Tell us when you’ve forked out for your DCs - £100 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

As you well know, having children isn’t exactly cheap… Just when you thought there wasn’t anything else your DC could possibly need, something else crops up and rinses your account.

Since your DC entered the world, at what points have you found yourself shelling out for things? Maybe when your DC got older, you had to splash out on a new buggy, or your second DC arrived and you found yourself looking for a new home?

What have been the major purchasing decisions in your child’s life so far? Have you had to cut back in some places in order to afford what your child needs? And how have your buying habits changed over time? Maybe you used to spend money on holidays and now you spend more on childcare? Finally, what have been the products you’ve spent the most money on as a result of having children?

Here are a few topics to think about:

• Health
• Childcare
• Education
• Home & Garden
• Cars
• Insurance
• Technology
• Travel
• Baby Products

All MNers who post on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks, and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

My children don't stop, they keep needing new shoes, new clothes and constant entertaining. My daughter wanted to do ballet so I took her for a couple of tester classes and she enjoyed them. The outfit was over £50 with shoes, leotard, tights and tutu plus the weekly cost! I am regretting our decision to send her as I see the older girls paying for numerous exams and outfits, they cost a bomb. Plus her younger sister wants to start going soon so double the cost!

Also the eldest one starts reception in September so we have to fork out for the uniform, the backpack, lunchboxes, snack money etc.

biggest sacrifice was school trips if my daughter went then was only fair my son goes, also school uniforms are expensive and shoes / trainers with me having one of each i couldnt pass them down but did give to friends in the school yard

So far, virtually nothing as he's still a babe in arms. The pushchair, at £200, has been the biggest outlay so far.

Sorry MN, I've written an essay..
My DC have cost me the earth but are my whole world. Their dad left when ds2 was 2 (he's now 10) and since then has never contributed financially. Thankfully I went to uni when ds1 was 2 and have a good job in the NHS which enables me to provide for them entirely on my own. I've not been receiving any tax credits for a while now (they over paid me so any payments now go to knocking down the overpayment) so it's all entirely on me.

•Health
Ds1 touch wood hasn't really cost me much (at almost 18), the only thing I can think of was his expensive anti allergy sun cream as he's allergic to normal off the shelf sun cream.. ds2 however is another story. Discovered he had a milk protein allergy at 6weeks (although he was bf) once he was 5 months weaning was fun. I never knew milk was in so much food stuffs.. And dairy free foods are so expensive. I expressed whilst he was at nursery but to top up he had prescription formula milk which was extortionate (thank goodness for the NHS paying for children's prescriptions).
Oh and dental treatments!! Ds2 had an accident at school when he was 8 (face planted the playground after "back flipping" off the tyres.. He broke his front teeth and damaged some others, he had to have a brace. Orthodontist treatments can be cheap, again Thankyou NHS.

•Childcare
When ds2 left his Busy Bee's nursery they gave me a final statement of every payment made to them. It came to approx £26,000. Enough to make me weep, 5 years later I'm still gutted how much it cost me. He's now 10 and I'm still paying childcare (breakfast club and after school club) I never had a final statement for ds1 nursery (different nursery) but rough calculations are approx £4000 (I worked part time with ds1 and studied so hot help towards his nursery fees but I was full time with ds2 and no help)

•Education
Does nursery/childcare count as education??
School uniform is expensive enough. When Ds1 started high school it was a brand new school. They imposed uniform rules and had uniform police at school. If the wrong shade of grey trousers were worn the parent was rung and told to they'd brought the wrong make/shade. Bloody Blazers.. Whoever came up with that idea! Seriously £70 a time and my ds1 grew at an alarming rate he had to have several new Blazers while at high school, along with the correct jumper, shirts, tie. Shoes, PE kit, rugby hat, mouth guard, shin pads, football boots, hockey stick, tennis racket. Ds1 never even liked these sports so felt like I was being robbed when I had to buy the items. Ds2 however loves sport so he may get a use out of his brothers old equipment!! Although he's going to a different high school so the Blazers i have saved are of no use now!

