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[quote=Anonymous]God they are expensive! Of course, they don't "need" to be, but I want to offer my children the opportunity to learn and enjoy things besides what is taught at school. Right now I have a 5y old and an infant. The 5y old has ballet at $575 (1150/year) per semester, ice skate at about 180.00 each 6-8 week, so about $1000.00/year; music class (group) 45min each week at $35.00 per class (so, if I keep her in class during the summer months, it will cost us about $1800/year); foreign language at $650/year.

I am a SAHM so we don't need childcare beyond occasional sitters but I would say we can easily spend about $400.00/year on that.

Summer camps for my preschooler cost us this year about U$3000.00 - full time camps without before/after care. If we were not staying here during the summer, we would travel overseas to visit family and we would spend almost all that for air plane tickets alone.

Preschool is around 5600k/year. Started at a little over 2k when she was 2, going 2x/week. Now it is 5600k for 4x/week with "lunch bunch."

Next year she will be going to public K and we won't have preschool costs anymore. She will also be able to attend only one of the "physical" extracurricular - either ballet or ice skate or something else. She will keep the music lessons (which will become more expensive in about 2 years at around $45/class).

Clothes and shoes I have no idea how much we spend per year, but I would guess around 1k total for both kids.

The infant is formula fed so that is about 1300.00/year. Diapers I would guess cost us for each kid around 2k (maybe more) from newborn stage until around age 4 (counting pull ups for overnight).

Food so far - not much an increase in regular groceries for meals, but a significant increase in the budge for fresh fruits and veggies.

Then there is gifts for holidays and birthday. There is also a birthday party budget if you choose to throw a party - at least 300.00/year per kid, most likely, $500.00.

Family vacations: If you choose to go to family friendly vacations such as Disney, you will be shocked at how much you will spend. Or going on a beach vacation, or a day trip to Philly, to Williamsburg - even Annapolis!

There are also other "small" costs such as taking your child to a movie, for an ice cream, buying arts and crafts supplies… that in it self are small, but they do add up quickly.

And the biggest cost of all - college. I just looked into the prepaid tuition program and it will cost us 81k per child for 10 semesters each. Plus money for room and board, books, lab fees and  more if we also want to help them significantly with graduate school as well.

I know lots of those costs are a choice and those choices are variable for each family. But even if you choose/can't pay for your children's college, pay for any extra curricular activity, buy used clothes at the thrift store, etc - they still will cost you a pretty penny.

Oh, I almost forgot to add - house cost. Most people will move to a TH or SFH after having kids and that in itself comes with a pretty big costs. Maintenance, increase in utilities bills and what not…

We were toying with the idea of having a 3rd child but after seeing how much college will cost us, we will stop at two.[/quote]

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