[Closed] Costs of childcare

For us it has always been a fine line between earning enough to make it worth while and our family life so much so that my wife found it best to work a almost term time only contract and look after the kids in the holidays, out of term time is a real cost once they go to school. She likes to go to work so that it excercise here mental facilites and gives her adults to talk to. We are lucky in that our child minder is very flexable and offers discount for sibilings plus the nursary we use is run by the trust i work for and offers fee direct which works the same way as the vouchers but has no upper limit.
The nursary costs £4:05 per hour and they open 07:00 until 18:30 which is very good. Our childminder charges £3:50 for the first and £3:00 for the next. This in the Southampton area.