How does the average person afford adoption?

Question

I am very interested in international adoption but I just have no idea how I can come up with $30,000 for expenses. My husband and I are wonderful parents with a great 6 yr old son, we could provide a loving home for a special child to grow up in but the cost of adoption is very scary. We both have average careers with average pay so how are we to come up with $30,000 plus??? Any suggestions are welcome and thank you in advance for advice

Answer 1

My husband and I are in the same stop. Unfortunately I can not have children though. We are both working second jobs to help with the expenses. If your looking into adoption also think about fostering a child their are many child that live in orphanages or group homes just waiting for a foster family to help them. Their are many options out their home loans and groups that can help look into your religious group for guidance. we did but had no luck but that does mean you wont have better luck them us.

Answer 2

Hi Mom with a Mission,

The average person need not spend a fortune on adoption at all.  There are over 140,000 children waiting in foster care right now.  The cost is minimal to nothing, and the wait will not be long either.

If you are looking at spending $30,000, then that is most likely for a healthy, white newborn baby.  Most of the children who need adoptive homes do not fit that description.  In fact, there is only 1 such baby that fits this description for every 90 couples trying to adopt him or her.    Demand is highest there so the costs are the highest, and the wait is the longest.  

I would suggest contacting your state dept of children & family services.  They will give you information on expanding your options on adoption. There are many more children equally deserving of a loving home.  You will still get the tax credit of over $10,000, plus other possible financial benefits.  Thanks for asking, and good luck,

julie j

reunited adoptee

Answer 3

A home equity loan is probably easiest.  Have you considered local adoption?  It's much less expensive and you get a tax write-off that almost offsets the entire cost.  My husband and I were considering this ourselves at one point.

Answer 4

i know what you mean

i think your better off having another one of your own as in bio

maybe if people stop adopting then they will cut down the prices

why would we pay $30,000 + when we can have one of our own for free!?!?!?!?!? (thats if you can have kids of course)

Answer 5

Most people I've ever known that adopted from a foreign country simply got a loan if they couldn't afford it out of pocket.

Another option of course is to consider adopting a child "closer to home".  If all you really want is a child, then look within your own community to find a child that needs/deserves a loving home.

Answer 6

Why not adopt from foster care?  an older child?  a mixed race or different race child?

Answer 7

I refinanced my house which provided a big chunk of the $30,000.  Then I sold my car and got one for waaaaay cheaper.  I used my income tax return, got a "secret shopper" job and saved every way I could.  I kept all my change for about a year, and had two very big yard sales with donated items from friends and family (things they were going to take to the Salvation Army- they gave to me to sell.)

Good luck, where there is a will there is a way.

Answer 8

What about adopting through foster care?  There are over 100,000 children already waiting in foster care for families right here in the US (I assume that's where you are).  And the best part is, you won't have to strip those children of their culture, their heritage, or move them halfway across the world; they can stay with their families, or at least with others like them.  If your heart is set on helping foreign children, how about sponsoring a child, or putting the money you would use for adoption toward keeping families together?  Many families in foreign countries have to put their children in orphanages not because they can't physically take care of them, but because they don't have the money.  Please don't take these children from their own loving families.  Help them stay together.

Answer 9

My first suggestion is to think about all the child in the US who don't have parents. My aunt and uncle adopted from China, spent thousands of dollars, waited for over 2 years, and are now in the process of adopting another child from China. I just don't understand why they would adopt from China again, when there are soooo many children here who need a home. Also, when adopting from China, you can only get girls. So, if the 30K is too much for you for an international adoption, try finding a child here! There are 86 kids in foster care just in the tiny community that I live in. They are all in need of a loving home with someone to call mommy forever!

Answer 10

If you are willing to adopt a child with special needs, there are often times grants to assist with that.  Also, with hard to place children, like cerebral palsy, downs syndrome, HIV, etc., the fees are sometimes waived altogether.  Also, once you get guardianship of a child, you can wait a few months to file for the adoption fees themselves.  Try internet search for special needs, the country you want to consider, and grant.  Good luck, and keep trying, there are ways.

Answer 11

Most people who adopt can't just write a check for the amount!  Many people take out home equity loans or borrow against a 401K.

