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It was mentioned in another thread about the cost of children and how they don’t get any cheaper.
We have two in nursery and I hope that when they start school the 1k monthly nursery fees won’t be absorbed on “other stuff. “ Surely not?
Of course it'll vary from family to family but for us it got much cheaper as they moved to school. Though there are other things to spend money on
1K a month?
Rather you than me.
Think we were about £850 a month at the worst though of course some of that was covered with childcare vouchers.
Afterschool care is £8.50 per child per day at our school. Breakfast club is £3.50 pcpd. Childcare vouchers also go against that
My wife stopped working, not worth throwing it all away. My bro and his wife have just done the same, she's not working.
Its hard, as it is with both working and nursery fees.
Nappies are the cost. My two are 18 and 15, and still costing loads...
Welcome to being a parent...
Yep - partner has dropped to three days a week. Her wage basically goes on childcare. 😳
We have two in nursery and I hope that when they start school the 1k monthly nursery fees won’t be absorbed on “other stuff. “ Surely not?
You thought wrong x10.
Just wait until they are university age and you can really see how much they cost!
Afterschool care is £8.50 per child per day at our school. Breakfast club is £3.50 pcpd. Childcare vouchers also go against that
This. Plus Summer & Easter Hols clubs (only so many days of annual leave) also able to be paid with vouchers, plus Ballet lessons, plus Karate lessons, plus Drum and Guitar lessons, plus Rugby & Swim club membership, plus Bike Race entries, bikes...
Thats why I'm sitting here with Tea and Goggle Box rather than a night out on the town...
Nappies are the cost. My two are 18 and 15, and still costing loads…
They're probably ready to try without - at least during the day
Childcare was £900 a month at its peak for us, frankly it was breaking me, but wasn’t much worse than the last 2 months of my Wife’s maternity leave which was statutory.
A few years later when eldest didn’t need after school club it dropped £120 a month, which was nice.
The year after youngest started school nursery, because of ‘wrap around charges’ it didn’t halve, but we saved a £150 more and was down to £600 or so.
She started full time school a few months ago, we still have to pay for after-school club and it’s about £150 a month which seems nothing now, we’re actually saving each month again which is nice.
I would have liked my wife to have worked less when she was little, but it wasn’t possible for a few reasons, in fact given my choice I would have waited a few more years before we had the second, but she wasn’t planned.
I do feel like we’re at the end of a very long tunnel.
They do still cost silly money, but I don’t see that sort of cost coming back till eldest is at Uni and that’s a big ‘if’ he’s not overly academic at the moment and I’ve been clear I’ll only support a Vocational degree under the current rules.
P jay that sounds familiar. I keep thinking; just one more year and it’ll drop a fair chunk.
Eldest is 15 - so far this year between Scouts, school trips and various music residentials he's been away 30 nights this year, his younger sister is comfortably into double figures.
I've managed 2.
Next year he's got World Scout Jamboree in the USA, his sister has a week in Austria for gymnastics. We look back fondly on the childcare years....
those saying they cost the same as nursery must be talking bollocks. or they are spoiling they kids rotten. even if you put them in before / after clubs that's £200ish pcm. That's a good £550pcm less than our full time nursery (which is cheap here). That's a lot of money on "clubs"
thing I do see going up quite a bit will be the food bill as my 2 boys grow. they are already eating nearly as much as me at main meal. hopefully not by 550pcm...
I still expect to be better off than these nursery years. until uni of course. if they go, and I will only support them if they are doing a proper degree leading to a proper career.
When daughter No1 starts nursery next summer well we paying £1200 a month for 2 kids doing 3 days and that with our oldest getting 30 free hours!
Serious belt tightening is required and pension contributions have had to be stopped for a few years.
Wait till your daughter tells you she’d like to be a pilot. It’s a whole new world of financial pain
Some of the childminders around here are cleaning up on the after-school market charging £40+ for pickup and care 3:15-6:00! That's basically £800/m. Insane.
EDIT: that same figure doesn't always reduce even if your child attends an after school club, so you can be paying £40 for less than 2 hrs actual care! And trust me, it's not always the loaded that are paying it.
my partner gave up work, we both wanted to do that and it seems no worse financially with a 3yo and 1yo. they love every minute being together. However it does seem to us that the way things have changed in a generation is nuts. costs, social norms, support, everything is very different and not for the better!
The transition from nursery to school brings other costs too - uniforms, shoes, more shoes, bags etc. Plus once your eldest is at school you stop being able to take holidays off season... Oh, and bikes, skateboards, scooters...
Account for it to be absorbed on 'other stuff' - which it will - and hope for some months to be less absorbent than previously.
Just don't count on it.
Nursery costs a grand a month, for 2 kids ?
My missus wants one of these things, I’m screwed :/
Nursery is roughly £450 per month for us to send our 2 yr old three days per week. Apparently I'm saving some of that by using the childcare vouchers available to NHS employees, but I just see my pay reduced by £243 per month and we top up the rest.
And this in the cheep and cheerful north west!!
We thought long and hard and in the end Mrs F gave up work to stay at home with Funk Jr. The plan was for her to return to work when he started school this year. We were both looking forward to a little extra cash when we got a surprise. Mrs F is now staying at home with Little Miss Funk.
It’s very difficult financially, but that’s having kids I guess.
My kids are 17 and 13 girl and boy.
I find the expense comes in waves but I don't think it ever gets as bad as the childcare, nappies and whole new wardrobe every 6 months again (except for uni).
