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AIBU?

AIBU to think this is a lot to spend on extra curricular activities per month?

79 replies

Picklesandpies · 22/09/2017 08:29

Posting here instead of parenting as no replies -

We spend £304 a month on activities for our two DDs aged 10 and 7. This seems like a lot of money to me but I'm curious to know what others spend. This is for;

DD1 - dancing lessons, flute lessons, maths tuition, swimming lessons and Cubs.

DD2 - singing lessons, swimming lessons, guitar lessons, Beavers, rock band club at school.

Does this seem extreme? Dh earns a decent salary but we still have to be reasonably careful with money.

OP posts:
Arrowfanatic · 22/09/2017 08:34

Yes that seems a lot to me, but I guess it's relative to your financial security.

We spend around £180 a month on 3 children attending classes at a performing arts school, 1 also does kickboxing and 1 goes to Brownies.

PinguForPresident · 22/09/2017 08:36

It doesn't seem extreme to me, but my daughter does loads of stuff too. Music lessons in particular cost a bloody fortune.

DarceyBusselsNose · 22/09/2017 08:36

It depends on your income doesnt it? These threads would be a smidgeon more relevent if cash figures were omitted and a percentage of income stated instead. If its 1% of your income, why are you asking, if its 30% of your income then why are you spending so much?

These stealth boasts really do grate after a while.

Can you afford it? Excellent.
Do your childen like the activities? Marvellous

.

Witsender · 22/09/2017 08:38

It does sound a lot, but they do a lot!

We spend about £150 a month on activities for our home ed daughter, which just covers swimming, riding, skateboarding and beavers...all weekly.

Our 5 yr old son doesn't want to do any bar the skateboarding yet, so at some point the cost will go up.

Purplemeddler · 22/09/2017 08:44

Maths tuition isn't extra-curricular. I'd take that out of the "hobbies" category.

But if you can afford the costs and the kids enjoy it, that's all that matters isn't it? I spend less than you do because my ds doesn't want to do that much, just swimming and athletics though in the past he's had music lessons too and was a cub/scout. Swimming is about £40 a month and athletics about £100 a year, but then you have race entry fees and petrol to get to places on top. Yes it all mounts up but as long as the kids aren't moaning about going, that's all that really matters if you're not hard up.

FakePlasticTeaLeaves · 22/09/2017 08:51

It's relative to what you earn, so it's hard to say.
Sounds lovely for them though to do all these things.

skyzumarubble · 22/09/2017 08:56

well they do a lot so it's going to cost a lot!

We spend £160 for ballet, swimming and brownies for two.

Acidophilus · 22/09/2017 08:56

That's less than I pay. I think there are geographic variations in price.

2014newme · 22/09/2017 08:57

We spend similar.
Swimming, gymnastics, brownies, drama, dance, athletics, singing.
Music lessons on top of that which are expensive.
I've said no more hobbies. Mine never stop going to anything they just add more!

2014newme · 22/09/2017 08:58

Sorry yes, £300 not including music lessons so probably a bit more than you

Picklesandpies · 22/09/2017 08:58

I'm sorry if this post has come across as a stealth boast. It really wasn't intended that way. If it helps then we have a shit load of things that aren't great in our lives, just like most people. Subsidence, health problems etc It's not a bed of roses. I'm not the sort of person to stealth boast - sorry it came across that way.

If I had put it in as a percentage then surely people would work out what our income is anyway? I think it's about 5% but my maths is appalling.

We moved down from the Midlands to the South East a few years ago and prices here seem insane compared to what we paid up there. You're right that maths tuition should be omitted. Before I get flamed for that as well, it's not done for competitive reasons - our dd has huge problems with maths.

Sorry if my post caused offence to anyone.

OP posts:
2014newme · 22/09/2017 09:02

I think 5% of income is in the heavy side but when you take out the maths it may have an impact. I don't think I'd spend 5% of take home pay on kids hobbies

TheSnowFairy · 22/09/2017 09:06

I have 2 teens and a 9 years old.

Costs have been high for different things at different ages.

Very young - childcare
Primary school - clubs
Secondary school - gadgets (younger teen) / socialising (older teen)


In a couple of years will be uni / driving lessons which are not cheap either!

mumtri · 22/09/2017 09:06

£304 per month @ 5% means your household income is £6k per month, if so I would say you are privaledged and should enjoy the fact you can offer your children the opportunities you can

I suspect your % is wrong (not asking for you to reply)

Ameliablue · 22/09/2017 09:07

I don't liked to tot up exactly what I spend but I think extra curricular activities are generally better value than finding other activities on the day to occupy them. E.g if they didn't go to a class on Saturday morning we might end up going to the cinema or shopping etc and spend more money that way.

Gizmo79 · 22/09/2017 09:17

Wow, I feel that my kids are now a bit deprived. They only do swimming and music.
That is a lot of extra things for the kids, how on earth do you get them to everything? We both work f/t and have no real family time except for weekends, so we would never see them!

PurpleMinionMummy · 22/09/2017 09:18

To me yes. I have 2 that do a sports club which costs approx £10 each a mth and one does two after school clubs, one which is £10-12 a half term and one is free.

I don't think I could manage much more time wise as we are out 2-3 evenings a wk playing/training + 2 nights later home with school clubs. how do you fit them all in?!

bonbonours · 22/09/2017 09:24

Just totted up total of £48.50 a week for 3 kids who do lots of activities so yes yours sounds like a lot. That includes dancing cubs choir and piano.

2014newme · 22/09/2017 09:25

Yes we can only fit so much in because we don't both work full time

PollyFlint · 22/09/2017 09:31

It's not so much the money that seems like a lot to me, assuming you can afford it and you're not struggling to meet other costs as a result, but I felt slightly exhausted reading that list of activities and wondered if your kids don't just want to chill out and amuse themselves a bit more often. But then I do notice that there are a lot of people on Mumsnet who are very big on organised activities, so I'm probably in the minority. I hated doing loads of organised stuff when I was a child.

namechangedtoday15 · 22/09/2017 09:31

I don't think that's too much given the range of activities - similar here but prices expensive simply because of demand.

The question as previous pps have said is not necessarily about money but time and enjoyment. We got to the point where they were just doing too much (especially in lead up to entrance exam prep) as they were tired and too thinly stretched.

womanbehavingbadly · 22/09/2017 09:39

DD and DS requested riding lessons, because of their ages they would require 1 on 1 which would cost us almost £200 a month if we were to send them both
Sadly we had to say no at the moment but hoping to send them next year or the year after when they can hopefully take part in group lessons which would be cheaper

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Witsender · 22/09/2017 09:43

How old are they Woman? My daughter has been riding for a few years and no stables have said that any age need 1 to 1.

womanbehavingbadly · 22/09/2017 09:45

2 and 4, dd can start at age 3 but they have said 1 on 1. I know a few don’t even offer for their age due to insurance etc.

FakePlasticTeaLeaves · 22/09/2017 09:52

Picklesandpies I think the suggestion is that OPs use a percentage and NOT a cash sum. So you'd have said in the first instance 5% of our income...obviously as you've already told us the figure, we can now work out the monthly take home.

Honestly though, I wouldn't worry - if you can afford it and they are having fun it's lovely you can provide them activities. It didn't seem stealthy to me at all.

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