Pauline spends 2,069 euros on her son: “Childcare costs are very high”

In this new episode of “When we love, we count”, it is Pauline and Clémence, mothers of a 15-month-old girl, who participate in the exercise and open their accounts for us.

The income of Pauline and her wife, with a 15 month old baby

• First name : Pauline

• Age : 32 years old

• Work : Retail Interior Designer (Freelance)

• Total household net budget: €5,370

• Number of children: A 15 month old baby

• Place of living: Fortville (94)

Pauline and Clémence are married and own a house in the Parisian suburbs:

It is a 96 m² house with a garden, in Alfortville. Last February we left our 43 m² apartment that we had rented in the 13th arrondissement of Paris for this charming house on the outskirts of the capital. It is necessary to completely rewrite it.

We wanted to challenge ourselves with work and provide a better living environment for our son. The house is close to our respective workplaces and some of our friends.

Pauline earns 2,000 euros a month after taxes and his wife earns 2,700 euros. In addition to these sums they receive an allowance of 670 euros from the CAF. Their total income is therefore €5,370.

They repay their home loan every month €1,977.82and spend €338.89 daily bills, such as electricity, water, gas and insurance.

Childcare costs for a 15 month old

After explaining her total income, Pauline details the amounts she spent on providing childcare facilities for her son when he was born, for approximately €820 :

This amount allowed me to purchase the birth kit and the first clothes.

For birth gifts, Pauline was helped:

Our respective parents gave us the stroller, the car seat, and made diapers, bandanas and sleeping bags. Our respective brothers and sisters took care of the mobile, they lent us the clothes and the stroller carrycot, our grandparents offered us the high chair and the cot. As for our friends, it was the low-cost co-sleeping bed and clothing donations and loans.

Hygiene sidePauline estimates her budget for her baby €30 per month, including the purchase of physiological serum, diapers, cotton pads and handkerchiefs:

I buy as much as I can on offer!

Level Health for her child, Pauline facilitates the monthly price of visits to the pediatrician, for a cost of €6 per month, with a 70% reimbursement of consultations at around €20.

Food expenses for Pauline and her 15 month old baby

Regarding the purchase of food for her son, Pauline spends €90 per month only for the child:

I buy industrial organic sweet and savory jars, petit-suisses, powdered milk, mineral water and sweets, but also various organic fruit and vegetables.

Pauline doesn’t let her son convince her to go into supermarkets:

I’m firm on requests, and she’s still too young.

Regarding the type of stores in which she shops, Pauline explains her organization to us:

I mainly shop in drive-throughs or supermarkets like E.Leclerc, but also in Intermarché minimarkets. For vegetables it is almost exclusively Paniers Bio. I prefer organic as much as possible for all food, and then the price for the rest, taking the cheapest brand.

In terms of subscribing to a packed meal, Pauline explains her experience:

We signed up for the Quitoque deal for 3-4 months when we took over, after my wife’s maternity leave. Then we stopped, in relation to the budget.

Expenses for clothes and toys for a child 15 months

As for the budget clothing of her baby, Pauline buys new clothes, but also second hand:

We only buy a few new pieces on sale, when we fall in love with an item of clothing, or out of necessity: lack of bodysuits, socks and recently shoes. So we collect a lot of clothes from our loved ones. We have loans of old clothes from Clémence’s nieces and the niece of one of my friends. And they give the rest to us, for her birthday or from her grandparents.

Smoothed over the year, the clothing budget of his son is estimated at €21 per month.

About toysgames and books, Pauline applies the same principle as for clothes: second-hand purchases, if possible, and new purchases:

Our daughter’s toys are mainly salvaged from children, friends or relatives, on loan or donated, as well as many gifts. We bought him some new books and duplicate blankets. We are quite concerned about the environment, so we try to consume intelligently, especially on these topics.

Smoothed all year round, Pauline estimates the expense €0 on toys and €5 on books.

The budget for activities for your child and childcare arrangements

Pauline’s son is micro nursery 5 days a week, and this is their highest expense, a €1,916.67 per month. CAF should reimburse 669.99 euros, but the couple encounters difficulties:

We receive €669.99 in help from the CAF, but since we moved we constantly struggle to pay the help due to problems with the electronic declaration between the CAF and the nursery… so we pay all the costs in advance.

At the end of September we received a bank transfer of €3,349.95 for the months of April to August. And we start again from the beginning of the school year… Zero payments.

In addition to this sum, Pauline also spends 15 euros a year supplies in physiological creams and serums for the bedroom, or €1.25 per month.

Pauline does not yet know the amount of tax credit she will receive for her daughter’s care:

We have not yet been eligible for a full year of assistance, so I don’t know what amount will be deductible when filing the return. For 2022 we had a tax credit of 1,020 euros for two months of assistance, corresponding to November and December.

Pauline never uses a babysitter, due to financial problems:

We don’t have the budget. Friends or family help us occasionally, one to three per year.

As for the activity of her son, Pauline spends nothing:

We organize free family trips and activities, such as park, cycling, crafts, etc.

Ideally, Pauline and Clémence would like to reduce the costs of caring for their daughter:

The amount is very high, the aid drags on… This puts us a little in the red at the end of each month.

Pocket money and the transmission of the value of money

Pauline talks about the relationship with money in her family, what was passed down to her and her current relationship with her son.

I was taught that money doesn’t buy happiness, but that you must have enough to meet your basic needs such as food, shelter, and some recreational activities. You have to work for it! You don’t have to have eyes bigger than your stomach and stay humble. If you can pay what you want, do it, never be ashamed.

Pauline and her wife talk openly about their daughter’s money and try to teach her the value of things, even though she is still young:

For the moment he doesn’t understand, but it’s important that he knows the cost of things, the energy you have to spend to get them. That sometimes it takes patience and with elbow grease things acquire an extra value that is unique.

Pauline hasn’t opened a bank account for her daughter yet, but she plans to:

It’s a wish, but for the moment our savings go towards renovating the house and we take advantage of her birthday to list the gifts she would need: toys, clothes, baby accessories… So there’s still no money to put into a count for now.

At the end of the month it remains €705 to Pauline and Clémence, when their CAF share will be paid. An amount used for one’s personal expenses and expenses.

When all the amounts spent only for their daughter, Pauline and Clémence are added spend €2,069 monthly.

Thanks to Pauline for answering our questions!