Should You Have Kids If You're in Debt?

Should You Have Kids If You're in Debt?

Pull up a chair to the happy hour you wish your friends were having. Mix two money experts with some hot takes and a splash of nostalgia, and you get Rachel Cruze and George Kamel talking unfiltered about what’s going on in the world, pop culture, and how to afford a life you love.

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[MitchelleSaez]

I grew up “America Poor” single parent household and it was hard but it taught me how to work hard and never give up. It taught me to live below my means and make do with what we have. Great lessons that in today’s society seem to be lost. They’re right! It’s a personal choice and you will never have it all together to get married and have kids. My husband and I came from single parent household, NO money and we got married at 22 and we now have 3 kids and are financially good. Don’t wait to be financially well off to start living life.

[unkownuser]

She's worth millions upon millions and has no clue how much healthcare costs these days. They should probably have a poor mother on who can give actual advice about how to juggle bills and paying for a newborns needs.

[laundrygoddess]

As a kid who grew up poor... I respectfully disagree. It was hell. It wasn't fine to live in constant financial insecurity

[Helge_Mel]

My parents were 20 when they had me, their 3rd child. There was no extra money for extra curricular classes, e.g. sports, music, etc.
I got passed down my sister's clothes.
Looking back, I loved our family game nights, or taking bike trips, or my dad showing me how to garden...as a kid I didn't get it 😅
Yes kids can be expensive and you want them to offer them all the options...but all the money can't replace the love of their parents (and siblings.)
The worst part was when my parents divorced when I was 13 and it was all about the money.

[lissaharre]

My husband lost his job while I was pregnant with our 3rd. We had very little savings but no debt. It ended up being the best time to have a baby. I qualified Medicaid so no hospital costs. Our only income was his unemployment. We didn’t go out. We didn’t spend money on gas except to get groceries. We ended up being able to save money for the first time in our lives. He eventually got a job after our baby was born. All of that to say, I agree. We were very poor and it still worked. Btw, we had our first 2 while we were at the poverty line and still had food and a roof over our heads. There was nothing fancy in our lives. Live simply and have kids! Also, I’m pregnant with our 5th. This isn’t a story from a long ago generation. This is now.

[KaylaKukla]

If you are in debt that needs to be fixed or you need to have a tangible plan in action before deciding to bring a child into this world or else it will become another leech on our responsible taxpayers and it is simply not fair.

[kimvannatter]

I feel like what they're saying here is don't put relationships/family/love on pause just cause your finances are not ideal. Americans commonly think you need to be financially super set up to start a family but it will not kill the kids to grow up with less or eat beans. A lot of it comes down to parental attitude about the situation too. It sucks to not be able give your kids all you wanted to, imo but it also sucks to get hit with early menopause or infertility in your late 30s (talking from friends' stories). If it's extremely important don't put it off cause you might not be blessed with "later". Family is more than a simple money issue.

[Cousin_ncky]

WTF are you talking about 😭. This is AWFUL advice.

[jennprescott]

There is never a perfect time to have kids. We were poor when we started but never in debt. Lived super simply. But had a very strong family bond. Wouldn’t change a thing.

[jakejakerson]

IMO, if at all possible, try to avoid any debt at all.

[piperarcher]

Having a baby is soooo risky! You can not guarantee the childs health, the mothers health etc. It can throw you into hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt overnight. I have several friends whete having a kid destroyed their finacial stability...

[bearcatfan]

This is awful advice. Just like any other long term investment, putting money into something that you don’t have is a recipe for failure. Replace the word kid with something else and they’d say no. Kids are no exception and going through with it is setting them up for failure in the long run too

[badwolf]

Holy fuck this might be the worst advice I've ever heard

[amerzian]

In America?? Could not imagine bringing a very dependent human into the world with a bunch of debt. Especially if I was to be a stay at home mom. Now dad has two dependents AND debt?? And going back to work to help with the debt wouldn’t work because of childcare costs. Lord just the

[ang]

Ramsey so out of touch he hired younger version of himself to spew the same nonsense to appeal to the young

[Heseesyou]

Invite me as a single mom and let me tell you how this really works😮😢

[laurabalzekas]

I can't believe finance experts would encourage someone to get pregnant when they have money problems. It is so much better to clear up your finances first.

[emilylinton]

This is super fucked up advice to give. If you’re in consumer debt, or have unmanageable asset debt, fix those things then have kids. Money stress affects kids just like any other negative habit an adult has. Fix yourself before you have kids.

[nickice]

People can’t pile up cash I’m sorry this is good advice but it’s no longer possible for the average American 25-35 year old. The truth is most are getting money from family and that will be gone in two generations

[eduardojimenez]

I like the Ramsey show but when it comes to anything related to children or marriage they disregard all of their own advice.