People have been going off on social media ever since a mum spilt the beans on how much she spends on her three kids per year.
The jaw-dropping figure left people stunned, with the mum telling her followers they aren't alone in their shocked reaction to the total number.
"I just totalled up how much my children cost me per year and the number is going to shock you... because it shocked me," she said.
Dana, a TikToker and mother of three, decided to crunch some numbers and come up with a total cost for raising her kids.
In a video she posted to TikTok, Dana acknowledged the financial pressures that come with parenting, wanting to be 'transparent' with her followers.
Telling her followers that her kids are aged three, six and nine, Dana revealed that she spends a whopping USD$18,000 (NZD$29,000) a year on extracurricular activities… alone.
"That's gonna be the one that gets people heated," she said after the reveal.
Dana's son plays soccer and her two daughters are enrolled in competition dance teams and tumbling classes.
Dana even admitted that the USD$18,000 (NZD$29,000) number doesn't even include the cost of convention stays where they have to spend the entire weekend.
"I'm probably levelling that a little bit because I didn't include the convention stays where we have to stay for the weekend," she said.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Dana's kids' spending habits. She also spends USD$600 (NZD$960) a month for her son's preschool, which amounts to USD$6000 (NZD$9600) part-time for 10 months a year.
Her two daughters go to public school, with Dana spending "at least USD$3,000-a-year (NZD$4800-a-year)' on clothes and shoes.
For food, Dana said it was 'hard' to pinpoint because she buys for the whole family including herself and her husband. But if she had to guess, her children cost her "about USD$1200 (NZD1900) extra per month in food". She also said with inflation prices going up in recent years, she doesn't know if this number would have always been this high.
Either way, this means the total cost of food for Dana's kids per year totals to USD$14,400 (NZD$23,000).
Dana then goes into how much she spends on Christmas and birthdays, estimating that she spends a cool USD$1,500 to USD$1,800 (NZD$2400 to NZD$2900) per year on gifts during the holiday season.
"And for their birthdays, USD$500 (NZD$800) per kid," Dana said.
Dana then dropped an extra USD$3,000 (NZD$4800) a year on things she might have forgotten about, like upgrading to a bigger family car and treating the whole crew to a much-needed vacation.
So after factoring in all the expenses for her three kiddos, Dana's total is (drum roll please)... a jaw-dropping 'USD$47,475-a-year (NZD$76,000-a-year)'.
Yup, you read correctly.
In her TikTok, Dana acknowledged that she "definitely" thinks she goes "overboard in some areas" with her spending. She admitted that her grand total of USD$47,475-a-year (NZD76,000-a-year) isn't necessarily the bare minimum needed to ensure a child's happiness and health.
"But I do think it's a realistic view of what kids could cost," she reasons.
Since sharing the video on social media, TikTokers have been swarming the post in a state of shock over the exorbitant expenses of raising a family.
"The Brookings Institute estimates that it costs USD$310k (NZD$490k) to raise a child 0-18, and I always thought that was a bit low," one account wrote.
It seems that Dana's eye-opening account of her spending habits has struck a nerve with many, as they come to grips with the harsh reality of just how much it takes to support a household.
Another person commented: "OK I need to know how much you make? Like total household cos 18k on HOBBIES!? I only make 32k a year BEFORE tax."
"Wait until car and college. Save for college now!" A third account wrote.
Let's face it, raising a kid is not for the faint of heart. It's a full-time job with no breaks, and it doesn't come cheap. In this day and age, where the cost of living is higher than ever, having a child is just plain expensive.
So what have I learnt from this? Well, I've learnt that I definitely need to give my mum a call and say thanks for buying Fruit Loops for me when I was a kid.
Because after watching Dana's TikTok, I'm pretty sure parents are #1 on my list of things I've taken for granted, right before oxygen and the ability to blink.
