How Much Does it Cost to Raise a Teenager?

I recently came across an article that provided a few averages for how much per year it can cost these days to raise a child. I decided to go one better and go over my own personal budget, but on a monthly basis. I am the single mother of four children so money has always been tight. I only have my 'baby' living with me now, but he is fifteen and therefore consumes quite a bit. Here's what I came up with once I broke things down.

Groceries $200.00

Clothing & other non-food items (toilet paper, paper towels, etc) $20.00

Water Bill (I figure he uses at least 1/3 worth of the total bill) $30.00

Electricity (Again, I figure he uses approximate 1/3 of the total amount) $30.00

Health Insurance $100.00

Garbage (This time I need to give him ½ credit. Boys are messy) $10.00

Misc (He gets an allowance, among other things not covered above) $20.00

Medical and dental co-payments $40.00

Now, this comes to well over $400.00. Even if I minus the health insurance, which is deducted from gross pay, I am still spending an average of $350.00 a month towards the care of my son. Notice that I have not included a portion of my mortgage payment, but this is only because I have actually downsized and moved to a smaller home now that a couple of his siblings have moved out. If I give him even ¼ a debit for that, the grand total is $550.00 per month. When this is multiplied by 12 months, I am paying approximately $6600.00 a year to keep a roof over his head and food on the shelves, among other things.

If you add auto insurance once he gets his drivers license and any number of extra-curricular activities, like school sports or summer camp... Well, you can see how things keep adding up. And this is just for one child. Just one teenaged boy. And this is with me maintaining a tight rein on my budget.

After looking at these numbers, it amazes me how well I've done to afford four children over the last fourteen years, especially on my own. I know the numbers were higher when I had more of them at home. I was lucky enough to be able to rent from family for a number of years so that more of each paycheck could go towards my children and their needs. I own a home now and my monthly housing expense is over twice what I used to pay in rent. Good thing my three other children have found their way out of the nest and out on their own. Of course, if any of them wanted to move back, I wouldn't have too much of a problem with it as long as they were able to pay some sort of rent.

And yes, that first line up there with that $200.00 for food is totally accurate. For anyone who has not dealt with a growing boy, especially once they hit puberty, let this be a warning for you. The child is going to eat you out of house and home. No joke.