by Hope
Do you remember my braces post….Braces or a Car. Well, it’s time for the decision. Went to a follow up appointment for Princess yesterday and she’s ready for braces. So at the end of August Sea Cadet and Princess will begin the 2 years of orthodontist treatment subscribed by the most recommended orthodontist I could find…to the tune of $5,800 and $5,300 respectively. Yikes!
If you will recall, this will be Sea Cadet’s second time in braces…poor kid. But it really is necessary. I did make the decision go ahead and get his wisdom teeth out first, which is fully covered by insurance. So we’ll be doing that the first week of August and then they will both begin braces at the end of August.
I’m thankful that the orthodontist offers a interest/fee free payment plan (although with those numbers, I bet there is a fee somewhere.) So beginning in September I will have a approximately $500 per month ortho payment. New car anyone?
I say approx at this point as I won’t get exact number until August 31st and they will give us a 5% family discount on the most expensive child. But I’m using $500 as my budget base to be safe and thinking it will be closer to $460 per month.
Kids are expensive! (But yes, oh so worth it!)
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
Hi Hope! Down the road your children will absolutely appreciate the money you put into their smile. After 11 years at the ortho, through multiple appliances and my mother yelling “wear your mouth guard! there’s a lot of money in your mouth!” whenever I ran onto the field, I am so greatful to her every time someone tells me “you have a beautiful smile”. I had my braces off 9 years ago and still wear retainers at night because I know how easy it is for your teeth to shift, also I find I sleep better with them in and don’t grind my teeth or wake up with headaches (obviously a plus). As much as a new car would be lovely, a nice smile and confidence is worth it.
I totally agree, Downstairs! I was glad to have the months to mull it over and weigh the pros and cons because let’s face it, that is ALOT of money! But I agree that it will be worth it in the long run, even if they don’t realize it yet. One of those prime examples of “mom knows best.”
*grateful
Not to nitpick, but my pet peeve (when it comes to finances) is to use the “payment” to equate costs of two different things (I jumped all over Ashley about this last week so I’m an equal opportunity nit picker 🙂 ). In this case, your 11k total expenditure at 500/month is for something that the kids will reap the rewards for their entire lifetime. In contrast, most new cars cost 500/month but the total expenditure is usually north of 20k. And that is for something that loses 20% of its value as soon as you drive it off the lot.
So rest assured this is money well spent unlike a truly new car!
I would gladly trade you the monthly ortho bill for my day care bill which is currently a whopping $420/wk for three kids under 3. But your right, it is well worth it and your kids will one day be very grateful they had a mom who could give them beautiful smiles.
Definitely make sure that they know they will have to wear their retainers the rest of their lives or all of that money spent will be for naught. We had this conversation about a month ago in my office where we were never told to wear them FOREVER and now you can tell.
We now have 2 kids in braces too. Just paid off #1, and owe about $4800 for #2. Our ortho, like yours, has zero interest payment plans. So it’s just getting these paid off in the next 18 months!
But like others have said, it’s so worth it! 🙂