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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how much your kids cost you per month?

198 replies

Troublesometooth · 15/03/2022 21:16

I just thought about it and added up on another thread and I was so surprised! I’ve never really considered it before.

A 2 year old and 5 year old monthly bill comes to:

£500 for 2 days per week at nursery
£150 for 2 days per week at out of school club
£100 clothing budget, more if shoes are needed
£100 swim lessons
£35 ballet
£15 football
£22.50 tennis
£100 family days out budget

Total monthly cost; £1022.50! That’s without birthday and Christmas presents and special events etc.

My 2 year old gets her 30 free hours from April so that will significantly lower the nursery bill which I’m very pleased about!

OP posts:
Lemonnhoney · 15/03/2022 21:19

£100 on clothes a month for 2 children is madness?! Surely they don't grow out of clothes that quick?

Original poster
Troublesometooth · 15/03/2022 21:20

@Lemonnhoney

£100 on clothes a month for 2 children is madness?! Surely they don't grow out of clothes that quick?
One child is very fussy and will only wear a few organic brands that are super soft. I also like buying kids clothes and do often sell them on afterwards.

I don’t begrudge the money, I had just never really considered their total cost before!

OP posts:
Caspianberg · 15/03/2022 21:21

Hmm not a huge amount. Almost 2 years. Jo childcare costs. No classes.

For extra food, clothing, birthdays, days out etc across the year it probably works out about £200 a month.

Yahyahs22 · 15/03/2022 21:22

I thought the same thing about the clothes! My sons 2 (second due any day) and he costs me barely anything. Days out, food, no nursery so its very cheap for me at the moment. Also a family member runs a baby group which I don't have to pay for. I get second hand clothes for him when needed, hand me downs from friends or vinted. He costs me probably about 200 max a month

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 15/03/2022 21:24

The ones that are consistent are;
£900 just on nursery alone!
£32 swimming lessons
£21 after school club

squishmycherry · 15/03/2022 21:24

My sanity.

Ragwort · 15/03/2022 21:26

A 5 year old is fussy about clothes & will only wear organic brands ? Hmm

ivfbabymomma1 · 15/03/2022 21:26

£300 child care
£50 savings account

Family days & food just comes out of our family disposable income. Clothes as and when. I save £100 a month for Xmas.

He's 2 and does have any weekly clubs apart from things like play groups which currently is £40 for a 6 week course.

2ndBorn · 15/03/2022 21:27

3 DC:
£100 childcare (half day a week)
£40 dancing
£10 football
£50 swimming
£24 after school club
£18 gymnastics

Considerably less! Why is swimming so expensive?

Kite22 · 15/03/2022 21:28

£100 clothing budget, more if shoes are needed
£100 swim lessons
£35 ballet
£15 football
£22.50 tennis
£100 family days out budget

I think it is fair to say that this is not a typical family spend.
Presuming all the activities are only for the older one, that is a LOT of activities for a 5 yr old.
Also expensive..... I mean £100 a month for swimming lessons ??

As pp said, £100 per month on clothes ?

I mean, if you are rolling in money then go ahead, but I don't think this is typical at all.

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 15/03/2022 21:28

2 DDs age 11 & 13

Stagecoach is £170pm
Clothes £300 each twice a year
School uniform - £500 at the start of high school then top up bits as needed.
Pocket money £80pm (£10pw each).
Mobile phones £5pw each.

eurochick · 15/03/2022 21:29

Wrap around care £1600
School fees £1200
Clubs £80
Clothes/shoes maybe £50
Snacks £millions

TonkaTruckduck · 15/03/2022 21:29

About £500 in childcare
150 classes, activities etc
80 per month towards Christmas and birthdays
Maybe £50 in clothes and shoes when averaged across the year
Maybe another 50 on presents for their friends parties, little treats etc
100 a month into a pot specifically to cover activities in the school holidays.
So nearly 1k. I imagine this will be peanuts compared to the driving lessons / uni 6ears ahead Hmm

QueenLagertha · 15/03/2022 21:30

A 5 year old who will only wear a few organic brands....I've heard it all now HmmGrin

Original poster
Troublesometooth · 15/03/2022 21:30

@Ragwort

A 5 year old is fussy about clothes & will only wear organic brands ? Hmm
Yes. He has sensory issues and I’ve found one style of jogging bottom he will tolerate, at £23 a pair.
OP posts:
saturdaynightgin · 15/03/2022 21:31

2 & 6 year old..

