A Liverpool Victoria survey on the cost of raising a child in the UK put the figure at a whopping £218,000[1], which equates to around £10,400 per year. Now many parents, especially those with two, three or more kids, will be asking themselves if it really does cost that much and, if so, how have they managed to avoid bankruptcy so far!

While the figures include education and childcare costs for the average child, and these may not apply, the fact is that kids can be expensive! There are, however, many ways to cut the costs of raising kids, so don’t put the little ones on eBay just yet!

Clothing Costs

Clothing costs are a biggy, with parents spending an average of £10,781 per child to adulthood[2]. While kids may have strong ideas about wanting the follow the latest fashions, it is possible to kit kids out on a bargain budget.

Supermarkets are a fantastic place to pick up trendy, good quality children’s clothing at bargain prices. The George at ASDA range is especially varied – sure to have something for even the fussiest of little fashionistas!

When it comes to kitting kids out with the basics, you can replace that worn or outgrown school uniform for less at the great value George school uniform shop.

Food Costs

Growing kids can be hard to fill, as well as hard to please! This is backed up by the fact that the average child costs a total of £18,667 to feed[3] – that’s a whole lot of chicken nuggets!

Take your grocery budget in hand by planning your meals to prevent overspending on impulse buys. Seek out the 2 for 1 deals, but only if you are going to use what you buy. A wasted 2 for 1 is no bargain!

Get the kids involved in the cooking to encourage them to eat what’s put in front of them. Homemade pizzas are easy and fun for little helpers to have a go at, whereas older kids can help you whip up an omelette or a simple sausage and bean casserole. Not only will this set kids up with great skills for life, it will also give them an appreciation of the effort, and cost, that goes into every meal.

Holidays and Entertainment

Holidays and leisure and recreation cost an average of nearly £23,000 per child, which is a huge amount when you start multiplying it for bigger broods[4]. With a little savvy deal hunting you can drive this cost down, however – it just means getting a little more creative than simply strolling into the local travel agents.

There are more daily deals websites around than ever, and they can be a great place to find bargain holidays or deals on family days out.

You’ll also often find special offers on theme park tickets and the like on cereal packets and in the newspapers, so look out for those to drive down to cost of keeping the kids happy and occupied through summer.

While there’s no escaping the fact that raising kids is an expensive business, there are many ways to cut costs without cutting corners. Shop around and your family will fit your budget, no matter how tight that might be.