The cost of raising kids

We clearly saved a small fortune by my missus working at our daughter’s JMI school during the years they attended it and avoiding any childcare costs.

As we lived on the posh edge of TOWIEland, the local charity shops were full of worn once and chucked children’s gear, so the girls dressed Gucci on a Poundland budget.
 
fatiain said:
Someone I work with was paying £1400 a month for childcare.
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It's funny, if you don't have kids then reading that is horrifying. We paid around 80 quid a day when we lived in Surrey, so if you're doing 5 days a week that's 1700 a month. I think we did 3 or 4 days so not quite as bad, and you get the tax free top up. But my point is when you have kids then it's just part of the cost and you make sacrifices to make it work, and I don't find it anywhere near as scary now.

We now live somewhere were it's more like 50 quid a day, so that's nice.
 
dl8860 said:
It's funny, if you don't have kids then reading that is horrifying.
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I remember telling my Dad in 2012 we were paying £55 for childcare and he's was like - "that's not too bad, a little more than we paid a month for you". When I told him that was the daily cost he was very shocked.
 
Clothes
Toys/electronics
Beds/bedding
Childcare/crèches
Parties
School trips
Medication
Food
Heating their room(s)
Entertainment (cinema, bowling, theme parks)
Holidays
Transport
Buy something to keep them quiet
Decorate their room
 
I have a 15 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. Hardest and most expensive part is childcare/loss of earnings up until they are 3. Once they start nursery and you get the 30 hours. It is a doddle after that financially up until teenage years. Daughter wants designer clothes, mobile phones, computers, consoles then motorbikes, cars etc.

The main issue is loss of earnings during maternity as very few companies will pay anything decent. Missus lost a good 10-15K just from loss of earnings during maternity and then going back part time. Over 2 children that is 30k straight away.

In the end though money means nothing as long as you are happy and having children is the single most wonderful thing you can do as a human. :)
 
cheesefest said:
Medication
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Prescriptions are free for under 16s and a bottle of paracetamol suspension every few months isn't exactly going to break the bank. I know it all adds up, but you're literally talking pennies/month here - most people probably spend more buying new carrier bags instead of re-using them when they go to the supermarket

cheesefest said:
Decorate their room
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You'd have to decorate/furnish that room anyway
 
fez said:
Cost in my eyes implies that "this is what it costs to do something" not "this is what the average persons spends on this"
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Ok, but the OP specifies 'average cost', which probably does imply "this is what the average person spends on this"
 
Raymond Lin said:
I think I only ever got a SNES with Super Mario bundle. Then I paid for all my games from saving my pocket money. That is the only console my dad ever bought, besides the PC he bought me when i was in uni.
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yea I used to get 15/week in the 90s which with inflation would be around 25 a week now,
the only other actual money I got was 2quid a day for the bus and dinner.

any trainers/clothes I got as needed which honestly wasn't all that often.

no one has mobile phones back then and nay consoles I wanted would be my Christmas present.

kids are spoilt as hell now days getting things on release etc none of them know how to wait or save up for things, probably one of the reasons society is so crap.

the last couple of generations are all spoilt rotten and and expect the world "now" without wait just instant gratification
 
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arknor said:
yea I used to get 15/week in the 90s which with inflation would be around 25 a week now,
the only other actual money I got was 2quid a day for the bus and dinner.

any trainers/clothes I got as needed which honestly wasn't all that often.

no one has mobile phones back then and nay consoles I wanted would be my Christmas present.

kids are spoilt as hell now days getting things on release etc none of them know how to wait or save up for things, probably one of the reasons society is so crap.

the last couple of generations are all spoilt rotten and and expect the world "now" without wait just instant gratification
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Since we don’t do Christmas I never got a Christmas present either, the week after the Christmas break when all your friends brag about what presents they got…as a kid, it’s brutal. I want to say i wasn't jealous but that would be a lie, I guess it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Same with Birthday, I think somewhere around the age of 6-8 my parents just said "you are too old for presents".
 
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