How did you...

LindsayB2217

How did people fund their adoptions? 

I feel like if we wait to save enough to be able to afford all of this it will be years (since it seems like something is always breaking or needing replaced) so I don't want to wait forever. I'm sure this has been asked millions of time, but I'm searching the adoption board and it's pulling from everywhere!...

How did you all do it? 

Thanks!! 

lorifromwi

We decided to do foster to adopt which is little to no cost versus private adoption.  Of course it comes with other risks and complications, but honestly from what I've seen on here I'm not sure they are terribly different than DIA (birth parents changing their mind, waiting for finalization, waiting for placement, etc.)

maryoosa

We saved about a 1/3 and then took retirement loans.

isenbergbeth

A generous gift from my parents and a strict budget that allows us to put 25% of our income in a savings account each month.  

Dr.Loretta

We sold a rental property.

If we were to do it again, we have enough $ from our adoption tax credit and employer adoption reimbursement to do it again.

I *think* the FAQ has a fundraising link. I have heard of everything from taking on a second job, opening an Etsy store, cutting back and putting that $ away, loans/gifts from family, fundraisers like garage sales, spaghetti dinners, etc., taking out loans, applying for grants, finding agencies that charge fees on a sliding scale, doing independent adoption to cut costs, and so on.

Wish Upon A Star

We saved for quite some time, and then got a very generous gift from my parents that moved up our timeline. We are still in the waiting phase, and I have considered looking for grants and adoption loans so we don't use our entire savings fund. Babies are expensive, after all.

beachybride10

I wish I had a good answer. We started keeping track of all money. We didn't have a budget set up, so we started just keeping an excel with what we buy/catagory. I'm hoping that will show a few places to cut. Example: AT&T cell: $130 monthly, dog food: $65 monthly.

We've talked about extra seasonal jobs. Might be easy with the holidays coming up. DH is going to ask about doing some overtime work.

I'm not comfortable fundraising, but might end up doing something if we get desperate. We thought about asking friends to donate items for a garage sale.

Pinterest had lots of ideas if you just search for adoption.

Basically, we are in the same boat. Good luck!

leisemomtobe

Very generous parents. We are saving and basically living off one paycheck while putting my paycheck into savings each week. We've looked into loans and grants as well. Its very hard and stressful but we know everything will workout. We also have a credit card ready in case we need to use that as well. We are still waiting to be matched so we are just taking this time to budget and get as much on track as we can. We don't want to use all of our savings because as @WishUponAStar said babies are expensive. We want to have a nest egg should we need it after baby is here and home with us.

oliv0026

we are doing foster to adopt with very little cost. I have no idea how I would come up with the money for international or infant adoption. ..

nlscroggins

we have saved some and got a loan, and we plan to have a yard sale soon to help with miscellaneous costs. we've also been sticking to a pretty rigorous budget that will hopefully help out not only for paying for the adoption, but also once baby arrives.

i know a lot of ladies that have sold crafts and things that they've made ( think etsy, craft fairs, etc.) and have been successful. this is an awesome thing to consider if you're crafty because not only can you make money, but it helps to pass the time during all that waiting that comes with adoption! 

one thing i'm also considering is getting a part-time seasonal help type of job. i worked at a cute little store before i started working from home, and i miss it and could really use the money. now is the time department stores (well, all kinds of stores really) are starting to look at hiring for the holiday season- if that's something that appeals to you/your SO and you have that available to you, maybe you could do that too just to help boost your adoption fund. 

then there's always fundraising/crowdfunding. i have mixed feelings about fundraising since i got a negative reaction from my best friend about it that scared us away from the idea altogether. i wouldn't say don't do fundraisers, since they are a great financial resource and a good way for supportive people to help out, but i will warn you to be prepared for reactions that you never really dreamed you'd get! in my opinion, things like yard sales, dinners, or selling goods you make/want to get rid of are all good ideas, since the buyer is getting something in return. crowdfunding sites like youcaring and gofundme are the ones that usually raise eyebrows (people tend to view it as asking someone else to pay for their adoption), but i know lots of people who have had a lot of success with those too. so, just kind of go with what you're comfortable with as far as fundraising. 

justjinny

We had been saving up to do a remodel on our house, so we ended up putting that off and used the funds for our adoption.  We took out a home equity line of credit to use as a "just in case" option if something happened soon after paying for the adoption since we were sure we'd pretty much be draining our savings account.  

In the year or two leading up to our match, we had been really watching our spending.  We cut out things like cable & cell phone bills, new clothes and gift spending.  Funny enough, a lot of those habits stuck around which helps with savings now that we have a LO.  

DH also changed jobs mid-wait and was able to get an adoption credit through his work.  It wasn't a ton, but was helpful.  We both also tried to bring in a little bit more where we could - either through overtime when I was paid hourly or through side work (DH does photography and simple websites).  Every little bit helps.

erinmc1

We mortgaged our house, had a garage sale, I started making homemade lotions and scrubs, really just anything we could think of to make it happen.  I even did a hot dog eating competition and made $500 to add to the fund.  Also?  I can no longer eat hot dogs.

jenbabe

We also have generous parents that paid for about half our adoption both times.  We also got one grant for $3k the first time and two grants totaling $4k for our second adoption.  I applied for 4 grants each time.   It really does not hurt to try, even the ones that charge a small application fee.  I thought they would take a look at our financial statements and say we earn too much but they didn't.  Here's a link the agency from our first adoption provides.  Very helpful!

https://www.nhadoptionagency.org/grants/

perumom

We took out a personal loan through our bank and then we sold a property and paid it off and financed an international adoption.  It also helps that I am originally from the country we are adoptive from so I have family that will be helping us out on that expense (lodging, food, etc.)  It is nice that there is a tax credit for adoptions too.

Good Luck

AdoptPeru: Bringing Home Peru Child