Ep. 14 | How We Afford a Family of 9 | Part 1: The Mindset That Changed Everything

When people find out we have seven kids, one question comes up almost every time.
“How do you afford it?”
It’s a fair question. Raising a family today isn’t cheap. Groceries cost more. Housing costs more. Everything seems to cost more than it did just a few years ago.
But here’s what surprises people.
For most of our marriage, we’ve lived on one income. In fact, it wasn’t until recently that our family income reached six figures. Yet we’ve never felt like our children were the reason life was financially hard.
That might sound strange.
But over the years, we’ve realized something that has shaped the way we think about money, parenting, and even our faith:
Our kids were never the problem. Our mindset was.

Children Aren’t the Burden

Our culture tells us that children are expensive.
Have one or two, maybe. But beyond that? You’re asking for financial stress.
We hear it all the time.
More mouths to feed.
A bigger house.
More clothes.
More activities.
More pressure.
While those things certainly cost money, we’ve learned that children don’t automatically create financial chaos.
More often than not, it’s our expectations of what life should look like that become expensive.
Somewhere along the way, many of us began believing we needed the perfect house, the updated kitchen, the newest vehicle, the dream vacation, and every convenience before we were “ready” for family life.
But those expectations can quietly steal both our peace and our contentment.

Stewardship Changed Everything

Looking back, one word has shaped nearly every financial decision we’ve made:
Stewardship.
Not ownership.
Not wealth.
Not success.
Stewardship simply asks:
“How can we faithfully care for what God has already entrusted to us?”
That question changes everything.
Instead of wishing for more, we started asking how we could be faithful with what we already had.
That mindset brought peace long before our income ever increased.

Starting With Very Little

When we first got married, we weren’t financially established.
Not even close.
Christian was earning about $1,000 a month as a graduate assistant. Our apartment came with the job, and I picked up shifts at Cracker Barrel just so we could make ends meet.
Then we found out we were expecting our first baby.
Did we feel completely ready?
Not at all.
But looking back, we’re thankful those early years forced us to mature.
Instead of spending money only on ourselves, we learned to think as a family.
Instead of asking what we wanted, we began asking what mattered most.
Those years became one of the greatest gifts God gave us.

You’ll Probably Never Feel Ready

One of the biggest reasons couples delay having children is because they’re waiting until they feel financially secure.
We understand that.
There is wisdom in planning.
But there’s also a point where we have to admit that complete certainty never comes.
You’re never going to know exactly what parenthood will require.
You’re never going to have every answer.
For us, trusting God with our family became an extension of trusting Him with every other part of our lives.
If we believed He was faithful enough to guide our careers, our marriage, and our future, then we wanted to trust Him with our children too.
That doesn’t mean every family will make the same decisions we did.
But it does mean we don’t want fear to make those decisions for us.

Unity Matters More Than Income

One of the best investments we ever made wasn’t buying a house or increasing our income.
It was learning to manage money together.
Early in our marriage, we took Financial Peace University. More than teaching us how to budget, it gave us a shared language.
We combined our finances.
We built goals together.
We created a budget.
Most importantly, we stopped thinking in terms of “mine” and “yours.”
Everything became “ours.”
Money disagreements still happen from time to time, but we’ve discovered that financial conflict is rarely about dollars.
It’s usually about alignment.
When a husband and wife are working toward the same vision, even difficult seasons become easier to navigate together.

Rooted Families Choose Peace

Being rooted doesn’t mean you’ll never experience financial hardship.
We’ve had seasons where money felt tight.
We’ve faced unexpected expenses, job changes, and moments where we genuinely wondered how everything would come together.
But every single time, God has been faithful.
Not always in the way we expected.
Not always on our timeline.
But always faithful.
That’s why we don’t want fear to shape our financial decisions.
We want stewardship to shape them.
Because rooted families aren’t built on having more money.
They’re built on trusting God, working together, and faithfully caring for what He’s already placed in our hands.

If you’ve ever wondered whether financial peace is possible—even in today’s economy—we hope this encourages you.
And if you’d like to hear more of our story, along with the conversations and practical examples behind these lessons, we’d love for you to listen to How We Afford a Family of 9 (Part 1: The Mindset That Changed Everything) on The Rooted Family Podcast. We hope it encourages you to build a home marked by peace, purpose, and faithful stewardship.