Average monthly cost of having one child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:for a look ahead:

Combined monthly costs for my two girls, ages 6 and 10:

Childcare: $100 (I have a flexible schedule and pick up most days, this is for the occasional babysitter when I have to work longer). Aftercare at our school is roughly $250/month per child for five days a week.

Activities during the school year: $800/month. These are not necessary and we do not do any kind of competitive sports or travel team. We do have a child with a passion for music and that is almost half of this. Most group activities (e.g., dance, gymnastics, or art lessons) cost about $20-30/session. Private music lessons cost about $45/session.

Summer camp: $500/week, usually including either aftercare or a transportation fee. We do 6 weeks but our summer break is 9 weeks so you need to determine how much coverage you will need. Sleep-away camp is $1000/week. There are less expensive options available but I choose to pay for convenience here.

Clothes/shoes: It varies and I shop sales, but I am guessing it averages out to $150/month but spent in lumpy amounts in the fall and spring. We spend significantly less on our younger daughter because she gets hand-me downs but she still needs new shoes and often new shirts because those sometimes cannot be handed down.

We generally manage winter and spring breaks by taking time off, but I have a flexible schedule and a lot of leave, so that may not work for all. Camp costs during winter and spring break are the same as summer.

This is eye opening. I hope the $800/month is for two kids? How did my parents ever afford all those piano swim computer tennis ballet lessons? Usually on two ay the least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for a look ahead:

Combined monthly costs for my two girls, ages 6 and 10:

Childcare: $100 (I have a flexible schedule and pick up most days, this is for the occasional babysitter when I have to work longer). Aftercare at our school is roughly $250/month per child for five days a week.

Activities during the school year: $800/month. These are not necessary and we do not do any kind of competitive sports or travel team. We do have a child with a passion for music and that is almost half of this. Most group activities (e.g., dance, gymnastics, or art lessons) cost about $20-30/session. Private music lessons cost about $45/session.

Summer camp: $500/week, usually including either aftercare or a transportation fee. We do 6 weeks but our summer break is 9 weeks so you need to determine how much coverage you will need. Sleep-away camp is $1000/week. There are less expensive options available but I choose to pay for convenience here.

Clothes/shoes: It varies and I shop sales, but I am guessing it averages out to $150/month but spent in lumpy amounts in the fall and spring. We spend significantly less on our younger daughter because she gets hand-me downs but she still needs new shoes and often new shirts because those sometimes cannot be handed down.

We generally manage winter and spring breaks by taking time off, but I have a flexible schedule and a lot of leave, so that may not work for all. Camp costs during winter and spring break are the same as summer.

This is eye opening. I hope the $800/month is for two kids? How did my parents ever afford all those piano swim computer tennis ballet lessons? Usually on two ay the least.

That is the monthly total for both girls.

[Anonymous]

5yo girl:

400/month aftercare, transportation
110/dance classes
100/month added healthcare costs
170/month added food costs
300/month 529
20/month allowance
45/month clothing/shoes
200/month incidentals (gifts, parties, etc)

1235/month on average

Her expenses were much lower when she was 3, about 600/month because we didn't need aftercare and 529 contributions were lower. Costs will substantially increase this Fall (Private for 1st grade).

[Anonymous]

6yo boy:
$360/mo during the school year for aftercare
$500/wk for summer camp, including aftercare
$200/quarter for sports (soccer, karate, etc)
$300/mo 529
$200/mo health insurance and med expenses
$200/yr PTO and school fundraisers
$300/yr birthday party
$150/quarter clothes and shoes
$300/quarter life insurance (for me)

[Anonymous]

I would add even more categories.
How about extra gas and utilities. Wear on the house and furniture.

[Anonymous]

I live in NYC and we spend a fortune on our 15-month old:

$2500 daycare
$150 daycare lunches
$40 diapers
$75 insurance
$100 food
$30 clothes/shoes

I'm probably forgetting stuff. We try to put about $10k/yr in her 529 but that's usually a lump sum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything. Everything I have.

This.

[Anonymous]

$3,600 nanny
$1,000 preschool
$500 swim lessons and random shit + food + diapers

The real costs are much higher because without kids I'd live in a 1 bd condo with $40 a month electricity and heating bills instead of a sfh with $200 a month heat bills, 3x the property taxes, cost of lawn care, higher insurance premiums for both home and personal, greater wear and tear on a car, etc.

[Anonymous]

I was just about to say the same thing before I saw 19:13. The biggest expense is housing. We lived very frugally before DD and planned to continue that after she was born. But once we had DD, we felt differently and now live in a large, new construction family house close in, in a top school district.

[Anonymous]

2.5 year old. Nanny plus classes 4 days a week for one hour. Health insurance. clothes. toys. food. Diapers. Wipes. At least $4,000/month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2.5 year old. Nanny plus classes 4 days a week for one hour. Health insurance. clothes. toys. food. Diapers. Wipes. At least $4,000/month.

forgot her 529. That's another 500/month.

[Anonymous]

19:13 has a good point. Pre-kid, I had a townhouse for $1,100/month. Post-kid, I couldn't deal with the commute once daycare was added in, and I realized the schools in my area weren't very good. So now I pay $2,500/month for the mortgage on a SFH. I can almost guarantee that I wouldn't have a SFH without a child; I'd either still be in my townhouse or I would have bought a smaller condo.

I also drive a lot on weekends because of activities, so add in gas and wear and tear on the car. Without the kid, I'd probably take the bus to metro, saving me $100/month in parking, and I'd really never take my car anywhere but the gym and the grocery store on weekends.

[Anonymous]

Great thread and very eye opening. Great info for a soon to be parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's 3.5 now.

We pay $1250/month for daycare.
About $100/month for gymnastics class 1x/week
Probably about $50/month on things like clothes. More some months and less for others.
Whatever it costs to feed him. Not sure exactly since it's baked into our grocery bill.
We put about $300 into his 529 monthly.

So give or take about $1500/month, not including the 529?

Similar to the above for a 2 year old. Plus $20/month average for toys. $40-50 not sure for diapers. Daycare is $1400. Plus now we get her own plate at restaurants. Music class is $100/month.

Did you know good toddler shoes are $40-$45??? They outgrow them every three months.

They are? Mom of two boys here, age 2.5 and 5. Not only have I never paid more than $20 for a pair of shoes for either of them, but they also tend to last a season. They pretty much never grow out of shoes.

[Anonymous]

Wow, I can barely believe what some of you are paying.

We paid nothing in child care until our oldest was 5 and our youngest was 2. We also bought clothes from thrift stores, traded babysitting with neighbors and used (used) cloth diapers. And potty trained before 2. (HUGE cost savings)

Now we pay $800 a month for full time preschool for 2 year old and $50 a month for aftercare for our 5 year old. Total cost will go down to $100 a month for both kids when 2 year old turns 3 and starts at DC public school in August.

$0 for classes (enrichment at school is included in aftercare cost).
$2k for both kids for 6 weeks camp this summer

Food? Minimal, they eat what we eat.
Clothes? Maybe $300 a year for both kids combined.

Our biggest expense with them is vacations -- airline tickets for four are expensive, plus bigger rental car, plus accommodation costs.