I also pay for various clubs including cubs/scouts/swimming for both DC/ fencing & gymnastics. School trips/holidays are expensive though. And equipment for school clubs; guitar lessons &a guitar, special trainers for xcountry running and competitions.
Hopefully ds1 will be going to uni in 2017 and I'm dreading already how much that will cost to help keep him afloat and fed while he's there!

•Home & Garden
I live in a 2 bed terrace. Can't afford a three bed in my area as its a good catchment for school. But have had to make various changes to house.. Bigger kitchen, driveway built so not getting DC in and out of car on the road. New lawn laid and new fences all the way around (neighbour couldn't care less that the dogs could get in our garden and get to the DC (not to mention leaving us surprises!)

•Cars
I had a lovely little fiesta before DC.. It got upgraded to my faithful Volvo estate which eventually died :( best car ever. Fitted the pram, dog and DC car seats all in comfortably.
•Insurance
Life insurance now with DC added. Home insurance now covering their bikes and computers etc

•Technology
Game Boys on to Wii then on to Xboxes and Xbox ones, iPad, PC, laptop, iPhone. Why do they "need" so many games systems?? Sky!(happily lived without sky pre children!) ooh printer for homework..

•Travel
They've not really cost me much travel wise.. It's only now that ds2 is 17 that I have to pay adult fares for him.. Even though he's still in sixth form, no job. Still get child benefit for him but we have to pay adults prices. (Bug bear)

•Baby Products
Baby sling, TOMY chef micro blender thing was fab during weening.. DC pram cost more than my first car at 18! Car seats were also ridiculously expensive..

for gettin to the end of that!!

When we were expecting our son we were renting a two bedroom house. It was reverse level and the bedrooms were on different floors - not ideal with children! We have a daughter (3) too so we needed more rooms. We started looking at buying and luckily a house sale fell though in the road we were looking st and it turned out to be the perfect house for our growing family - albeit the most expensive purchase we have made with our children in mid!

I'm a SP so it is an equation of one earner, 3 spenders.
Holidays are the worst I guess - buying one flight, no problem. Buying 3 tickets in School holidays = major expense.

shoes, they seem to last about 2 months and then they need replacing.

Repairs! DD not so much but DS has literally cost us hundreds with little accidents round the house.

The door slam that brought a picture crashing down on the toilet cistern and smashed it.

Tripping over the dishwasher door and bending it by mms meaning it would never shut again.

Kicking a football into the waste pipe and breaking it.

Ralphing all over the inside of the car. It never recovered and we had to scrap it not sell it when the time came.

That's just off the top of my head!

The cost of children ends? My DC are adults now, so apart from the average items that have to be purchased, I would say they are still costing me now with our newly born DGC and appliances breakages. Our DSDs are always needing clothes, out of school holidays, after school activities etc and in an attempt to improve 10year olds health and fitness, we are currently investing in equine sports. I would honestly say that every penny spent to help encourage, motivate and care for their wellbeing and stability is worth it, no matter how old they are. Our aim is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, motivate them to try new things and will pay whatever we are able in order to do that within our financial restraints of course.

The largest cost purchases this year to date have been a horse, riding lessons for 2 of the children, 2 washing machines, 3 house moves of adult DCs, nursery equipment and necessities for newborn DGC and new beds for DSDs
Busy year!

I think the question is not "when", as spending on the DC is constant and continuous, and what that money goes towards changes continually depending on the DC's life stage.

An example of expenses have included:
-Decorating their rooms, amounting to £1000s in buying furniture, doing the flooring, etc.
-Childcare fees, both during work and baby sitting
-Home improvements to make the house suitable for the little ones, including getting rid of the pond in the garden
-Baby equipment, including buggies, high chairs, car seats, baby clothes, bottles, diapers, etc. The cost adds up enormously during the first year, especially for the first child.
-Toys!!!!! They're are oh so expensive, and increasingly so, especially at Christmas, birthdays, and for other children's birthday presents.
-In terms of education, buying books, school equipment, etc. has added up, and the cost of numerous after school activities (including gymnastics, karate and the associated uniforms) is shocking. In the future, the costs of school and university will be significant.
-I think the biggest expenses are the everyday stuff that adds up, from sweeties, to magazines, to entertainment (trips to the cinema, swimming pool, etc.) and clothing, that makes the DC so expensive.

