To ask at what age were your children the most expensive?

[Invisiblewoman1]

I am trying to plan and prepare for being a single parent. I think the under 5 (childcare) and then teenage years are prob most expensive. Am I totally wrong?!

@immersivereader

Can't believe the cost of nurseries! Absolutely shocking

Are they? What do you think people should be paid so that they can look after your child so you can work (or whatever)?

Depends on how much extra curricular they do at school age. Mine do tons. It's not all cheap. Plus associated kits and equipment. Sports / Cubs / instruments etc etc
We would save a fortune if I didn't give them all these opportunities

I agree with a previous poster. I just can't see how a teenager can be more expensive than full time childcare for a 0-3 year old unless you're making some very unusual choices.

The OPs childcare option of £1200 a month is pretty average.
You could cover the 16 year olds £800 ski trip, £200 other school trip, 4 X £60 shoes, £400 console, £400 phone, £50 per month pocket money, £300 school uniform and a £300 prom outfit with less than a quarter what the yearly cost of childcare for a 1 year old would have been.

Even learning to drive which is admittedly very expensive still only costs an average of £2000... So less than 2 months childcare fees.

When they get divorced.

Pre school years due to my loss of career earnings as I was a SAHM for that time. Even when I went back to work I've only been pt since so I'd imagine that the girls have 'cost' us hundreds of thousands overall...

In terms of actual paying out for stuff, the teenage years. In the last few years we've paid for private tutors, driving lessons, a car and its associated costs, counselling, tech, clothes, phone contracts, bedroom makeovers... it goes on. When they go to Uni it's going to be even more expensive - we've budgeted around £500pcm each.

In the US, the university years. It was $50,000 a year--years ago! But it was worth it.

For me- 17-18!

University OP.
Both of mine applied for the max maintenance they could get and in both cases it didn't even cover their rent.

Ds15 didn’t cost much as a younger child as wasn’t into sports or group activities, as he hit the teen years growth spurts meant a lot of new clothes/shoes in a short space of time which was a large cost but he isn’t massively into labels so even now at a size 11 feet the trainers he likes are only £40-£50. I feel he is just about to get to the expensive age, college and then uni, driving lessons are not going to come cheap and I will be recommending he get a small job to help out as we are not on great wages but we will help out as much as possible. He does like his tech so has had a lot of that recently but he asks for it for birthday/Christmas and the bigger items he saves for
Ds8 has always been very sporty and done a lot of clubs, karate alone is £120 a month on a good month. He also has a love of nike 270 trainers which even in juniors are £85 each and he likes them in a variety of colours 😆
Obviously an awful lot of what my children get are optional, he doesn’t need the expensive trainers and if we couldn’t afford them would have to have cheaper but we are happy to buy them when money allows.
We never had to pay childcare fees so can’t say whether I would call that the biggest cost but I think 16+ until they become independent will be the biggest spend wise for us

Assuming full time childcare and no private school then the most expensive is baby to 3 when fully time nursery is around £1k a month

If private school then teens definitely

I feel like people who only paid 1k per month for ft nursery were very lucky. In London it's more like 1.75k to 2k.

I have 5 children, 2 of which are now adults, 2 late teens and a small one.
Without a doubt teen years the most expensive, constantly growing out of clothes and shoes, pocket money, phone contacts and the amount they eat .
Next year I have 2 off to uni together, the cost is even watering

@Stnic2021

I feel like people who only paid 1k per month for ft nursery were very lucky. In London it's more like 1.75k to 2k.

There might be an element of timing involved depending how old their DC are, ours jumped about as we got more kids, then got the so called 'free hours' then when our working hours changed and then had wrap around care to pay for it's 13 years since I only paid for 1 DC and that was equivalent to ~£1250 for FT in the north back then. London is always more expensive for living expenses though.

Can't believe the cost of nurseries! Absolutely shocking

It's the high staff:children ratios that are needed, the staff aren't paid much more than minimum wage which is shocking considering how well trained they are and what an important job they do.

Teenagers might demand lots but every parent who gives in makes it worse for every other parent. We're not poor but I refuse to spend a fortune on the must have next phone.

Nursery staff are on poverty wages though, which is disgraceful, so really childcare should cost a lot more. Is it the ‘hardest job on earth’, or is it ‘unskilled labour’?

My eldest is 21 and it's still expensive

University years definitely. Tuition fees, rent and allowances. Plus sports, holidays, driving lessons and cars. £1500 per month per child easily.

Now. In their twenties.

Absolute moneypits

University years definitely. Tuition fees, rent and allowances. Plus sports, holidays, driving lessons and cars. £1500 per month per child easily.

But you get much of that is optional and many parents don't provide that? Vs similarly priced childcare fees that are not optional, one way or another a young child needs looking after.

swissmoney
Your dc are fortunate.
Whilst at university I worked part-time and that money had to cover my travel (commuted), clothes, shoes, lunch, beauty products, driving lessons- the lot!

My parents stopped 'looking after me' once I hit 17/18. I cannot fathom adults in their late teens/early 20's receiving money from their parents. It just did not happen in my world.

It taught me to budget, save and never put myself in a position where I have to be reliant on anyone in order to live.

@Lovinglife45 my parents weee similar but I didn’t go to university. I was working at 18 and paying them board plus paying for all my driving lessons etc. However I feel university is still full time education so do help DD out. Having said that she has a maintenance loan that covers most of her accommodation and we top up the difference, plus we pay her food and mobile phone and travel home at holidays. She has worked part time since 16 and have a few K to take to uni. We bought 5 driving lessons and her license then it was down to her. There is a middle ground.

Can I ask how much people pay for wraparound care? For one, or for 2 children?

@KeranaCosmonauts for my primary child I pay £90pcm (75 with tax free childcare) then around £250 total over summer. That’s for three days a week term time and then perhaps 3 weeks of 3 days a week holiday camp. It’s nowhere near as bad as my youngests £750 pcm nursery fees!

Teenagers

The clothes
Buying 4 adult meals at dinner out
The tech
The amount they eat

Driving lessons/insurance/petrol

And mostly UNI

Easily the teen and student years.

All of it