Applicant #65: Laurel Diacogiannis

Laurel Diacogiannis is a mom from Lynden.

My video application:

A bit about me:

As the homeschooling mom of 12 children, motherhood is my passion. I have been an inspirational speaker and published author for 25 years. I started my blog 4 years ago, and love the ability to connect with moms all over the world. I was recently voted #15 (out of 50 nominations) of Big Family Blogs by Circle of Moms. I would love the opportunity to connect with and support Seattle-area moms.

My blog post:

Cheaper By The Dozen

As the mother of 12 children, I have often been asked if they are “Cheaper By The Dozen”. You are probably laughing and thinking, “Of course not!” But, in reality, the answer might just surprise you.

Many young couples think, “I’ll wait to have children until I can afford them.” However, I really believe that it all comes down to what our priorities are. We usually find a way to afford what is on our priority list. Do you want to travel? You’ll find a way. Do you want a big house and a nice car? You’ll find a way. Do you want a large family? Guess what? You can find a way to afford that too.

Now, I am not saying that everyone should have a dozen children. Oh my no! But, raising children doesn’t have to be as expensive as you may think.

At 21, the doctors told me I had a 2% chance to get pregnant. Then, when I miraculously found myself expecting, the doctors said, “If you want children, now is the time to do it.” We had our first 6 babies in 6 years. During this time, we would have loved to have a big house, big yard, nice car. But ... babies were our priority. We lived in a 3 bedroom duplex and drove an old prison van. And, guess what? We were happy and content, because we were focusing on our priorities: a large family.

Don’t worry. We didn’t stay in the duplex forever. We worked towards owning a big house; it just took a few years longer than most young couples because we were focusing on “Babies First”. We now live in a 3400 sq. ft. house and drive a nice S.U.V.

Our financial situation has changed many times over the years. When we had 5 babies under 5 years old, my husband’s gross annual income was less than $15,000. Fifteen years later, we were both working full-time and had hit the triple digits. A few years after that, we adopted two girls from Ghana and I lost my job. We decided it was time for Mama to stay home full-time again. Then, Papa had a career change, as well. This year we walked through a stretch of unemployment. However, the fluctuating income over the years hasn’t sunk us; because we learned long ago to be frugal, and to not spend frivolously.

How do we afford to raise a dozen children? Very carefully.

1. We love to travel, so we take road trips instead of flying. We’ve taken the children to 41 states in the past 7 years.

2. We cook from scratch, and don’t buy junk food. This not only helps the budget, but keeps us healthy, as well.

3. We buy “gently used” whenever possible, finding clothes at consignment stores and furniture on Craigslist.

These are just a few of the ways that we have found to raise our children “Cheaper By The Dozen”.

Laurel