Would you let finances determine family size?

[Natsku]

Yeah I get 150 a month child benefit and Uni students get a stipend here too (not much though, you still need a loan or a job unless you live really really cheaply) and daycare is charged by income and not more than about 200 a month.

 

[PitaKat]

I buy almost all my clothes second-hand, and do the same for LO. They grow so fast, I just can't see the point in buying him new clothes at a much higher price

I definitely wouldn't have more children if I wouldn't be able to easily afford food for them, that's a basic necessity, no child should have to worry about not being able to eat.

As for higher education, In the state I live in there's a program for high school students. They can be dual-enrolled in both high school (for the last 2 years) and college (or university). They take college classes and get credits for high school classes simultaneously. I participated in this program and when I graduated high school, I also graduated with a 2-year college degree, paid for by the state. University is very expensive here, so my plan is to support my kids through this program, pay for what the state doesn't cover (books, parking permits, etc) and have them graduate with a 2-year degree, tuition-free.

 

[meli1981]

i dont have a problem with second hand shops, for babies, not for my almost seven year old, but im not talking about second hand shops, im talking about the salvation army, which has clothes the second hand shops wont take

 

[Natsku]

I get clothes from the Salvation Army and other charity shops for myself. It doesn't bother me.

 

[xemmax]

The Salvation Army is no different to any other charity shop.

 

[Gunnhilde]

i dont have a problem with second hand shops, for babies, not for my almost seven year old, but im not talking about second hand shops, im talking about the salvation army, which has clothes the second hand shops wont take

Our Salvation Army has designer clothes and endless amounts of Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers clothes. Might just be a function of where I live, though.

 

[lhancock90]

Yes at the moment we have 2 kids, thats our current financial limit, we just couldn't afford to have anymore and give them even half the life we want to. I want to stay a SAHM and unless OH gets a huge payrise or a lottery win, won't be anymore kids for us for a while.

 

[meli1981]

its all a matter of opinion, i personally, dont want to wear clothes from the salvation army, and dont want that for my kids, it doesnt make me any better than anyone else, this us just what i want and if i can afford then hey! i want my kids to have a better life then i had, theres nothing wrong with that

 

[JASMAK]

I find second hand shops over charge! I'm all about reducingmy carbon footprint, but when you are paying $10 for a usedpairof jeans...forget it!

 

[meli1981]

I find second hand shops over charge! I'm all about reducingmy carbon footprint, but when you are paying $10 for a usedpairof jeans...forget it!

i know! with how much some of these "thrift" stores charge you may as well buy new!

 

[JASMAK]

I find second hand shops over charge! I'm all about reducingmy carbon footprint, but when you are paying $10 for a usedpairof jeans...forget it!

i know! with how much some of these "thrift" stores charge you may as well buy new!

And I must say...I am a SALE queen!

 

[meli1981]

i am too, though my sister is amazing at finding deals! we go to childrens place alot, and take advantage if the 30-40% off sales!

 

[JASMAK]

I only look at sales racks.

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

It is a huge factor for me and OH, so we will likely not have any more children because of it, not that that is a huge issue for us though (neither of us are bothered about having more children) The way we live at the moment we can afford to overindulge LO slightly, but if we had more children it would be a case of no family holidays and having to skimp on clothes and birthdays and outings etc etc

 

[KittyVentura]

I don't bother with charity shops, but that's ony because I'm quite fussy with what I put my kids in (I have a specific idea of how I want to dress them etc) and the charity shops here don't tend to have that. I do however get a LOT from EBay as I can still pick and choose stuff to my taste easily. Also Next sale. The Next sales are my favourite haha xx

 

[louandivy]

As long as I can afford for them to be fed then I wouldn't let finances determine it, if I really felt a desire to have another child. Ultimately I don't believe that material possessions are remotely important in having a good childhood and I would rather Ivy have a sibling than lots of new toys and expensive clothes.

That being said, I don't want another baby for a loooong time so it isn't something I have had to think about at all

Oh, and I love charity shops! Whats the point in buying a brand new expensive book when you can get a lovely interesting old one for like a pound?

 

[lhancock90]

As long as I can afford for them to be fed then I wouldn't let finances determine it, if I really felt a desire to have another child. Ultimately I don't believe that material possessions are remotely important in having a good childhood and I would rather Ivy have a sibling than lots of new toys and expensive clothes.

That being said, I don't want another baby for a loooong time so it isn't something I have had to think about at all

Oh, and I love charity shops! Whats the point in buying a brand new expensive book when you can get a lovely interesting old one for like a pound?

This is a brand new discovery of mine.
Can't believe i've been forking out a tenner on books at Waterstones when the charity shop does them for a pound! Most of them brand new.

 

[Liesje]

As long as I can afford for them to be fed then I wouldn't let finances determine it, if I really felt a desire to have another child. Ultimately I don't believe that material possessions are remotely important in having a good childhood and I would rather Ivy have a sibling than lots of new toys and expensive clothes.

That being said, I don't want another baby for a loooong time so it isn't something I have had to think about at all

Oh, and I love charity shops! Whats the point in buying a brand new expensive book when you can get a lovely interesting old one for like a pound?

This is a brand new discovery of mine.
Can't believe i've been forking out a tenner on books at Waterstones when the charity shop does them for a pound! Most of them brand new.

Used books are a phobia of mine, people likely read them while they were in the bathroom lol

 

[mrs_park]

As long as I can afford for them to be fed then I wouldn't let finances determine it, if I really felt a desire to have another child. Ultimately I don't believe that material possessions are remotely important in having a good childhood and I would rather Ivy have a sibling than lots of new toys and expensive clothes.

That being said, I don't want another baby for a loooong time so it isn't something I have had to think about at all

Oh, and I love charity shops! Whats the point in buying a brand new expensive book when you can get a lovely interesting old one for like a pound?

This is a brand new discovery of mine.
Can't believe i've been forking out a tenner on books at Waterstones when the charity shop does them for a pound! Most of them brand new.

And how a-maz-ing do old books smell?! I borrow books from the library just so I can smell them. Yeah, I'm weird

I agree that material things don't matter and if I could afford to keep my kids fed and warm then I would keep having more. My only concern is later down the track with schooling etc. And it is really important to me to send my kids to a private school which is not going to be cheap...

 

[Liesje]

My family was poor growing up and they raised me to be non-materialistic and I'm kind of ashamed to say not having money was the worst part of my childhood.
I never got birthday parties like other kids in my class, didn't have nice clothes, never went on any school trips and when we went back to school and all the kids were sharing what they did over their summer holidays, I never had any cool things to share. When I got invited to birthday parties of other kids I didn't even bother asking my parents because I knew we couldn't afford a gift.
My parents were great and did the best that they could, but I'd never want that for my kids just because I wanted a lot of them because I know h much it sucks to be different.