Dad’s Worth On Father’s Day 2014 [PHOTO]

Father's Day vs. Mother's Day...Dad usually gets the short end of the stick!According to the National Retail Foundation, Americans were expected to shell out $12.5 billion dollars for Dad today (down from $13.3 billion last year). In comparison, Christmas holiday shopping racks up around $580 billion, Valentine’s Day comes in at $18 billion, and Mother’s Day...$20.7 billion, on average, over the last few years.

A spending survey indicates that the average person will have spent $113.80 on neckties, tools, electronics and other specialty gifts for Dad. That's down from $119.84 last year.

Survey takers are discovering that this year consumers are keeping to a strict budget, and finding creative and affordable ways to show their appreciation.

So, then, you might ask: What is Dad worth?

Insure.com, a consumer insurance information site, puts out an annual "Father's Day Index" calculating the monetary (dollar) value of the work the typical father does around the house. The index uses Labor Department wage statistics for jobs that could equal typical "dad" chores. For example, home repairs are calculated using wage data for maintenance and repair workers. Removing spiders from the house and squishing bugs correlates to pest control, driving kids to school and extra-curricular activities equal chauffeurs, etc.

Lets look at helping with homework "value" for example: Dad's help correlates with teacher/instructor pay at $26.38 per hour, according to Bureau Of Labor statistics. At 10 hours of help per week, over 40 weeks, the total for Dad is $10,550! Thanks, Dad!

This year, the Father’s Day Index put Dad’s total chore value at $24,401, a 3%  increase from last year’s $23,344. And up a whopping 19% from 2012!

The 2014 value for moms is $62,985 – over twice as much. By the way, Mom is worth 5% more this year, than last...

I'm thinking that these figures should be taken with a LARGE grain of salt....

ONLY $24,401? Seriously?!

To me, Dad is PRICELESS!

Happy Father's Day to MY dad....and all dads!