What makes kids so expensive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is enlightening.

This is exactly why you rich people complain that you can't make it on $300k a year.

We have a wonderful family life and feel very lucky with where we're at financially and what we can do, but I have absolutely ZERO inclination to spend money on things that the rich idiots on this thread claim are essential for their children.

Our children are still young - 7 and 4 - but have cost us relatively little. We live in the same house we lived in pre kids and drive the same car, kids get a lot of their clothes from thrift stores, go to public charter schools, we've never paid a dime for child care (work out our schedules around the kids, trade babysitting with neighbors and friends). They eat what we eat and always have done - not much added to our grocery bill. When they were younger we used cloth diapers and breastfed, no interest in spending money for formula when it's free, warm and convenient straight from the breast. Also potty trained both and completely rid of diapers including overnight before age 2. We have an HMO which covers all our medical needs and costs less per month than our pre-kid insurance.

We go out much less now that we have kids. We drink less with kids than we used to. No more theater tickets or comedy tickets, or nights out to see live music. Or at least not very often. Ditto the movies. We socialize in different ways now but overall, likely save money.

My kids don't go to expensive camps, they are not signed up for expensive sports or activities. We do activities together as a family every weekend, go to the library often, have playdates. Take advantage of neighborhood activities (free) or those offered by parks and rec, including their summer camp.

Our biggest additional expense from kids is travel. While we now take them camping for a weekend a few times a summer when pre kids we might have stayed in a B and B, we also fly a couple of times a year which is now twice as expensive with four tickets. We also travel overseas every year or two years and have to rent a larger car than we'd done previously. And if not camping or staying with family we have to rent a larger apartment or vacation rental for the four of us.

So really, OP, don't let the freaking nutty people on this thread persuade you that it's normal to drop thousands on summer camp and sports and pool membership and on buying McMansions in the burbs in a good school district with all the other Stepford wives. This is a very skewed audience. Normal people work out how they can feed their kids and keep them in clothes and shoes, rather than justifying just how talented their kid is so that they feel better about dropping $300 a month on violin lessons.

Signed - parent of two kids, very comfortable with an HHI of about $95k

Nothing you say after this line has any meaning.

Oh, yes? And who gave you the right to dictate that?

The question isn't about teens, it's about KIDS. I have plenty of experience with kids and even when they are teens I can tell you hands down that we will not be paying for clubs and classes and tuition and pool memberships or hundreds of dollars for a birthday party. Just not happening. It's not part of my approach to life. And, yes, I do think I'm superior to you because I have a much more minimalist, thrifty and reasonable approach to child raising and to my budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is enlightening.

This is exactly why you rich people complain that you can't make it on $300k a year.

We have a wonderful family life and feel very lucky with where we're at financially and what we can do, but I have absolutely ZERO inclination to spend money on things that the rich idiots on this thread claim are essential for their children.

Our children are still young - 7 and 4 - but have cost us relatively little. We live in the same house we lived in pre kids and drive the same car, kids get a lot of their clothes from thrift stores, go to public charter schools, we've never paid a dime for child care (work out our schedules around the kids, trade babysitting with neighbors and friends). They eat what we eat and always have done - not much added to our grocery bill. When they were younger we used cloth diapers and breastfed, no interest in spending money for formula when it's free, warm and convenient straight from the breast. Also potty trained both and completely rid of diapers including overnight before age 2. We have an HMO which covers all our medical needs and costs less per month than our pre-kid insurance.

We go out much less now that we have kids. We drink less with kids than we used to. No more theater tickets or comedy tickets, or nights out to see live music. Or at least not very often. Ditto the movies. We socialize in different ways now but overall, likely save money.

My kids don't go to expensive camps, they are not signed up for expensive sports or activities. We do activities together as a family every weekend, go to the library often, have playdates. Take advantage of neighborhood activities (free) or those offered by parks and rec, including their summer camp.

Our biggest additional expense from kids is travel. While we now take them camping for a weekend a few times a summer when pre kids we might have stayed in a B and B, we also fly a couple of times a year which is now twice as expensive with four tickets. We also travel overseas every year or two years and have to rent a larger car than we'd done previously. And if not camping or staying with family we have to rent a larger apartment or vacation rental for the four of us.

So really, OP, don't let the freaking nutty people on this thread persuade you that it's normal to drop thousands on summer camp and sports and pool membership and on buying McMansions in the burbs in a good school district with all the other Stepford wives. This is a very skewed audience. Normal people work out how they can feed their kids and keep them in clothes and shoes, rather than justifying just how talented their kid is so that they feel better about dropping $300 a month on violin lessons.