It’s very difficult financially, but that’s having kids I guess
Yep, but I’m happy to be giving the middle period of my life to be giving 2 other humans beings the best start we can afford them - when I stop and think on that its humbling.
Mrs K stayed part time 3 days a week and although the net financial effect during nursery years wiped out her salary and of course some of mine, it meant she maintained a job/skills to carry on with now.
We didn’t have kids until I was 36, so with 10 years together as two full time professionals we were lucky to have enjoyed lots in our lives before out 2 came along. And one day, we’ll be retiring and on our own again hopefully doing a few things we’d like to do at that age, with occasional visits from the rabble. I know will will miss the noise and bustle.
All I can say is that I’m jealous of how much most of you seem to be paying for nursery. Little ginge is currently costing us £1200 a month in fees and that’s a with a discount for him only attending in term time ( Ms. Ginge is a teacher so keeps him home during the holidays).
Even if he was suddenly at university I can’t imagine him being any more expensive than he is now.
I've just bought my 13 year old son a new bike for Christmas it's not from Halfords unfortunately. D of E Gold for daughter next year is 450 and she's 17 in March so that'll be learning to drive time.....
P jay that sounds familiar. I keep thinking; just one more year and it’ll drop a fair chunk.
That seems to be the way it goes, I remember when it was £900 that “I’ll be rich when she starts school” I mean if you’re ‘suddenly’ saving £900 in expenses and you weren’t starving before you could lease a Cayman and still be quids in yeah? Doesn’t really work like that, because mostly leading a new Porsche unless the rest of your finances are ‘sorted’ is just daft and because it does drop a bit here and there it’s never that sudden.
I don’t regret a moment of it, but it was a glorious day when she started school back in Sept, the fact she took to it like a duck to water and loves it sealed the deal.
I'm enjoying the examples of older kids being expensive, no example up there is more than a single months full-time childcare down here (£1200/month), and most of the costs up there appear to be one-offs
Forgot to mention their birthdays are today and tomorrow! 😊
Lovely little things, I wouldn’t change it for the world of course.
We have two in nursery and I hope that when they start school the 1k monthly nursery fees
Thats a life decision point right there. 🍆👌
Dont you lot get tax credits for kids in nursery?
Thats what all the fuss is about isn’t it?
Change system, loose benefits 🤣🤷♂️
I’m enjoying the examples of older kids being expensive, no example up there is more than a single months full-time childcare down here (£1200/month), and most of the costs up there appear to be one-offs
Perhaps you should have given up work then or not had kids.
It's not just the money you pay out (school trip to NASA! I went to Isle of Wight....) but stuff like house choice. There is no way I would be living in a 4 bed house if I didn't have children, I'd be in a nice 2 up 2 down with the mortgage paid off and a chalet in the Alps...
In my day not every kid had to go on every exotic foreign school/club trip. It was just the rich kids. No loans and credit cards to pay for it all. Rest of us got a trip to North Devon if lucky (school was in South Devon) and even then some couldn't afford the few quid for the bus and lunches.
Childcare wasn't a thing back in the 70s either.
Yep, but I’m happy to be giving the middle period of my life to be giving 2 other humans beings the best start we can afford them – when I stop and think on that its humbling.
Completely agree with you on that front. I wouldn’t change it for the world. Just wish it could’ve been me that stays home. Feel like I miss a lot of firsts and little developments that Mrs F gets to witness.
My 2p (2 kids now age 10 and 8), we found that when they went from nursery to school, we had much more disposable income, as they get older and want/need more expensive stuff and start doing things like sports and going away on residentials your costs go up.
Also, you are limited to booking holidays during the school holidays*.
*most of the time.
In my day not every kid had to go on every exotic foreign school/club trip. It was just the rich kids.
Its still the same but this is stw, everyone is a well off IT consultant with and Audi, an Orange 5 and a woodburner they burn artisan logs on!
Expensive children?
Mine has been fighting like cat and dog for weeks, so if anyone wants them I'm open to offers.
Take a career break?!? and look after your own children...like you should, it's nice.
You thought wrong x10.
I disagree. We don't spend less now ours are both at school, but there's a lot of discretionary stuff we couldn't previously afford on top of nursery fees. Big difference.
Our eldest is 14 and at ballet boarding school, school fees plus Easter/ summer schools and extra lessons top out at £ 15 k per year and the government picks up the other half. Not had a proper holiday for four years and the new full suss I had approved two years ago never happened. Worth every penny seeing her perform at Saddlers Wells (famous balket venue) in the summer. The other one isnt cheap either, before and after school clubs plus tuition for the grammar school (local comp has been in special measures for 4 years) was £350 a month. He passed, again worth every penny. I shall be out on my 10 year old road bike in the morning and be happy.
tuition for the grammar school (local comp has been in special measures for 4 years) was £350 a month.
100% behind your decision but thats a sad state of affairs isnt it and the Tories want more Grammars, wondervwhy
Back in the day, you didn't have children until you could afford to keep them, and take time off work to look after your children, not palm the poor little bu66ers off on to someone else. My kids would have hated me not being there for them. Do folks not consider that maybe children need their parents?
And don't get me started on ridiculously expensive trips and holidays, most of you folk clearly have money to throw away, so stop whinging about it.
Back in the day, you didn’t have children until you could afford to keep them,
Do folks not consider that maybe children need their parents? Do folks not consider that maybe children need their parents?
What did you do for money? I'm assuming from your comment that your partner doesn't work either, and that you home school your children.