Do they really "only get more expensive?"

[nanodyne]

I see this mentioned a lot in relation to kids, is it actually true? At their most expensive (so far) we've paid ~£1.5k for 4 days a week in a nursery and this takes into account the available funded hours and "tax-free" (🙄) allocation. Do teenagers seriously cost more than this per month..?! This is only the childcare component obviously, not including the clothes they're getting through at a rate of knots, the vast amounts of fruit/food they both consume/throw on the floor/smear on the cat, day trips at the weekends, classes on my day off with them etc..

Is this just something people who had kids before childcare became more than a mortgage say? I'm partly incredulous, partly panicking!

Next year driving lessons will begin also.

Maybe but if the DC is good at Sport at competes at county level there are costs involved. lots will also go on ski holidays with school.

We pay £1100 each for 2 at Uni
Plus mobile phones ,contact lenses and a few other bits
More expensive than any other times and O have gone back full time to find it

You have to take into account as well, that many parents will be earning more when their dc are teens, compared with the stage of life they are when the dc are babies.

Currently on holiday with my teens. Eye watering costs as there is no longer the option to go in term time like we did when they were small plus we’re now paying adult prices for flights, food and entry for excursions etc for everyone.

We also now need to book two rooms rather than all in one.

I can’t say life feels any cheaper even though I’m now working five days a week rather than three like I did when they were little.