To ask how much your kids cost you per month?

[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!

Wow, am I the only person whose kids don't do numerous clubs?!
My expense is food and clothes/haircuts when they need them.
Not organic 😁

I only have the one 18 months about 550 a month in nursery fees, maybe 100ish total a month on her food, drink and nappies but that's me being generous in budget..clothes, toys etc are as and when..I do shop second hand/sales to drop the cost. Then 2 days a week she is with me and activities can range from free ie park and library to soft play, outdoor forest school session etc but that's maybe one outing a week so I'd say no more than 40 in activities.

I do have spurts of spending with toys etc depending on if she is outgrowing stuff but again try and do as much second hand as I possibly can.

$1k before I’ve fed, housed or clothed them. That covers 2 days preschool, 3x music lessons, 1 x gym/dance.

How are your swimming lessons £10 a pop? That’s incredibly expensive.

Us:
Fencing £50 a month for 2
Diving £40 for 1
Swimming £36 for 1
Drums £15
Piano £15
Scouts £35 (a term)
Drama £50 (a term)
Clothes - v limited
Food - heaven alone knows
PlayStation - £6 a month

We have become that family that does WAY too much.

No child care costs as DC are 13 and 11 and I WFH.

I don’t think £100 a month on clothes is insane, I probably spend £80 a month! Good waterproof coats, walking gear, uniform and school shoes, extra trainers for nursery/school PE etc. it easily adds up

One 3 year old
£500 nursery 2 days a week
£40 swimming lessons
£50 savings

No idea what I spend on clothes/food/outings/toys, Id hazard a guess and say about £200 for all of that

Luckily my nursery fee comes out salary sacrifice so I never actually see it so it doesn't really feel like I spend it. Probably notice the difference when free hours kick in in September

Oh and we save on haircuts by having a pair of clippers for DS and a DD who won’t have her hair cut.

DD2 here

We are in a very high cost of living area.

£1,560 Nursery/month
£300 Food
£200 activities

So about £2.1k/month

Pcm-
Dc1 farm club £20
Dc1 riding lesson £25
Dc2 swimming lessons £35
Clothes £0 (we get crazy amounts of hand me downs)
School dinners £30
Family days out £100 (but some of this is buying annual passes for various places)
Childcare £0 (I work from home and dc at 7 and 10 so entertain themselves for an hour)

£990 School fees
£18 brownies
£35 swimming
£80 singing
£35 hockey
£20 gifts for parties
£50 clothes/shoes
£millions on snacks and stuff

Fuck!!

Your kids are lucky OP, ballet, swimming, tennis and football lessons, regular days out, and new clothes.

I feel very "back in my day saying it", but as a child I went to a dance class on a Saturday, had hand me downs from my mum's friend, and never had a child centered day out that cost money. I was a latch key kid and so my parents didn't pay for child care once I was at school. I think the world/parents are a lot more centred around kids now. Not sure if it is a good thing or not, I didn't feel particularly hard done by.

Mine do one club each, read a lot, play board games. They do eat a LOT.
Things like their bikes cost a bit.

£411 a month rent for a student flat
£9 a month for her mobile
She lives on her student loan

I must spend £350 per month on food alone for 3 which doesn’t include main home meals just the snacks / fruit and meals out for them maybe twice a week

Well I've never spent £100 on clothes for the entire family on average. Mine are grown now so no childcare but I spend:

£120 each allowance per month

Dd1 £9k pa. university fees (second degree don't ask)
Dd1 rent £4400 pa.
Dd1 misc costs £50 a month.

Dd2 thankfully doesn't require any other money now as about to start work and last rent is already paid! Her allowance stops in July.

For a six year old
20 per month (pm) average clothes and shoes
22pm swimming
20pm football
8 pm brownies
25 pm music lessons

Petrol money for school/activities. Approx 500 total for birthday and Christmas gifts/activities

[quote BambinaJAS]DD2 here

We are in a very high cost of living area.

£1,560 Nursery/month
£300 Food
£200 activities

So about £2.1k/month[/quote]
£300 Food food fo ra child monthly???

Probably about 2k for 3 dcs.
More if you include food and housing.

£100pcm on clothes is alot but not astronomical. School uniform + ballet kits/football kits etc, + 'normal' clothes. I can see how it adds up.

I forgot the monthly subscriptions so;
Reading eggs £6.99
Netflix £9.99
Disney plus £7.99
Bikeclub for 4 year olds bike £14.99

Obviously the cost of me being home 3 days per week is the biggest. My career has taken a huge hit and my pension will be badly affected.

Two DS's aged 13 & 18

DS1 - £260 for college travel/lunch
£50 for phone contract
£8 rugby subs

DS2 - £5 or so a week pocket money
£35 for phone contract

No set clothing per month, DS1 is a student but also has a part time job so generally buys his own clothes. DS2 is growing like a weed so probably needs something new every couple of months - he's quite chuffed with his brothers designer hand me downs too

Childcare - £160 (reduced thanks to free hours)
Clubs - £16
Odd days out/swimming - £20 (perhaps more in holidays)
A few meals out in a coffee shop per month - £20
Clothes - £30 (mostly second hand, get given loads by very generous friends and my mum buys a some nice new bits here and there as well as knitting loads)
There’s the added food too, so I reckon it’s around £300ish, but most of that is childcare.

Technically my mortgage was so that I could house my child, plus I got life insurance sorted out to protect my child should the worst happen. should I put those costs in too 🤔

£30 for swimming
£80 training for another sport
£30 for circus school
£20 for skating
£20 for acrobatics

No childcare- ever. My husband works night and I work days. Never paid for childcare in any form except a bit of babysitting for a night out.

Annual memberships- total £45.

Food about £15 a week at school. She eats whatever we eat so hard to know how much home food costs.

I suppose something like £300 a month all in? Including clothes. Pocket money is £4 a week.

@RobynNora what documentary please?

Childcare after 3 year funding £260
After school club -120
Gymnastics -55
Swimming x 2 -48
Violin- approx 50 a month
Clothes- £100 max around twice a year.

I have two kids, aged 5 and 2. We get £140pm child benefit. I think that pretty much covers everything I buy for them except maybe food, gifts and large purchases such as furniture

I don't expect it to stay that way when they're older though!