There are people whose ultimate goal is to be able to start a family, while there are also others who would rather put off the thought. This is understandable because starting a family is a huge responsibility.
Nevertheless, it can also be the most rewarding aspect of your life. If you are committed to starting your own family, here are some of the things that you need to prepare for.
Finances
The first thing that you need to prepare when you start your family is your finances. The money you budget for living alone is very different when it comes to living with a partner. It can even be altered more as soon as you have kids. As much as possible, pay off your loans and debts first so that you will eventually be able to save up an emergency fund sufficient for starting a family.
This may entail the need for you to work on a side hustle or venture out into putting up your own business, in parallel to being employed. This may also mean a reduced time for recreation and relaxation to get more productive in terms of money-making to be able to free yourself up from loans and have sufficient budget that is necessary to start a family.
Aside from the debts or loans that you need to settle, also consider your wedding expenses if you intend to tie the knot, as well as childcare expenses even before you bear your first child. In terms of the former, you actually have the option to hold a ceremony with only a few numbers of guests, making it more intimate, and not to mention, more financially feasible.
In terms of the latter, it can prove to be quite challenging to prepare for childcare expenses because the necessities of children differ from the moment they are conceived to the moment they are growing up.
Apart from this, you also need to make sure that you are ensured because starting a family means taking on the responsibility of being able to provide for your children. Thereby, you need to have a certain guarantee of protection in place, such that even if something unfortunate happens and you are no longer capable of earning, your spouse and children will be able to get by. This is made possible by the proper insurance coverage.
Home
In line with your finances, you also need to look for a suitable place to live. Your studio type unit may be appropriate for you and your partner for a certain period of time, but you will eventually feel cramped up as soon as you accumulate things together. With a baby, this living condition would no longer be appropriate.
Thus, in starting your own family, you need to look for a comfortable home. In instances wherein the cost of renting a bigger home may be outside of what your finances can accommodate, consider seeking rent help through state programs.
According to Loanry.com, all you need to do is verify your eligibility, process the required documents, and you are good to go. More often than not, these programs are designed to help you with a fund back so that you won’t get evicted should you fall short in paying your rental dues. However, there are also programs which can help you with the security deposit or the first-month rental due to aid you in moving as soon as possible. In this case, the latter would be more applicable to you if you are considering starting a family.
Personal Documents
When starting a family, there are several personal documents that you would need to update to reflect your new status. Your status has tax implications and you may be able to get the most favorable tax computation based on being the head of the family, or getting an additional tax exemption because of the number of your dependents. Thereby, it is important to update your documents and make these updates work to your advantage.
For women, aside from the tax implications, they also need to consider the updates they need to make on their identification cards and other personal documents if they intend to get married and acquire the last name of their husband. Updating some identification cards such as passports and driver’s licenses take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months to be updated. Even their credit card and bank account details need to also be updated to conform to their new surname. This will make it easier for them to conduct further transactions later on.
Career
Most of your career decisions would already be based on the family you are starting. If in the past, you would be very much willing to accept offshore assignments, when you have a family, this may no longer be the case. If you are keen on starting a family, you now need to make career decisions together with your partner. You need to consult them not only about taking offshore assignments but in case of resignation too.
You also need to discuss whether the job you have is no longer sufficient to provide the needs of a growing family. Your career decisions have a significant impact not only on the time you spend with your family but also on the financial aspect as well. Thus, remember to make the necessary preparations career-wise as you are starting your own family.
To wrap things up, there are numerous considerations before you eventually decide on starting your own family and by this time, it is assumed that you already heavily weighed on your emotions. When you are past this stage, make sure that you align your finances to accommodate your needs, together with your partner, as well as the kids you will bring into this earth. Ensure that your home will be able to cater to a growing family and that your documents are in order. You also need to prepare for some major adjustments when it comes to your career as you start your own family.
