(CNN) -- Hillary Clinton's assertion this week she and her husband left the White House "dead broke" left some Americans scratching their heads. How, they wondered, could a family making six-figures, living rent free, and writing best-sellers possibly run out of cash? As it turns out, being President doesn't necessarily come cheap. While first families don't have to pay rent at the White House, they are responsible for personal costs that can multiply, especially if they spend the full eight years in that spotlight. Former first lady Laura Bush wrote in her post-White House memoir that she was expected to pick up the tab for every meal she ate at the White House or the presidential Camp David retreat -- for her husband's two terms.
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Hillary Clinton's "dead broke" comment touched a nerve
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The Clintons White House expenses exploded over legal fees
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But there are some surprising expenses all first families incur
By the end of the previous year, the @placeholder carried debt totaling somewhere between $2.28 million to $10.6 million.