for the ESA scholarship. Through those funds, I was able to get my child a private dyslexia tutor and a private speech therapist. Paying for these things out of pocket would have cost my family $800 a month, which is not sustainable. Thanks to the scholarship, I could afford to pay for that. My child has now graduated successfully from both therapies.

Indiana is planning to launch a similar program, and Mississippi has several scholarships available for students with special needs. You can find out if your state offers a similar program by going to the Ed Choice website.

Final Thoughts

Raising a special needs child can be exhausting, but it’s also rewarding. However, the financial costs of getting your child the help he needs can be financially draining. One special needs parent I spoke with when we first learned of our children’s disability said she and her husband ended up filing for bankruptcy because there were so many interventions she had to pay out of pocket.

There are resources available so that seeking help for your special needs child doesn’t have to decimate your finances. With these resources, you should hopefully find ways to afford raising a special needs child.

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