1. What have been the major purchasing decisions in your child’s life so far?

Buying a new car, moving house to add room, buying necessary "equipment" (buggies, high chairs, clothing, etc.) and childcare costs.

1. Have you had to cut back in some places in order to afford what your child needs?

Everything that used to go towards indulgences for us, such as holiday, going-out and clothing money, now are directed towards the DC's necessities.

1. How have your buying habits changed over time?

We have become more sensible in our spending habits, and budget a lot more carefully. In awareness of the numerous unexpected costs of raising the DC, we have began saving for their future.

My biggest spends on the DC have included full time childcare, school and uniform costs, and extracurricular activities (horse riding, swimming club)

We were very lucky with family giving, lending us or sourcing secondhand items when our baby was born. He is one now and the biggest cost has been the meningitis B vaccine at £165 per dose. He missed out my 2 months for the free NHS programme. But for peace of mind it is money well spent.

This little photo says it all really! The investment in your DC will be incomprehensible- clothing, toys (Xboxes and laptops and all sorts), school trips abroad, clubs, hobbies, entertainment, food. And the thing is, they have no understanding of the idea that money is limited- it is a magical thing that is just there to them!

school clothes!

University education

Childcare is by far our biggest spend. On average for the past 6 years we have spent £1200 a month for a 4 day week.

That amount of money means we can't decorate or put carpet on the stairs. The weekly food shops are mostly special offers. All in all by the time DS leaves nursery we will have £80 k there. An obscene amount of money. Childcare had been a financially life changing burden. But I kept my job and as of next September we will be over £1000 better off a month 😊

The bigger house and car were the major costs but now they are getting older they are more expensive!

School uniform costs a bomb, and days out are so expensive with a family of 5! Even ice creams for everyone can cost £20.

But having said that, I'm now a sahm and we watch what we spend closely but life is easier and happier!

DS is 6 months so Pram so far has been our biggest expense, had to be right for lifting and long distance walking. I've spent less on cars in the past! Next huge outlay will be full time nursery, researched mainly through word of mouth but massive outlay every month

Car Seats.

We have sacrificed things so our children have the best we can afford. At one point out seats were worth more than our car.
Basic supermarket seats do not have the same quality structure as more expensive ones. With the legal minimum crash test only29mph with no side impact test I seek seats that have been tested to a higher limit.

School trips which get more exotic and more expensive as they move up through school!

We bought a new car before DS was born as our old one had the anchor points in a really bad place, then 18 months later moved countries (without the car)!

Kicking myself now...

I also bought DS snow boots in the sales for next winter, stupidly thinking one size up would be enough. Hahaha! Three months later and he is almost two sizes bigger already. Oh well, at least they were (relatively) cheap.

When the dc were little it was okay, my mum and inlaws were my childcare and babysitters, clothes and baby equipment usually came through a network of friends and relatives or ebay. However, having 3 kids meant we extended into the loft to make an extra bedroom, which we might not have done and as soon as the kids hit 2 I was shocked at how few standard holidays cater for families with more than 4 people and how much more expensive it is, but holidays are a luxury.
Now the kids are teenagers it's the technology and the after school activities with kit to buy as well as fees. I was shocked by the amount i have had to pay for my twins bog standard secondary school uniform because you have to have sports kit etc as well as jumpers and blazers, all with the school badge on.

Clothes and shoes - especially school uniforms, PE kids and Clarks' school shoes! Actually all school related expenses! School trips really add up.

Extra-curricular activities. Not only do the classes cost a fortune, but quite often they need special kit and the cost of regular gradings as well. Who knew karate could be so expensive?!

Also holidays - what was once an affordable holiday, now seems way out of reach when you add 2 children to the mix. I was shocked that child prices really aren't that much cheaper than adult ones.

Childcare costs nearly crippled us in the early years, looking back I just don't know how we found the extra £600 every month. Now they're at school, it's much easier but still weekly expenses for clubs, before school care, pta fundraisers etc.