Letter in the postbox - Friday 4 March 2011

When you are adopting a baby the last thing on your mind is what the costs are going to be, yet one does need to have an indication if it is R5 000 or R50 000. At the orientation the question was asked and the social worker said it varied from person to person but was based on salary and affordability. She said the most is about R12 000. I asked about legal fees and she said the state covers those. All we pay is a screening process amount and a placement amount. They asked me several times during my screening if I had any questions. I just didnt think of asking how much I would pay. I had decided to set aside R12 000 anyway.
Today when I got home there was a letter in my postbox stamped Child Welfare. I couldnt wait to get inside to open it. I am not sure what I was expecting. Needless to say it was an invoice and the amount far less than I ever could have imagined. Based on my salary my screening is R1200 and placement (payable after I get the baby) R1500. The total is R2700. That means I have a lot more money than I thought to buy nappies and formula :-) . . . and start that educational savings plan.