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Maddie Adair

Ruth

ENG 1301

2 December 2019

Mock Essay

In recent decades, as the economy has started to expand, the average cost of raising a

child has started to exponentially rise simultaneously. While many couples underestimate the

cost of raising a child, it has in fact become more expensive. This can be attributed to more

expensive housing and higher costs for health care and childcare. According to the statistics from

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for parents with a baby born in 2012, they will spend “$217,

000 to half a million dollars to raise a child to age 18, not including the cost of college.” While

this value varies among different incomes, this does reflect how many families may not be

financially prepared to raise a child with the increasing costs of living. Considering the financial

state of most families with children and the statistics associated with the cost of raising a child, I

believe that most families may not be financially prepared to be a parent due to debt, social

pressures, and other socioeconomic factors.

Every day I wake up at 5:20am, a time too early for myself. I then proceed to get up, turn

off my alarm, turn on the lights, and then go downstairs. Once I’m downstairs, I make some

breakfast for myself, which usually consists of toast and eggs. I then go back to my room and

brush my teeth. After brushing my teeth, I get dressed and then take a nap before I must leave,

this is usually a 40-minute nap. If I feel like driving to school, then I will, otherwise I will take

the bus and then take another nap on it. Then I realize that I’m at school and proceed with my
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day. To summarize the cost of my morning, the breakfast I eat everyday is usually $20 worth, the

energy I use is about $50 and transportation is about $10 a day. Overall, I wake up at too early

times, and I take multiple naps before I get to school, minimizing the cost of my morning.

When I arrive at school, the dread kicks in and I start to regret waking up. Upon getting

to school, I will usually go to the library before classes start and talk with my friends. Once the

bell rings for first period, I will go to my first class and do the work I am required to do. I then

go on with the rest of my classes throughout the day. At lunch, I usually eat in the cafeteria and

do my homework whenever I can. At the end of the day at 2:30 pm, I will either take the bus

back home or drive home. The school day is very boring and uneventful most of the time. THe

cost of my day can be summarized into by the large amount of energy I exert at school when

doing work, the $20 worth of food I bring for lunch. Generally speaking, school is usually very

costly and time consuming.

My favorite part of the day is when I get home, so naturally I love going home the most.

Once I get home, I will go upstairs to my room and change into more comfortable clothes. I will

then go to the kitchen and find a snack to eat to hold me over until dinner, this usually fails as I

continue snacking most of the time. While waiting to make dinner, I do as much homework as I

can. When it is time to make dinner, I go downstairs to the kitchen to make some dinner for

myself and the family. This process usually takes 2-3 hours at most. After I am done with dinner,

if it is my turn to wash dishes, I will. If it isn’t my turn, then I will clean up the tables and

counters. Proceeding on I then take a shower early to get it out of the way. Once that is done, I

continue doing my homework. At 11pm I usually will make a mango banana smoothie for

myself. Then when 12:30pm hits I start getting red to go to bed, and then finally fall asleep near

12:45pm or 1am. The average cost of my evening is also pretty costly, considering the brain
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power I put into doing my homework, and the effort I put into it and making dinner. In all, my

evening is costly too in comparison to my evening.

In all, I believe that with the rising costs of living necessities such as health care and

housing in this economy, most families may not be financially prepared to be a parent. One

solution in alleviating the costs of raising a child is more financial planning. From this, I have

learned the meaning of being grateful for what I have been given and being able to have the

privileges that I have, such as having a roof under my head and food to eat, something many

people may take for granted. I have also realized that paying for things in the future may become

increasingly harder with the way the economy is heading. I would most likely need help paying

for expenses such as housing and education.

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Works Cited

Hellmich, Nanci. “Housing, Health Care Fuel Record Costs to Raise a Kid.” USA Today,

Gannett Satellite Information Network, 14 Aug. 2013,

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/14/costs-raising-child/2649311/.