When we decided to adopt a child, my husband’s number one concern was how to afford the adoption. Most people who want to adopt a child share this concern. Considering that adoptions can cost as much as $40,000, hopeful adoptive parents are wise to be concerned about how to afford an adoption. (Foster adoption is free, so keep this in mind if you cannot afford a 5-figure adoption.)

How much money are you willing and able to spend on an adoption? The cost of adoption varies widely, depending upon which avenue you take. (See Cost... more

Raising money to adopt can be hard. With adoption costing as much as $30,000, it can be a challenge to raise the funds to adopt. There are not many people who have $30,000 lying around to use for an adoption.

Here are some ideas to consider:

Adoption Tax Credit

The adoption tax credit helps to offset the cost of an adoption. Right now, the adoption tax credit is $10,000, which means that you get a $10,000 credit on your taxes (not just a deduction). The credit phases out depending upon income, but it can really help to defray... more

Hey - this just reported on CNN.com: "Ohio couple may have just the ticket for adoption." File this under a great fundraising idea. I hope it works for them.

CANTON, Ohio (AP) -- With fans scrambling to obtain tickets to Saturday's Michigan-Ohio State football game, a couple is auctioning off their seats to raise money to adopt a boy from Guatemala.

Ken and Kristie Sigler have season tickets in the closed end of Ohio Stadium, about 10 rows from the field. They... more

Here's my last post about ways to raise money for adoption.

This post is about saving money for adoption. The idea behind these two posts is that unless you are doing foster-to-adopt, adoption can be quite expensive. And even if you are doing foster-to-adopt simply raising a child can be expensive. Everybody can use money earning and money saving tips (except you Powerball winners...I hope to join you soon).

Anyhoo, here are some tips for saving money when you're hoping... more

No matter which kind of adoption you are looking into, chances are you will need extra funds. Foster-to-adopt is free, and in fact they may give you a stipend in some states, but adding a child to the family always creates a financial hit. Other kinds of adoption - private domestic adoption or international - are often very expensive.

I have written a bit about this in my Russian Adoption blog, but I think it's worth writing about here as well. The money thing comes up over and over on the adoption bulletin boards... more