Signed - parent of two kids, very comfortable with an HHI of about $95k

Nothing you say after this line has any meaning.

Oh, yes? And who gave you the right to dictate that?

The question isn't about teens, it's about KIDS. I have plenty of experience with kids and even when they are teens I can tell you hands down that we will not be paying for clubs and classes and tuition and pool memberships or hundreds of dollars for a birthday party. Just not happening. It's not part of my approach to life. And, yes, I do think I'm superior to you because I have a much more minimalist, thrifty and reasonable approach to child raising and to my budget.

You haven't paid a dime for childcare. Ok, so you stay at home or work very part-time (?), which means you save $20k or whatever per year in childcare. But that also means your kids are costing you whatever salary you could be earning times however many years you stay home with them. that's hundreds of thousands of dollars. But go ahead, cut coupons, camp out, and feel thrifty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is enlightening.

This is exactly why you rich people complain that you can't make it on $300k a year.

We have a wonderful family life and feel very lucky with where we're at financially and what we can do, but I have absolutely ZERO inclination to spend money on things that the rich idiots on this thread claim are essential for their children.

Our children are still young - 7 and 4 - but have cost us relatively little. We live in the same house we lived in pre kids and drive the same car, kids get a lot of their clothes from thrift stores, go to public charter schools, we've never paid a dime for child care (work out our schedules around the kids, trade babysitting with neighbors and friends). They eat what we eat and always have done - not much added to our grocery bill. When they were younger we used cloth diapers and breastfed, no interest in spending money for formula when it's free, warm and convenient straight from the breast. Also potty trained both and completely rid of diapers including overnight before age 2. We have an HMO which covers all our medical needs and costs less per month than our pre-kid insurance.

We go out much less now that we have kids. We drink less with kids than we used to. No more theater tickets or comedy tickets, or nights out to see live music. Or at least not very often. Ditto the movies. We socialize in different ways now but overall, likely save money.

My kids don't go to expensive camps, they are not signed up for expensive sports or activities. We do activities together as a family every weekend, go to the library often, have playdates. Take advantage of neighborhood activities (free) or those offered by parks and rec, including their summer camp.

Our biggest additional expense from kids is travel. While we now take them camping for a weekend a few times a summer when pre kids we might have stayed in a B and B, we also fly a couple of times a year which is now twice as expensive with four tickets. We also travel overseas every year or two years and have to rent a larger car than we'd done previously. And if not camping or staying with family we have to rent a larger apartment or vacation rental for the four of us.

So really, OP, don't let the freaking nutty people on this thread persuade you that it's normal to drop thousands on summer camp and sports and pool membership and on buying McMansions in the burbs in a good school district with all the other Stepford wives. This is a very skewed audience. Normal people work out how they can feed their kids and keep them in clothes and shoes, rather than justifying just how talented their kid is so that they feel better about dropping $300 a month on violin lessons.

Signed - parent of two kids, very comfortable with an HHI of about $95k

Nothing you say after this line has any meaning.

Oh, yes? And who gave you the right to dictate that?

The question isn't about teens, it's about KIDS. I have plenty of experience with kids and even when they are teens I can tell you hands down that we will not be paying for clubs and classes and tuition and pool memberships or hundreds of dollars for a birthday party. Just not happening. It's not part of my approach to life. And, yes, I do think I'm superior to you because I have a much more minimalist, thrifty and reasonable approach to child raising and to my budget.

You haven't paid a dime for childcare. Ok, so you stay at home or work very part-time (?), which means you save $20k or whatever per year in childcare. But that also means your kids are costing you whatever salary you could be earning times however many years you stay home with them. that's hundreds of thousands of dollars. But go ahead, cut coupons, camp out, and feel thrifty.

Absolutely 100 percent wrong. I work full time and always have done. You need to improve your reading comprehension.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say the most expensive parts are actually "optional" expenses.

1) You can choose to let your kids dance and travel sports teams take over your lives and expenses in hopes that they will be part of the .0001% that "make it" as a pro....OR you can treat their sport as just that, an extracurricular activity that keeps you busy on the weekends.

2) Most around here shove their kids into expensive summer camps from June 15-August 15th, thus taking away their "right of passage" of having a summer where all they do is go to the pool and hang out with friends.

these two things alone will suck the life out of your life savings.

