Happy almost Turkey Day everybody! I am going to try and get the rest of these question and answers finished up today, but please, feel free to leave a comment with a question anytime. This has been fun,

Ok, “fosteringlove” asked, “Do you have any money-saving tips for any part of the adoption process, whether it is near the beginning or anywhere up to or beyond travel/escorting? Of course, I don't mean to make this all about money or to suggest that anyone should cut corners or make poor decisions to save a buck, but I am sure most of us, like you, have to take finances into consideration while engaging in this process.”

Money saving tips…hmmmmmmm…this was a hard one! But I do have some suggestions, or at least experiences to share.

Homestudy process- Shop around. I always recommend people who are just starting their homestudy to shop around. Don’t just go with an agency because you know someone who did, or because they are closest to your house, or any other reason like that. I recommend you make a list of all agencies who COULD do your homestudy (are in your state, are licensed to do homestudies for your type of adoption, etc.) and then ask them all…

-What do you charge for a homestudy? What do you charge for post placement services?
-In what timeframe could we expect the homestudy to be completed?
-How many homestudies have you done for families adopting from “fill in the blank”? (you want them to get it right the first time).
-Would you be willing to approve our family for (fill in your special situation here)? Some agencies will not allow out of birth order adoptions, some are “against” larger families, some may be “scared off” by some special needs, etc. If you know in advance of any “out of the ordinary” situation you may be open to, ask about it.
-Also ask about any “special circumstance” your family might have…anything that could be a concern to a homestudy agency (upcoming job change, in the middle of building a house, house size, family size, income, etc.). It is good to ask these questions before you pay them money. Getting the right agency the first time will save you time and money (and aggravation).

Once you have this info from all of the agencies you could use, compare it. If you have a pre-identified waiting child, like we did with Belane, timeframe may be the most important to you. If you are not in a huge rush and are on a tight budget, cost would probably be the most important. Remember to ask about the post placement services (and if you may adopt again, ask what they charge for an update). Our homestudy was relatively cheap ($650) but we found out afterward, that they charge almost as much for the post placement service ($500). So, for saving money in your homestudy process, my advice is to shop around.

Immigration-Unfortunately there is not much to do to save money in this department. You pretty much just have to pay the stinking fees. However, make sure (talk with your homestudy agency and placement agency) that you are applying at the right time, and doing everything correctly. Doing the paperwork correctly and applying and being fingerprinted at the right time will save you having to possibly pay the fees again to have things redone if they expire, etc.

Continued...