It's a really scary concept when you put everything down on paper how much it costs to bring up a child but I honestly don't believe it has to be that expensive. LV recently complied some new statistics from the Centre of Economic and Business research that states the cost of bring up a child from birth to 21 has gone up in the past year and is now said to average £227,266 which is simply crazy but it's something that as parents we need to take into account.
The report was broken down into various categories from childcare to food, clothing, holidays, hobbies, sports, pocket money, driving lessons etc and is quite comprehensive and even though most households are cutting back on a lot of things the cost of living is still rising and can be quite a scary prospect for new parents or people thinking about having there first child or like us our second.
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| There is an amazing natural world out there to explore - for free! |
I do however feel that personally we don't spend anywhere near what is estimated simply because as a family unit we are fairly frugal, we don't splurge or buy unnecessary things , I cook every meal from scratch, we only buy what we need and even though we do love to travel for example we spend hours and hours looking for the best deal. In terms of living we are quite minimalist and make-do, we recycle, swap and I enjoy finding a bargain from the local charity shop. We are both firm believers in that children don't need everything they see and we purchase very few toys at christmas and birthdays but instead make things or look for something that is well made - Less is always More!
Blogger Hattie Garlick from the blog Free our Kids did a great little video for LV about bringing up her son for free - check it out, it's really inspiring.
Life of course is about living and I don't feel people should always have to go without but there are tons of things to do for free and you really don't have to equate spending money with happiness. We spend many a weekend rambling through various countryside parks with packed lunches, enjoying the fresh air, running around and having quality family time. When it rains we often visit our local swimming pool which is free for under 5s and for adults the cost is minimal. We also paint and do simple crafts at home like baking or pottering in the garden.
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| Family time is important to us and costs nothing. |
The main thing is to enjoy your time with your child, make memories and do what makes you happy but also while living within your means. We have recently started scrapbooking - we have completed the baby book we bought when Mr A was born and it went up to around 2.5 years and we just felt now is the time to move onto a move family adventure style scrapbook. I love to collect tickets, receipts, postcards etc so it's lovely to put them in some kind of order and I know I am going to love looking back on it in the future.
This post is in association with LV
i love this! i hear so many people tell me they "can't afford" to have kids or that raising kids is "so expensive", and after nearly two and a half years of raising our daughter on very little, its not NEARLY as bad as its made out to be. yes, kids come along with expenses, but really, theyre only as expensive as you make them. just like anything else.
ReplyDeleteI think living in general is expensive but having children hasn't massively added to that for us. In fact, if anything, we save money because we're more inclined to do simple things together and aren't going out as much to restaurants, etc.
ReplyDeleteI love Hattie I think her project is fantastic and I totally agree, you don't need all that stuff to raise a child! x
ReplyDeletetotally agree with you & the comment from victoria! although i don't actually have a child, i can totally agree with the sentiment 'theyre only as expensive as you make them' above. if you don't have much money, or just wish to be more frugal, doesn't mean you're any less of a parent, does it! if anything, it makes you more creative and resourceful :)
ReplyDeleteWe've definitely not spent that much. Like you we cook meals from scratch, buy second hand, and having three kids means thinhs get passed down rather than buying new each time
ReplyDeleteIs that really how much it's supposed to cost! eek especially as I would love to have a big family. It's true that tehre are always great things to do which are free, it just a shame that I like such pretty things. I definitely think it's a certain mindset of being happy and that consumerism is the fall of happiness. Great that you guys are so good with money, I think I could do with some tips x
ReplyDeleteWow, that's pretty crazy figure! I'm not sure if I agree or not. Ask me in 15 years ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree, kids don't have to be as expensive as that. There are plenty of ways to save money from the second they're born. I imagine it gets harder when they're demanding teenagers or going to uni though! x
ReplyDeleteWe do a lot of stuff for free, mostly because we're almost constantly skint! Those figures are eye-watering - I cannot believe that everything they include is a necessity!
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