By the time my second baby goes to school, I would have spent £80,000 on nursery care

[morningpaper]

(3 year gap in between them, both October babies (DOH))

If I'd put them in full-time, I would have spent £80k by the time Number 2 is at school.

As I work only two days a week, I will ACTUALLY "only" have spent £32k.

Quite shocking innit?

yes BUT how does that compare to what you have earned MP?

ONLY?!!!

How much are you paying an hour?

I'll have earned about £4.90

(Seriously, I normally cover the cost)

BUT I don't like to do that sum, because I have to think of it as being a FAMILY cost rather than a simple equation of NuseryCost-MYsalary

It's £40 per day

have you factored in NEG?

You have to count the years of national insurance contributions and pension contributions plus future jobs and promotions you'll get for these years of working. if you want to work out the actual cost of working while children are small.

Otherwise it really is too depressing.

blimey mp thats an awfull lot of money!

Blimey, how did you work it out?
My childcare costs are currently about £850pcm and dd doesn't go to school until 2008 which seems a VERY long way away atm.

NI contributions is about £2 per month - but it does keep me covered.

Pension contributions - can't talk about that lalallalalallaa back in the box in my head. Not very good. Must marry DP so I can steal his.

NEG I assume you mean early years grant - yes factored this in.

I HAVE to work though because if I spent 5 days a week with the children I would lock them both in the shed by lunchtime on Wednesday.

I went to a seminar years ago about "The case of Mrs Typical" who had 2 children and worked part time while they were small, she lost about £250,000 in income compared to someone who hadn't had children or changed their working patterns. That was 10 years ago, it would be more now.

I worked it out roughly on a post-it note on my desk

Think it is about right though

NI contributions are protected for women whilst claiming child beenfit in some way. Not sure exactly how this works but I know I have blown in some years by earning a minisculel amount which results in a NI contribution from my earnings and triggers a letter from the dept of something telling them I owe them lots of money if I want to top up my NI.

Suew -you mean HRP I think

I was paying £1,100 pcm for childcare at one point - and that was a few yrs ago. Never calculated the toal cost though - too depressing

I had a wobbly moment when I went back after Christmas and worked out that with my reduced hours and the increase in ds nursery fees I was actually earning very little indeed (I think it was £6.05 a month). In the end I decided it was worth it as I would want to put ds into nursery one or two days a week even if I wasn't working as he thinks that other kids are cool and staying home with mummy is very boring.

Quite awful to think about especially baring in mind that your chauffeur is tax deductable but your childcare isn't! Or so I read on here. Is there something wrong with being an October baby?

October baby = child is nearer 5 when they start school so paying out for full days for longer.

Ah thanks Bozza I thought it was like that but had managed to convince myself it wasn't. I knew there was a reason why I wanted a Summer baby!

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