Washington County Weekend Post

2A • WASHINGTON COUNTY POST • SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2020 GMTODAY.COM ACROSS 1. Cyprinids 6. Icelandic literary works 10. Break in half 14. Japanese mushroom 15. Have offspring 17. Not feeling well 19. A very large body of water 20. Witch 21. Behemoth 22. Speak negatively of 23. Absence of difficulty 24. Pampering places 26. Drives 29. Truck that delivers beer 31. Makes 32. A team's best pitcher 34. __ Carvey, comedian 35. Seas 37. S. American plants 38. Time zone 39. Deviate 40. No longer are 41. Moving in slowly 43. Patrick and Glover are two 45. Living quarters 46. Taxi 47. Pancake made of buckwheat flour 49. Swiss river 50. Not happy 53. Have surgery 57. Formal withdrawal 58. Give way to anxiety 59. Greek war god 60. 2K lbs. 61. Word of farewell DOWN 1. __ ex Machina 2. WWII diarist Frank 3. Concluding passage 4. Supplement with difficulty 5. Title of respect 6. Cubic measures 7. Remnant 8. __ Jones 9. Salts of acetic acid 10. Long, upholstered seat 11. Capital of Okinawa Prefecture 12. A one-time aspect of Egyptian sun god Ra 13. Prefix denoting "in a" 16. Propels upward 18. What we are talking about 22. Prosecutor 23. Employee stock ownership plan 24. He brings kids presents 25. Burmese monetary unit 27. Hurries 28. Injury remnant 29. Tooth caregiver 30. Elvis backup singer Betty Jane 31. "The Partridge Family" actress Susan 33. Midway between east and southeast 35. Most excellent 36. Heat units 37. Possess legally 39. Food items 42. Skeletal structures 43. Challenge to do something bold 44. Blood type 46. Sammy __, songwriter 47. Farmer (Dutch) 48. Clare Booth __, American writer 49. Piers Anthony's protagonist 50. Malaysian coastal city 51. Hairstyle 52. NY-based department store 53. Geosciences organization (abbr.) 54. Brazilian city 55. Niger-Congo languages 56. Gesture ANSWERS FOR THIS WEEK'S CROSSWORD Raising a family is no small feat. Along with the love and joy, there are some obstacles that must be sur- passed, including the finan- cial investment required. A 2015 report from the Department of Agriculture found that middle-income married couples would spend an estimated $233,610 to raise a child born in 2015. Parents who find that figure high should know that it does not include costs incurred after children turn 18. So parents could be responsible for nearly a quarter million dollars before they ever write a college tuition check. The high cost of raising a child only emphasizes the importance parents must place on creating household budgets. A few dollars put away here and there can add up to substantial savings over the years. Housing Housing is many fami- lies' most substantial month- ly expense. When determin- ing how much they can afford to pay for housing, families may come up with a figure they're comfortable paying for their monthly mortgage. But it's important that parents, particularly those who have never owned their own home before, also take utility costs into consid- eration before signing their mortgage agreements. Utili- ty costs for single-family homes can dwarf the cost of utilities in apartments The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expen- diture Survey recommends people making housing bud- gets commit 58 percent of total housing costs to mort- gage payments, 21 percent to utilities, just over 9 percent to furnishings and equip- ment, and roughly 7 percent to household operations. Utilizing this formula before taking out a mortgage can help families ensure they are not scraping pennies togeth- er each month to meet their housing costs. Food Food is another signifi- cant expense, especially for growing families. The BLS notes that the average U.S. household spends just about 13 percent of its monthly budget on food. Parents who examine their spending habits over the previous year can look at how much they're devoting to food and find ways to reduce that figure if it's well over 13 percent. Reducing food spending may require more savvy spending at the gro- cery store, including shop- ping sales or buying certain items in bulk when it's advantageous to do so. Transportation Parents may find this odd, but the BLS reports that the average U.S. household spends more of its monthly budget (roughly 17 percent) on transportation than it does food. Parents who want to trim their monthly bud- gets can opt for more afford- able cars and trucks, reserv- ing their splurging on luxu- ry vehicles for later in life when their kids have moved out of the house. Miscellaneous expenses When creating their household budgets, parents should leave room for unexpected miscellaneous expenses, such as healthcare costs if the children get sick and clothing and entertain- ment. Without accounting for such expenses, parents may find themselves taking on potentially crippling debt in times of emergency. Carefully constructed household budgets can help parents survive the often expensive costs of raising a family. How parents can create household budgets

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