I'd be happy to let teens hang out and go to the pool all summer (in between part-time jobs) but society frowns on letting 7 yr olds do that all summer while DH and I are at work. So, yeah, that requires some $$ for a summer sitter. Or, the kids go to camp. I suggested to my kids last year that we get a sitter instead of camp so they could just hang out. They think that sounds boring. Camps and sitter cost the same for us so camp it is!

[Anonymous]

^^then you obviously have some oddball work situation that doesn't apply to 99.9% of the population. Congratulations. My reading comprehension is fine, by the way. You write novels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^then you obviously have some oddball work situation that doesn't apply to 99.9% of the population. Congratulations. My reading comprehension is fine, by the way. You write novels.

No I do not. I work regular hours at a non-profit. I work from home once a week and in the office the rest of the time. Pretty sure that my situation is extremely similar to many.

I also know many, many other parents who have non-regular hours and are able to fit their work around their kids (as I made it clear above). As for me, I have a spouse, which for some reason you don't seem to have considered. Most of us have two people doing the parenting, don't we? Or does that not apply to 99.9 percent of the population either?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^then you obviously have some oddball work situation that doesn't apply to 99.9% of the population. Congratulations. My reading comprehension is fine, by the way. You write novels.

No I do not. I work regular hours at a non-profit. I work from home once a week and in the office the rest of the time. Pretty sure that my situation is extremely similar to many.

I also know many, many other parents who have non-regular hours and are able to fit their work around their kids (as I made it clear above). As for me, I have a spouse, which for some reason you don't seem to have considered. Most of us have two people doing the parenting, don't we? Or does that not apply to 99.9 percent of the population either?

You are such an asshole! And I love how you're not a rich asshole for sending your kids overseas but some of us who used a nanny are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^then you obviously have some oddball work situation that doesn't apply to 99.9% of the population. Congratulations. My reading comprehension is fine, by the way. You write novels.

No I do not. I work regular hours at a non-profit. I work from home once a week and in the office the rest of the time. Pretty sure that my situation is extremely similar to many.

I also know many, many other parents who have non-regular hours and are able to fit their work around their kids (as I made it clear above). As for me, I have a spouse, which for some reason you don't seem to have considered. Most of us have two people doing the parenting, don't we? Or does that not apply to 99.9 percent of the population either?

the key is a ) you won the charter lottery, so you are getting high quality school while living in a cheap real estate market (ie, you won a freaking lottery) and b) it seems likely you are defrauding your employer by claiming to work while you are actually caring for young children on your WOTH day, or you have some very elaborate neighborohood babysiting co-op which covers the other 4 day of the week. that is not typical and would take enormous fortune for most people to find.

but housing and childcare. those are the big ones, and you basically have some unusual scenario that most people can't replicate even if they tried. realize you got lucky and be more gracious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is enlightening.

This is exactly why you rich people complain that you can't make it on $300k a year.

We have a wonderful family life and feel very lucky with where we're at financially and what we can do, but I have absolutely ZERO inclination to spend money on things that the rich idiots on this thread claim are essential for their children.

Our children are still young - 7 and 4 - but have cost us relatively little. We live in the same house we lived in pre kids and drive the same car, kids get a lot of their clothes from thrift stores, go to public charter schools, we've never paid a dime for child care (work out our schedules around the kids, trade babysitting with neighbors and friends). They eat what we eat and always have done - not much added to our grocery bill. When they were younger we used cloth diapers and breastfed, no interest in spending money for formula when it's free, warm and convenient straight from the breast. Also potty trained both and completely rid of diapers including overnight before age 2. We have an HMO which covers all our medical needs and costs less per month than our pre-kid insurance.

We go out much less now that we have kids. We drink less with kids than we used to. No more theater tickets or comedy tickets, or nights out to see live music. Or at least not very often. Ditto the movies. We socialize in different ways now but overall, likely save money.

My kids don't go to expensive camps, they are not signed up for expensive sports or activities. We do activities together as a family every weekend, go to the library often, have playdates. Take advantage of neighborhood activities (free) or those offered by parks and rec, including their summer camp.

Our biggest additional expense from kids is travel. While we now take them camping for a weekend a few times a summer when pre kids we might have stayed in a B and B, we also fly a couple of times a year which is now twice as expensive with four tickets. We also travel overseas every year or two years and have to rent a larger car than we'd done previously. And if not camping or staying with family we have to rent a larger apartment or vacation rental for the four of us.

So really, OP, don't let the freaking nutty people on this thread persuade you that it's normal to drop thousands on summer camp and sports and pool membership and on buying McMansions in the burbs in a good school district with all the other Stepford wives. This is a very skewed audience. Normal people work out how they can feed their kids and keep them in clothes and shoes, rather than justifying just how talented their kid is so that they feel better about dropping $300 a month on violin lessons.