Childcare £280
Football (for both) £52
Swimming £25
School dinners £46
Disney + £6

Don’t buy clothes regularly, family days out are usually free/cheap local parks etc. So I’d say a max of £450 a month, maybe £500 if they have grow spurts. A third of my wage!

AnneLovesGilbert · 15/03/2022 21:32

You’re very lucky OP. How fortunate your children are.

Original poster
Troublesometooth · 15/03/2022 21:32

@QueenLagertha

A 5 year old who will only wear a few organic brands....I've heard it all now HmmGrin
He has sensory issues and so it’s been difficult to find clothes he will wear. We are limited to one particular brand of jogging bottoms/leggings at £23 a pair. T-shirts from a similar brand as they are super soft and so don’t irritate him.
OP posts:
MadameDragon · 15/03/2022 21:33

Excluding school fees, an average of £30 for clothes and shoes for both per month, £28.80 for swimming lessons for one, an average of £10 total for special creams and sensitive toiletries and other over the counter stuff, £15 for rugby club for both, £30 per month average total for family days out.
Roughly £50 for birthday presents and £50 each at Christmas.
The expense of a bigger house to have space for a family dwarfs everything else though.

M0RVEN · 15/03/2022 21:33

@Troublesometooth

I just thought about it and added up on another thread and I was so surprised! I’ve never really considered it before.

A 2 year old and 5 year old monthly bill comes to:

£500 for 2 days per week at nursery
£150 for 2 days per week at out of school club
£100 clothing budget, more if shoes are needed
£100 swim lessons
£35 ballet
£15 football
£22.50 tennis
£100 family days out budget

Total monthly cost; £1022.50! That’s without birthday and Christmas presents and special events etc.

My 2 year old gets her 30 free hours from April so that will significantly lower the nursery bill which I’m very pleased about!

You haven’t allowed anything for housing them.

Or for the lost income / career/ promotion / pension costs for the parent who looks after them for the 3/ 5 days they are not in childcare and the 13 weeks a year that the 5 year old is not in school.

I think you will find that the other bills soon pale into insignificance compared to these costs.

Kr1spyKr3m3 · 15/03/2022 21:33

“Yes. He has sensory issues and I’ve found one style of jogging bottom he will tolerate, at £23 a pair.”

And you buy four pairs per month?

Original poster
Troublesometooth · 15/03/2022 21:34

@TonkaTruckduck

About £500 in childcare 150 classes, activities etc 80 per month towards Christmas and birthdays Maybe £50 in clothes and shoes when averaged across the year Maybe another 50 on presents for their friends parties, little treats etc 100 a month into a pot specifically to cover activities in the school holidays. So nearly 1k. I imagine this will be peanuts compared to the driving lessons / uni 6ears ahead Hmm
Oh yes I’m not looking forward to when we get into driving lesson territory!

For those asking about swimming, it’s £10 per lesson per child. Some months it’s £80, some £100 depending on how many days in the month.

OP posts:
luxxlisbon · 15/03/2022 21:34

£100 per month is insane. Surely they don’t need that level of new clothes every month?

I like buying baby clothes but even then it might be £100 every 3 months at a push.
Probably about £20/30 a month in classes.
£50 on baby specific activities like swimming etc although in a way this is a saving as our activities on the weekends before would have been much more.
Food it’s hard to say, we buy some things just for her and the rest is what we would have bought anyway.
£15ish on nappies and wipes
Probably £40 a month on toys only because she’s at an age where things need to be rotated according to development and there are no older siblings with existing toys.
£100 a month on coffee as an excuse to get out 😂
£1200 on nursery but that isn’t until the summer

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 15/03/2022 21:34

9&10

Swimming £50
Cubs/Scouts £16
After school sports £10
Rugby £10
Food £££££££££££££££££££££££££
Pocket money £20

PiesNotGuys · 15/03/2022 21:34

Pocket money and allowances - £80 a month
University fund - £100 a month
Driving lesson fund - £35 a month
Clubs and subs - £108
Swimming lessons - £75
Extra food - £150 a month (easily)
School dinners - £180 a month
Babysitter for my youngest once a month -£20
Adult sized meals whenever we eat out or get takeaway, adult tickets to events and attractions, counting as adults for holidays from 12+ - £150 a month?
School uniform - £200 a year each so maybe £50 a month
Shoes and clothes - maybe £50 a month
Mobile phones - £40 a month
Toiletries etc - £15 a month

Well over £1000 a month without childcare, albeit some into future savings.