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I only have one child, but I don't see how we'll be able to spend a significant amount less, when we factor in exactly what you've mentioned above. If there is any "left over," the financial worry wart in me would put it in a college fund.

As they get older, they get more expensive...I am living proof of this, lol!

I do worry a bit still about the financial cost when she/they are in school.

I know my SIL pays quite a bit for after school care during the year and full time summer care. Plus like you said all the other expenses. I agree though, I certainly don't think it adds up to quite as much as daycare is per year!

Well, ours is probably going to private school when she's done with daycare so school plus uniforms plus activities = no break for us.

Once ours leave day care they will either go to private school, or we will move to a different county where our mortgage and property taxes will be much higher.... so I'm not seeing any relief for us. Right now though with only one LO we are able to still save a fair amount.

@mrs. wagon: That covers one child in daycare around here, with a little left over!

Well, we won't have before/after school care (we stagger our schedule), or private school fees, and yes, there will be food and activity and clothes costs for our kids, but I can't even fathom it being $1,000/month PER kid. Plus, we'll make more money in 7 years, so things WILL loosen up. My friends who are in their 30's say it gets much easier once we hit that point in our careers.

@mrs. wagon: Charlie still goes to school in the old district! There's a fee if you leave your kids in after school programs, which we do... it's a few hundred a month though, which feels free after paying for daycare!

@mrs. wagon: Time flies! Thank goodness though, because babies sure are expensive for working parents!

@mrs. wagon: We did notice a pretty big difference after our oldest started first grade at our local public school because we paid for daycare through kindergarten. The most expensive period was the two years we had double payments when he was enrolled in preschool {part-time} and daycare {full-time because they provided care before and after preschool}.

He's 11 now, and while we still pay for his after school program, day camp in the summer, and multiple sports, it PALES in comparison to what we paid back then.

All the other miscellaneous is about the same because they will always need clothes, shoes, toys, but some things replace others. {Diapers vs. video games. Kidding. Kind of.}

Also, we make more money now than we did back then.

@mrs. wagon: That's a great way of looking at it! I think it physically pained DH to make those monthly payments, but I would tell him {and truly mean it} that it was money well spent since these were the people that we entrusted to take care of our baby.

this is the main reason I don't think we could have another child yet! Not only do I want to finish school first, but I couldn't afford child care for two kids, it's way hard with just one.

Since I'm part time and child care isn't FT I am sure we'll have equal amount of things to pay for once he's actually in school

Thank you thank you for asking this question!! I have been curious too. It is good to know that some relief is possible in a few years time!

DH and I were just talking bout this! I was wondering how anyone ever gets to a comfortable place in life, and the I realized it must be when they start school! I mean, I get that kids never turn free. But for one, you can choose which activities and camps they go to and set a budget. Whereas with daycare, you can't just say "sorry kid, too expensive, here's the remote!"

I think we will keep funneling the money out of checking, but put it to retirement/college. Even when they just go from infant to toddler care. But glory be, that month after the last daycare check gets written, I'm going shopping and on vacation! And then we will start saving!

I hear it's expensive with after school care and other activities. We are still trying to decide whether or not LO will go to private school.

I guess it depends on how long they're in daycare for?

Our boys are 6 & 9 and both of them still attend daycare/after school program.

still expensive.

Oh I can't wait until my oldest goes to kinder this fall. If we send him to an American school he's in for sure. If we send him to a local school I will have to inquire as I've heard that kids don't start kinder until they are 6 here. WHAT?! He's currently in a full-time Montessori school which is so much more affordable here compared to where we lived in the states. I mean, significantly less but it's more than double (triple, actually) what we used to pay for his half-day church-based preschool back in the states which I miss dearly! I miss the close relationship I had with the director and teachers and staff in general. Anyway, I guess we'll see. Either way we'll have some kind of financial relief since we are getting assistance starting with kindergarten. Our expenses actually increased a lot moving overseas b/c of Montessori and a live-in help, but we get so much more (more school/education and help), overall, that we would get back in the states. It's the temporary sacrifice we are making and I hope we can start saving more again. I miss having a salary and not worrying about our finances as much but it's all worth it. I mean, I'd rather sacrifice now and enjoy it later than the other way around. We've actually saved a lot having two boys born in the same season. It just worked out that way. I can't imagine how much more I would be spending if we had a girl with our second. Girl stuff is so hard to resist!