Signed - parent of two kids, very comfortable with an HHI of about $95k

Nothing you say after this line has any meaning.

Oh, yes? And who gave you the right to dictate that?

The question isn't about teens, it's about KIDS. I have plenty of experience with kids and even when they are teens I can tell you hands down that we will not be paying for clubs and classes and tuition and pool memberships or hundreds of dollars for a birthday party. Just not happening. It's not part of my approach to life. And, yes, I do think I'm superior to you because I have a much more minimalist, thrifty and reasonable approach to child raising and to my budget.

You have seven years of experience with kids.

You have zero years of experience with pre-teens and teens.

You can plan for whatever you want - but life will throw you whatever it will: Learning disabilities, extraordinary talents, special needs. It is not about your approach to life. It is about what you do with what you are given.

[Anonymous]

Person who doesn't have to pay for childcare, above, which is a huge reason kids are expensive: what is your spouses work situation. How do you cover all the hours? I'm trying to understand how you make this work. Seriously. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Even at a public school, there are fundraisers -- stuff that your kids have to sell, times when you are expected to donate, teacher gifts. With multiple kids, this can easily be a couple of hundred dollars a year.

Even in a cheap activity like Girl Scouts, you have to sell cookies, pay for a camping trip, a uniform, a badge, your kid will want to go to camp.

When your kids get older, you may be comfortable being the only parent to tell the kid they can't go on the expensive field trip with school, the only one in Spanish class not going to the Mexican restaurant, the only one in the choir not going on the trip to Boston or Disneyworld or something, but many of us prefer not to stigmatize our children.

You may be comfortable never taking your child to a movie, a play, a restaurant, etc. but your child will feel funny in college if they have never done any of these things.

For the woman above, do you routinely RSVP no to birthday parties? Do you not hold birthday parties? On some level, I admire your stance -- but I haven't figured out how to check out of the cycle of consumption without also checking out of modern life and the social circle of neighbors and school friends, etc. How do you maintain friendships with people if you don't do the same activities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^then you obviously have some oddball work situation that doesn't apply to 99.9% of the population. Congratulations. My reading comprehension is fine, by the way. You write novels.

No I do not. I work regular hours at a non-profit. I work from home once a week and in the office the rest of the time. Pretty sure that my situation is extremely similar to many.

I also know many, many other parents who have non-regular hours and are able to fit their work around their kids (as I made it clear above). As for me, I have a spouse, which for some reason you don't seem to have considered. Most of us have two people doing the parenting, don't we? Or does that not apply to 99.9 percent of the population either?

the key is a ) you won the charter lottery, so you are getting high quality school while living in a cheap real estate market (ie, you won a freaking lottery) and b) it seems likely you are defrauding your employer by claiming to work while you are actually caring for young children on your WOTH day, or you have some very elaborate neighborohood babysiting co-op which covers the other 4 day of the week. that is not typical and would take enormous fortune for most people to find.

but housing and childcare. those are the big ones, and you basically have some unusual scenario that most people can't replicate even if they tried. realize you got lucky and be more gracious.

Are you really this dumb? No I am not "defrauding" my employer. My kids are at school while I work from home. And while I "won" the lottery, it didn't involve much luck. My kids school took every single kid who applied on my oldest's grade when he got in, after he transferred from another charter that also went all the way through it's waitlist when he got in there. There are plenty of charter spots for those who need them if you are not snobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Person who doesn't have to pay for childcare, above, which is a huge reason kids are expensive: what is your spouses work situation. How do you cover all the hours? I'm trying to understand how you make this work. Seriously. Thanks.

Never mind my question; I saw you wrote both are in school, so I understand now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Person who doesn't have to pay for childcare, above, which is a huge reason kids are expensive: what is your spouses work situation. How do you cover all the hours? I'm trying to understand how you make this work. Seriously. Thanks.

Never mind my question; I saw you wrote both are in school, so I understand now.

Right, free pre-K. But that only covers 6 hrs out of the 8. and what did she do when they were under 3???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Person who doesn't have to pay for childcare, above, which is a huge reason kids are expensive: what is your spouses work situation. How do you cover all the hours? I'm trying to understand how you make this work. Seriously. Thanks.

Never mind my question; I saw you wrote both are in school, so I understand now.

Right, free pre-K. But that only covers 6 hrs out of the 8. and what did she do when they were under 3???

Apparently they left them home along in a pack-in-play from birth to age 3.