How much does it cost to raise a kid into adulthood

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Nokkie

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As title says,

How much does it cost to raise a kid into adulthood?

It seems there are a lot of different opinions out there.

What would you spend on your children or do you just wing it?
 
Winging it at the moment in the sense that we dont really have any savings for ourselves or the kid. He is two now, so should seriously start saving for his education. Other than that we are doing fine. I would say realistically a baby/toddler will cost you about R4k-R5k per month. It only goes up from there I would think but not by much till they reach an age when they start playing sports etc.

By the time he is 18 university fees might be R500k+ per year...
 
1. Unswerving love, commitment and fidelity to the mother, your spouse. That costs a Real Man, willing to sacrifice everything 24x7.

2. Spending plenty of time (not "quality time") with your child/children, playing, laughing, doing things, shaping, forming, being a stable balanced adult who is utterly reliable and who has achieved a high degree of self-mastery.

3. The money is irrelevant. Without the above, all the money in the world won't stop you from raising deprived and angry kids who resent you and the world.

Btw, Education is the big cost variable. There are ways of getting your kids into the best schools and universities without having to dock up their full fee schedule. By the grace of God I could afford and so paid full fees, but I know many who could not afford it yet still scrimped and saved to get the best for their kids.

If you love things and comfort more than kids you will in any case fail no matter what you earn.
 
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Well calculated on current costs with no inflation (this will determine if you can afford a child at any bracket now):

0-5 years (about 1 - 3k per month) (if you require no caregiver)
6 - 13 years (about 3 - 10k per month depending on school)
13 - 18 years (about 5 - 15k per month depending on school)
18 - 22 years (about 2 - 15k depending on where and what they study) (yes university prices currently range dramatically)

So lets say between 700k and 2500k depending on what sort of education you want the child to have.
Their hobbies and quality of life will also determine this. Things are changing quite rapidly but I know that I cost my parents near nothing after high school even though I studied engineering. (you can tutor for money and fees are very very low if you did well at school).

Of course it is possible to bring up a child for even less (<250k) if you literally want them to just survive.

Of course with current inflation these costs will skyrocket but so should your salary.
 
How long is a piece of string?

Unquantifiable if you don't factor in a whole host of other determinants.

You have to look at a current adult and work out how much it cost going back lets say 20 years.

Going forward its impossible because you don't know what their needs will be.

Example. How many teens in 1995 required a smartphone, tablet, laptop.

Today they are all getting these devices upgraded every 24 months.
 
let's see.

3 months back, son cost around R2000
last month he cost us around R6000
This month so far around R1500

So yea, hard to judge.
 
Arthur said:
1. Unswerving love, commitment and fidelity to the mother, your spouse. That costs a Real Man, willing to sacrifice everything 24x7.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of your post on this matter, except this. Don't get me wrong, a strong and loving relationship to rely on, is fantastic for the child. But your point falls down in so many other scenarios.
What happens if you are a single parent for instance? Who do you love then, in order to give your child the best in life? Loving person A with all your heart, hardly has any effect on person B.

The real point 1 in your post should be:

1. Unswerving love and commitment to the child, your child. That costs a Real Man, willing to sacrifice everything 24x7

This point cannot break down when the scenario is changed. Because the love is between the giver and the benefactor directly. It is not some imaginary vicarious love that the child feels because you somehow love the child's mother.
 
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