Hate wishing away the younger years of high childcare but we’ll be so much better off…

[insaneinthebrainn]

Anyone else in the same boat? My oldest DC started school this year so is now 5.5, and my youngest is nearly 2, so we’ve been paying nursery fees for 4.5 years, at one point double fees.
We’re sadly not lucky enough to have family help once/twice a week so we pay full wack for 4 days.
I am happy to do this because I like my job and I like to pay in a pension etc and I work short days so get to spend time with the kids after school. But it’s just occurred to me our mortgage will go up next year and we’re still paying nursery fees for another 2.5 years.. also the 30 free hours kick in for DC2 in September (aged 2) but the bill is still higher than when DC1 started 3.5 years prior with 0 free hours! I know nurseries are totally up against it so I’m not debating them putting the fees up and I accept this.

Just feel like our money is reduced sooo much by the fees and we’ll be so much better off when both kids are at school..

Anyone else in the same boat and fancy a moan?

We were in the same boat many years ago when the DC we’re young and I remember it very well - we were skint, the nursery fees wiped us out, and we used to dread the price rises that came all too often and were always way in excess of our salary rises. The relief when they started school was very real!

Hang on in there - it does get better, and the hours you put in now at work do reap their financial rewards down the line. I know it’s really tough at the moment though, you have my sympathies.

Maybe more parents should consider using cms (I accept this isn't the only consideration).

An invoice pre 30 hours funding I would charge was £325 per week. Now my parents would pay £160 per week for full time care.

In 16 years my invoices have never been so low!

@SirChenjins Thanks for this. You’re right about the pay rises being lower than the nursey fee increases!

@ScrewedByFundingSounds silly but we never considered a CM, I’m not really sure why. I think it might be because my whole NCT group ended up using the same nursery and so we followed suit. If I had my time again I would strongly consider a CM, then maybe enrol them into a nursery at 3 for the social benefits.

We didn’t want a CM as we had no-one else to look after the DC if the CM was ill or on holiday, or gave their notice. Nursery meant we were guaranteed childcare - back then, there was no parental leave.

I'm not trying to sell my services to you. Just consider if they want. You don't, that's fine too. It's why you pay more for a nursery! You can't want 52 weeks of care and complain about the cost, that's the compromise.

I’m exactly the same. Three is my favourite age so have to try and not wish it away but the fees are huge. And yes, the price increases each year have more than outweighed the 30 free hours.

could you share childcare with other parents in similar boat nearby? so maybe look after their kid with yours on days not working, and then swap? could be cheaper and socially beneficial?

I didn’t think you were trying to sell your services to me - I was simply explaining why more parents can’t consider a CM as per your post, especially parents like us (and the OP) who didn’t /don’t have family who can step in at a moment’s notice and help when the CM is ill or whatever.

So yes, it’s going to be more expensive sending them to nursery and yes actually, we can have a moan on MN!

You realise I was just trying to be helpful? Not everyone has thought of a childminder, they don't realise we accept funding for example.

I hope your moaning helped you feel better. Have a good weekend.

We use a CM and she is SO flexible with the funding, my DS goes for 4 days 8-4, I send a pack lunch and pay £12 a week a bloody bargain if you ask me!
We were using a nursery but it was wiping us out financially so we swapped to the CM in September and it has changed our life - not to mention she has only had one sick day, in all that time, we have found her more reliable than the nursery who would send home for the smallest sniffle!

It did thanks - and you too.

@insaneinthebrainn i hate to break it to you, but you probably won’t be better off when they start school. Wrap around + holiday cover tends to work out a similar cost over 12 months, you just pay for it differently. I noticed the real financial difference when the oldest started secondary school…

I feel you OP, my bill will be £45,000 next year and it’s difficult to not just feel incredibly annoyed about it all.

Presumably at some point I’ll suddenly feel loaded.

Mine went right down when my dd started school last year. We were paying £900 a month for her even with the 30 hours funding, and now we pay £150 wrap around. When my DS starts school in a few years we will be paying £300 a month for them both (not taking into account yearly increases).

I’d love the lower fees but we can’t use a childminder as we have no backup, and can’t cover childminders sickness and holidays as well as our own. I hate the fees but nurseries are very convenient, open 51 weeks a year and all meals and nappies are provided. We can afford it so I’m happy with our decision, but we will feel a lot richer after the nursery years.

yes this is a good point abojt CM and I think that’s why we didn’t use one because we also have no backup if the CM goes in hol. Nursery is brilliant in that it’s open 50/51 weeks a year.

A PP is wrong about wrap around and holiday clubs being about the same. My oldest DC is in year R and we pay about £150 a month wrap around and £30 a day for holiday club, to me this is a drop in the ocean on our £900 a month nursery fees.

The positive of paying such high fees is we have become incredibly good with money and efficient, to the point that we will feel that the increase in despicable income when DC2 starts school is like real money!

What I am struggling with at times, is how we cannot afford a holiday involving flights etc and so we go for a staycation mostly or a ferry trip to France. I hate to feel this way but sometimes I’m a little bitter that friends/family have more financially beneficial circumstances than us and so they are able to spend a bit more. But I hope that when we do have the cash, we will appreciate if that bit more…

Nursery fees are insane now, just so much money. On the upside you kids are still amazing at 7, 9 and even as teens so you have lots of years to enjoy without the crippling bills!