Do kids really not get less expensive after the daycare years?

[Anonymous]

Between Math, piano, swm club and private swim lessons, we spend 20k a year for 2 11 year olds.

This does not include any vacation travel or swim travel.

It's cheaper than daycare, but the difference goes to college savings.

However, most people should be getting raises so things should feel easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine did. At our peak, we were paying 4300/mo for an infant and a toddler in full time daycare - $51,600 annually.

Now I have 2 kids in elementary and the breakdown is:
Extended Day - $6,320
Summer camps for 9 weeks - $10,000
Cub scouts, rec sports, summer swim- $1200
Equipment and coach gifts - $500
Private baseball lessons - $2500
Club swim - $3500
School lunch avg 2 days a week per kid - $600
That “ONLY” totals $24,620

Even if you add in all the misc. items like PTA contributions and teacher appreciation week, it’s not even close.
I forgot my kid started band this year and trumpet rental is $250/yr.
My younger child was jealous of the baseball lessons and I just spent $400 to sign up for winter soccer clinics. School photos were $80 for 2 kids. Baseball photos were another $40. School supply kits from the PTA - $75 each. Elementary yearbook $40. I’m sure there is lots of little stuff that I am forgetting, but even if it adds up to another $2k, it’s still DRASTICALLY cheaper to have school age kids.

How do you manage summer swim while working with kids in camp? That's a serious question. Summer swim where I am has an hour long mid-morning practice Monday-Friday (like 9-10 AM). I don't know how any dual working parent families can do that.

DP in dual working household.

We have 2 in summer swim with different practice schedules. We do 2 drop offs and 2 pick ups in the morning.

We are a mile from the pool and we both work from home. It's a 5 minute drive max.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The costs are much more wants than needs.

My middle schoolers play club soccer $8,000 club fees, ~ $2,000 tournaments. They go to sleep-away camp for 4 weeks for $16,000. They both have iPhones so I’m paying for their service. They are still growing, but their taste in clothes are adult sized Lululemon, no more janey and jack target. And they are pretty much adults for other costly aspects like no more kid discounts on food, movies, activities, etc. so those costs pretty much doubles.

So basic fixed costs for our middle schoolers are about $28,000 (camp, soccer, iPhones). Might be our last year of soccer as they both want club volleyball which is also $4,000 per kid before travel costs.

Exactly this. Buying your middle schoolers Lululemon or sending them to a sleepaway camp is a choice. Paying to someone reliable to watch your toddler while you work is usually not a choice.

+1

[Anonymous]

Yes, they get even more expensive if they are into sports and activities. Particularly in large metro areas. Even if your child is just on the HS team, costs add up.
I mean nothing is a must, but social dynamics here are such that all kids do some activity and none are cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine did. At our peak, we were paying 4300/mo for an infant and a toddler in full time daycare - $51,600 annually.

Now I have 2 kids in elementary and the breakdown is:
Extended Day - $6,320
Summer camps for 9 weeks - $10,000
Cub scouts, rec sports, summer swim- $1200
Equipment and coach gifts - $500
Private baseball lessons - $2500
Club swim - $3500
School lunch avg 2 days a week per kid - $600
That “ONLY” totals $24,620

Even if you add in all the misc. items like PTA contributions and teacher appreciation week, it’s not even close.
I forgot my kid started band this year and trumpet rental is $250/yr.
My younger child was jealous of the baseball lessons and I just spent $400 to sign up for winter soccer clinics. School photos were $80 for 2 kids. Baseball photos were another $40. School supply kits from the PTA - $75 each. Elementary yearbook $40. I’m sure there is lots of little stuff that I am forgetting, but even if it adds up to another $2k, it’s still DRASTICALLY cheaper to have school age kids.

How do you manage summer swim while working with kids in camp? That's a serious question. Summer swim where I am has an hour long mid-morning practice Monday-Friday (like 9-10 AM). I don't know how any dual working parent families can do that.

DP - we have three kids, all of whom do summer swim and camp; DH and I both work FT, albeit mostly from home.

Our team has morning and afternoon options for practice, with multiple time slots both AM and PM. Sometimes the kids chose morning practice and we'd do that, then camp drop-off. Sometimes they swam after camp. We limit camp options based on proximity, ability to send 2+ kids to the same one, and carpooling prospects with the kids' friends. The pool is two miles from our house. Most of the families on our swim team have two working parents - the team knows they have to be flexible.