Remember, you don't need everything upfront.  Money is due in increments during the process.  

There is an adoption tax credit in the US so, most or all of the expenses can be reimbursed after the adoption is finalized.  So you can put that money directly back to whatever loan you took out.

BTW, $30K is the high end for adoption!  Foster-adoption is very inexpensive, many international programs are also well below that amount.  Look around at different programs and options and weigh them all carefully before deciding which is the best route for you and your family.

Answer 12

My husband and I could afford any kind of adoption however we very much found the idea of spening thousands of dollars for an adoption distatseful....  I had grown up around foster children and had no ideathat adoption through the system was Free or Nearly Free....as soon as we learned this we had confirmation that adopting Foster Children was the right choice for us......

Answer 13

Adoption of a child in need of a home does not cost $30,000 plus

Contact your local DSS, there are loads of kids who would love to have wonderful parents.

Perhaps you are being a bit too picky about what 'type' of child in need you are willing to give a home to

Answer 14

My area has a lot of couples who have adopted internationally.  Most that didn't have fabulous jobs took a 2nd loan on their home, used savings earmarked for retirement or other purposes, or got second jobs.  Some also sold their starter castles and bought more modest housing allowing the entire salary of one parent-to-be to be earmarked for this purpose.  The reality is that you just have to look at your spending habits. I managed to pay off $12,000 in medical bills in 2.5 years with a p**s-poor income. I had an old car (low insurance), ate out only once every other month, stopped shopping for clothing.  Believe me, if you need the money to pay for something, you find it. Just bringing my lunch and coffee to work daily saved $200 month.  If I can do that on one income, most people can do it with 2.

While people on here always push for domestic adoption from foster care, which I totally agree with, they should also keep in mind that the rules about who can adopt are sometimes arbitrary.  I can adopt internationally, but can't domestically unless I am a relative of the child being adopted (even for an older child) due to a medical problem that is not life threatening.  Stupid, I know, but that's the way it is for some people.   A couple that I was close to was unable to adopt domestically because his type of work caused them to move every 4-5 years.  This was actually listed as unstable housing!  They had no problem at all adopting internationally.

Answer 15

I am a single woman living on one income who has adopted three children from China over the years, at a total cost (for all three adoptions) of around $52,000.   For two of the adoptions, I took out home equity loans.  For the third, I scrounged from everyplace I could......a loan against my 401K, cash advances on credit cards, etc.  

If I had it to do over again, I would do exactly the same.  However, I am now in a pretty fair amount of debt for my age, which is a little worrisome.  I would suggest things like garage sales, selling items on eBay, having fundraisers, etc.  They would be a welcome addition to offset home equity funds.

Answer 16

To pay for our adoption, we have sold most of our "toys," we refinanced our house, and held garage sales.

We both also have part time jobs.

You can also talk with your employer about any help they may be able to offer towards the adoption.  Check with the Dave Thomas Foundation on this.

As others have also mentioned, there are many children in foster care and the is very inexpensive and in some cases free.

Answer 17

Our adoption is much, much less than $30,000 - there are options that don't require such a huge agency fee or expensive travel. Adoption from foster care is often free or near-free, and opening yourself to special-needs (there are a wide range of what are considered "special-needs" - it doesn't necessarily mean what people think it means).

We, too, have average careers with average pay. For our adoption, we saved. Then, we looked for more ways to save money - I sold my car and take public transportation to and from work (I'm fortunate enough to live in a large city with a transportation system that is incredibly convenient). We cut out all of the extras - the good cable channels, the extra tivo, eating dinner out, high-priced coffee. It adds up quickly! It doesn't feel like a sacrifice at all, because we know that the end result will be our family.  And, it puts us in a good position for when we have a child. We've been able to save enough so that when we do adopt, I can stay home.

For us, we didn't like the idea of creating debt or borrowing money. We don't have any debt, and don't ever want it again. And there just seemed something wrong with "I will have a child at any cost, even if it means putting our family into debt." I can't understand comprising your future, and the financial stability of your family willingly.

But, that's just us - I'm sure many people will disagree.  I know people who have charged their credit cards, cashed out retirement, and taken out loans. And then, they've struggled for years to recover financially. I don't get it.