People overestimate how much children cost on here?

[Bankin]

Yesterday found an old bank statement from 2019 and worked out after paying my rent I only had 400-500 a month to spend on everything else with one child.
No idea how I managed that but I did and now it has me wondering about all the threads where people say they can't afford kids because they'd only have a couple thousand left after the mortgage/rent? Am I unreasonable to think these people are being a bit dramatic?

It’s not physically do able though if you aren’t actually covering your basic outgoings. Racking up a huge utility debt because you aren’t paying your electric most months hardly classes as “doable”. At some point you just need more money to clear the debt.

I understand what you are saying @Bankin and can completely believe you.
Unlike a lot of posters, I probably had more money when my kids were younger. Aside from the obvious rise in living costs, I lived in a smaller home.

My mortgage is 3x what it was in 2009, my house is worth more now too but the Council Tax is more, same with heating etc.
Older children eat more, use a hell of a lot of hot water, have expensive hobbies and Uni costs, well the less said about them the better!

I never had to put anything on credit card or loan was just really good at budgeting buying reduced food etc

I have no rent/mortgage. Taking away car expenses as that's a work thing when my DS was there council tax in £110 ( BAND C) food was £140 max. WiFi £20. Water £16 , Gas) electric £44. Phone £5.

So that's £335. Less than the impossible £500

Yes it is dramatic. What about all the people on benefits or minimum wage who raise kids just fine?

For context then:

Our council tax at band C is £195, so straight away you’re down to £305.

If “food” is £140 a month max, and you have a formula fed baby then as an absolute minimum you’d be spending £40-50 a month on formula, so that leaves £90, then minus nappies & wipes even Aldi cheapest would be another £25-30 absolute minimum, so now you’re at £60, to feed yourself for a full month, what kind of diet can you have for essentially £15 a week? Not a very good one.

Our gas & electric is £150 a month, our water is £45. For context the average standing charge for electric is now 60p a day and gas is 30p a day, in a 30 day month that means you’d be paying £27 purely in standing charges before you even put the heating on or turned on a lamp, it’s not realistic.

I honestly have no idea how you think you could feed yourself and a baby for £140 a month now, or where you’d live that your gas & electric would be close to £44 a month.

Is this 1999???? Where the fuck are you that you can pay £16 a month for water? Mine was still well over £30 in a one bedroom flat 3 years ago.

Gas and electricity would be nowhere near £44 and that’s including barely running the heating. My electricity in a gas heated flat alone is around £40 a month.

@Mrsttcno1

How much it costs for a baby depends on your choices. I breast fed mine, used cloth nappies and cloth wipes do my weekly cost by dc2 was pretty much zero, I had the initial outlay for 24 cotton prefold nappies and 3 wraps per size then 24 washcloths (2x pack 12) for wipes. Most clothes were hand me downs or bought by my rather enthusiastic mother. My dc co slept until at least toddlers. They ate normal food not baby food which I appropriately prepared. I think my parenting isn't that mainstream but it does illustrate how costs can't be presumed.

Essex . It's on a meter. Adding pic of gas and electricity usage

I had a teenager not a formula fed baby. Get 25% single person discount on council tax

Oh and have no standing charges on my utilities

It’s borderline neglect to have a child living in a home and never ever put the heating on.
£48 for the last year is barely the standing charge for most properties. You would struggle to even wash with hot water at £5 a month.
I genuinely don’t see how that is remotely liveable.

No standing charges Shower is electric. And both DS and I are out a lot not Sat in house. If he was there and cold he could switch the heating on. Have log burner in front room so it's hardly freezing

You haven’t accounted for fuel for the log burner then.

You can hardly claim you live on £40 a month gas and electric.

Edit. Oh interesting you say “I had” a teenager living, “when DS was here”

So you’re posting your energy costs when you’re on your own and not running any heating and comparing it to what is a reasonable liveable standard for someone actually raising a child in 2025.
Pointless.

Not a chance you could spend £32 “max” a week and account for every single meal, snack and drink an adult and teenage boy consumes.

@Completelyjo as you see below Water £16 a month and I'm in credit

Log burner is fuelled by wood from trees that were felled in my garden mainly and other wood I've collected over time.Cost nothing.

DS is here uni holidays. So the usage I showed also covers this.

It was more pointing out that it is possible to live with £500 after rent and childcare

Okay so are you aware comments detailing what it cost you years ago and costs now when you have a uni student during the holidays isn’t remotely comparable to what it costs to raise a child today?

Totally agree OP. It's huge fun when the childcare fees exceed your income and you have to pay to work! I must have been missing a trick.

It's not drastically different to 2023 costs you know.

What costs was I talking about years ago BTW? It's YOU that was going on about £30 water in 1999 I believe. My £16 a month is current. And they put it up this year

Not in 2025 it’s not, as you say yourself you get a discount on council tax which not every household does so even that would increase your costs.

I’d also love to know where you shop or what you eat to be able to feed 2 adults anything close to a good diet for £140 a month.

If 2 adults were in the house then would be more bloody income. You told me I was lying about the utilities As you see I'm not

I know what you mean - when I had my third I had a friend who was all "you're so lucky to be able to afford another baby, it just isn't the same for us" when her p/T salary was the same as our household income and THEN her husband earnt like 70k in top 🙄

When she then elaborated it was about how they wouldn't be able to afford to take 3 skiing etc which is fine, you choose your own compromises but don't pretend it's due to lack of decent income cos that's just plain insulting to others who are genuinely skint

You live alone for the majority of the year!! Your bills are irrelevant.

But they weren't any higher in 2023 when DS was there full time

Maybe you just upset at having been ripped off £30 a month for water 25 years ago lol

No it wouldn’t necessarily be more income, lots of households don’t have more money left after paying their bills.

You’re claiming you pay for all food for £140 a month, a teenager is essentially an adult for food purposes (if not more). So if you’re now saying that actually your £140 on food is JUST for yourself then that makes your argument irrelevant really, you’re funding a 1 person household.

Oh ffs can't people read. It was cheaper for food in 2023 when DS was here full tim. Other bills were about the same as now so it's not made any noticeable difference

If people on here want to spend hundreds on utilities etc let them get on with it. I prefer to spend money on nicer things like travel and experiences