A_O_T_O_

- Average cost of raising a child to the age of 18 -- $197,600

- Average annual cost or raising a child -- $11,000

- Average annual cost of living in Washington DC -- $43,000

- Average annual income in US-- $44,000

We appear to be coming up $10,000 short. However, let's multiply the average annual income by two to account for a dual-income family: $88,000. Still a spare $30,000 every year. But wait, don't you want your kids to have a future?

- Average annual cost of college (public) -- $13,000

- Average annual cost of college (private) -- $30,000

Four years of this will run you between $52,000 - $120,000. So save between $3,000 - $6,500 every year.

- Single parents come out $13,000 per child short every year. I don't reccomend it.

- Dual income families have an average of $27,000 to spare. But subtract another $14,000 per child.

- I'd rather save that extra $1,000 (single) to $45,000 (dual income). It'll end up as $18,000 - $810,000 over the course of 18 years. Let's just skip the kids and retire before we're 40.