One of the most common adoption-related questions I get is the money one: just how much does it cost to adopt from Ethiopia? I briefly considering getting a run down on every cost for every agency, but then I realized that would take forever and I remembered I have a life beyond this blog. So what I've done is add up my costs as exactly as possible. I'll share some details in a future post that will help you estimate your own costs a little more closely.

For previous adoptions I have added up the major costs-- agency fees, homestudy and immigration paperwork, and plane tickets-- and estimated the total costs from that. I estimated that our Ethiopian adoption in 2004 cost around $14,000. Our 2005 adoption was more like $16,000, thanks in part to higher travel costs during the summertime.

I knew those estimates weren't exact, but I figured they were fairly close. This time around I decided to add up absolutely everything I could think of. Now I'm gasping and wishing I hadn't. But I also am reminding myself what I've told people many times: when you step out on faith and decide to adopt, the money comes. Somehow. Really. And our kids are worth every last cent.

Here is the run-down on our adoption this time around.

ACTUAL COSTS TO DATE
200.00 Homestudy app fee (included 10 hrs ed. time) 4/07
1000.00 Homestudy 4/07
135.00 fingerprints for 3 adults (local) 4/07
30.00 Notary fee for medical letter 5/07
29.00 Overnight shipping for homestudy 5/07
56.00 Overnight shipping for dossier 4/07
90.00 Online Ed (before I knew about our homestudy agency class) 4/07
8.00 Photo paper to print photos for kids' albums and our passport pix 5/07
11.00 2-day shipping for welcome bag and referral paperwork 5/07
250.00 AAI application fee 4/07
545.00 I-600A filing 05/04/07
210.00 fingerprints (USCIS) 03/22/07
2000.00 Dossier prep fee AAI 4/07
2000.00 First portion of AAI's Ethiopia fee 5/07
115.00 Passport for our two year old traveling with us

Total paid to date - $6679



ANTICIPATED COSTS (estimated timeline)
200.00 Fedexing dossier to WA DC and Ethiopia 5/07
6,000.00 remainder of AAI's Ethiopia country fee for two children 6/07
5,500.00 airline tickets for 2 adults and 1 child roundtrip (summer fares)7/07
2,000.00 airline tickets for 2 children to be adopted (one way)7/07
60.00 visas for 3 of us to enter Ethiopia 8/07
200.00 guesthouse, 5 nights 8/07
300.00 spending money in Ethiopia 8/07
760.00 children's visas to enter U.S. 8/07

Total costs (est.) to adopt two children: $21,699


Additional Links:

Timing of the Expenses of Adoption
How We Paid for Our Adoptions