Lucia spends 299 euros on her son: “I would like to stop buying industrial food”

How much does it really cost to look after one or more children every month? What is the parents’ budget? Do the costs incurred change depending on the age of the children? Every week, in our meeting “When we love, we count”, parents open their accounts and share with us how much one or more children costs them, monthly.

This week Lucia is taking part in the exercise.

The income of Lucia and her partner with a child

• First name : Lucia

• Age : 32 years old

• Work : Sales assistant

• Total household net budget: €3,335

• Number of children: An 8 month old baby

• Place of living: Picardy

Lucia has been in a civil relationship with the father of her child for five years, and they own their house, for which they have not yet finished paying the mortgage.

We made a sensible purchase just before Covid, a 110m² house in the Picardy countryside, after living in the city center for 10 years. We wanted peace and quiet and it was more in our budget.

Lucia and her partner win €3,150 at two per month after taxes. They also influence €184.81 family allowances, and therefore have a budget of €3,335.

Every month they repay their home mortgage of 765 euros and spend 419 euros on current bills, including water, electricity and insurance. They also spend 103.89 euros on internet and telephone subscriptions, 67 euros on house tax and 320 euros on petrol.

Childcare costs for an 8 month old

After explaining her total income, Lucia details the sums spent on providing childcare equipment for her son when he was born, for €1,030 :

We had to buy some things twice, like the bed or the playpen so that his grandmother could keep him. We purchased both new items, such as the cot and playpen, and second-hand items, such as the trio stroller and the complete bedroom.

For birth gifts, Lucia was helped:

At birth we received donations and gifts, including a swing, a deckchair and a co-sleeping bed.

Hygiene sideLucia estimates the budget for her baby €79 per month. You subscribe to a diaper delivery service for €49 a month, and spend €30 a month on the rest:

I buy hygiene products in supermarkets or pharmacies, depending on promotions and batches.

Level HealthLucia spends €7 per month, with an adequate budget per year, for the usual visits to your child’s doctor.

Food expenses for Lucia, her partner and their child

Regarding the purchase of food for her baby, Lucia buys products that concern only her baby, such as powdered milk and jars, since the latter is still very small, all for €113 per month :

He still drinks several bottles a day, which is four cans of milk a month. For small jars I try to make them at home, but I also eat some industrial and supermarket compotes.

Lucia doesn’t let her son convince her to go into supermarkets, but it’s because he’s too young:

He’s too young for this at the moment, but I often collapse on my own. I try to make him taste as many things as possible without necessarily looking at the prices, whether it is organic or not.

For the type of stores in which she shops, Lucia explains her organization to us:

I mainly go to a hypermarket, I drive by, to avoid wasting too much time. With inflation I prefer prices and, for my child, many, without discounts on the purchase. I sometimes buy organic if it’s not too expensive or if it’s something new to try.

If we only exclude the part spent on her child, Lucia has a spending budget for her couple of €350.

Expenses for clothes and toys for an 8 month old baby

As for the budget clothing of her son, Lucia buys mainly second hand:

For economic and ecological reasons I prefer second hand goods, such as Vinted, or buying clothes/toys from a friend. Sometimes I look for something new, but I always look at the prices and for this reason I rarely make purchases.

Smoothed over the year, the clothing budget of his son is estimated at €20 per month.

As for toys, games and books, Lucia applies the same principle as for clothes: second-hand purchases, donations from friends and new purchases in case of damage. Smoothed out over the course of the year, estimate the expense €10 for toys and €20 for books.

The budget for activities for your child and childcare arrangements

Lucia’s child is not looked after in a nursery or with a nanny, and she does not spend money on him:

We are lucky enough that he is looked after by his grandmother, two/three days a week, for free. The rest of the week we work in shifts and keep it to ourselves.

Lucia does not need a babysitter occasionally.

As for the activity of her son, Lucia spends €30 per month for baby swimming courses:

He is enrolled in children’s swimming lessons twice a month. The session is relatively expensive: €15 for 45 min.

Pocket money and the transmission of the value of money

Regarding the expense items she would like to reduce, Lucia confides:

I would like to stop buying industrial food and only offer him homemade food. Also, I would like to stop buying new toys, clothes, books, etc. altogether.

Lucia tells us what the relationship with money was in her family, what was passed down to her and her current relationship with her son.

My partner and I come from very modest families respectively. They taught us to be careful and to work. Before the age of 25 we were very precarious, I was a student and my partner did odd jobs, and we always learned to be careful with our budget.

Lucia plans to talk openly about money in front of her son later, but for now he is too young. She opened a bank account for him, into which she pays, every month, €20 :

We do this so that when he becomes an adult he will have money set aside for his projects.

At the end of the month it remains €921 to Lucia. A sum used for specific expenses of the couple and the family, such as bills, sports subscriptions, the purchase of food for the couple, any breakdowns, birthday presents and expenses incurred for your dog.

When all the money spent only on his son Lucia adds spend €299 monthly.

Thanks to Lucia for answering our questions!