Can a baby bonus really make Americans have more kids? Here’s what big families say.
June 28, 2025
Raising seven children in Jacksonville, Fla., requires Tanya Hardaker and her husband to stretch their dollars, especially as basic costs like food and transportation keep soaring. While he earns more than $200,000 annually, which she knows “is a lot,” they must be “extremely thrifty” to stay financially secure as a family of nine on a single income.
Their seven children, four of whom were adopted and are on Medicaid, are now ages 9 to 18. The kids eat free breakfast and lunch at school, keeping the weekly grocery bill to about $250 during the school year. (It doubles during the summer when all seven kids are home.) The family upcycles and trades clothes with other families at their church. Their house is less than 2,000 square feet, even after making an addition. For vacations, they go camping or sometimes rent a beach house in Jacksonville.
