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[quote=Anonymous]Daycare-preschool was a biggie for us.  About $15K a year.  When our daughter started elementary school, we started to see about $5K a year in savings.  A month of after school care costs us a bit more than a week of daycare/preschool did.  Summer camps run per week a bit more than what a week of daycare cost.  Activities have ramped up - we spend about $1,200/year for dance class and gear (one class, year-round) and maybe another $800 for sports and sports gear.  I figure that probably 1/3 of my food bill (we're a family of one parent/one child) goes toward my daughter.  Formula and diapers cost us about $100/month; that was a nice expense to get rid of.  Clothing costs can be expensive - you're literally replacing an entire wardrobe twice a year, plus things like coats, swimsuits, shoes, etc.

College funding is whatever you choose to spend - for me, that now replaces the money I used to put into my Roth IRA.  Child care for dates/social engagements/workouts can run you $12-$15/hour.  Travel - it affects your choice of where you stay, the room you get and how many tickets you have to buy.  Health/dental insurance.  Copays.  Prescriptions.  Life insurance that's higher because you have a dependent.

Intangible expenses are a biggie - I definitely have a much more expensive house now that I have a child than I would have before.  Without her, I'd be in a two-bedroom in a bad school district.  With her, I'm in a 3-bedroom house in a good school district.  And you generally need a car with a kid - without her, I might not have one because I metro/bus everywhere otherwise.

I estimate that my daughter cost about $27K last year and including food, clothing, entertainment, etc.  I make just over $100K.[/quote]

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