A side of Kraut

by

Casey K rautkramer Reporter

Children are a blessing but they are sure costly

Having children is certainly a blessing from God but boy are they expensive to raise in today’s world. With the rising cost of inflation, it’s more expensive than ever to raise children. I am feeling the pain in my wallet this year.

I remember my ex-wife and I being broke at the end of each summer because we were paying more money for daycare, with our children home on summer vacation from school. It sounds like the cost of daycare has skyrocketed since our children were young. I also recall spending $70 on baby formula and diapers for our two children at Walmart in Marshfield before buying food for the family.

Last week, I spent $145 on food and supplies for my home and that was without buying any meat. I was at home wondering what I had to show for the money I spent at the grocery store because I didn’t even have meat for a main food dish. My teenage daughters are drinking a lot of milk and eating a lot of food lately because their bodies are growing.

On Tuesday, I discovered both of my daughters have cavities that need to be filled by the dentist and one of my daughters might need to wear braces on her teeth. There goes more of my hard earned money.

On Wednesday, I purchased gas for my vehicle so I could make it to the newspaper office in Abbotsford to finish this week’s newspaper and to also have enough gas in my vehicle’s tank to travel to Rib Mountain to give plasma. This way I could earn extra money to fill up the rest of my gas tank. I even sold my truck three years ago and bought a smaller more economical car so I wouldn’t spend so much money on gas.

I used to donate whole blood to the Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin in Marshfield, until I discovered that I could earn extra money giving plasma at BioLife in Rib Mountain. The money I earned while giving plasma for the first time helped me pay for my attorney in court. I certainly hope some day in the future I can again donate whole blood to the Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin, but until then I need to keep earning extra money by giving plasma while I continue to recover financially.

The year 2025 is important to me because I’ll finally have my debt paid off from my divorce, but by then the cost of gas and food will probably be more.