The True Costs of Raising a Child (4 Year Update)
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| One of many of LG's creations |
Just like that, Loonie Girl (LG) is now 4 years old. These last few years have been a blur. I remember lots of things happening and LG growing up, but it just seems so fast. One second we were at the hospital, now she's a talkative girl that runs around everywhere making a mess where she goes.
Anyway, a summary from the costs last time.
- $1,386.36 for diapers (cloth and disposables), inserts, and wipes
- $61.76 for food
- $251.55 for kitchenware
- $972.63 for clothing (Canada)
- $2,498.44 for bed and bedding (Canada)
- $283.72 for clothing and bedding (from China)
- $1,430.99 for gear (strollers, car seats, playpen, etc.)
- $509.39 for health and safety
- $1,426.36 for toys and books
- $789.36 for experiences
Grand total: $9,610.56
This six month update also coincides with the lockdowns that have been happening worldwide for the past ten months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It doesn't look like it'll get better soon with the talk of vaccine shortages and new variants popping up. Apparently, one vaccine isn't effective against one of the variants? The 1918 pandemic lasted about three years, so it wouldn't be surprising if this took as long.
Diapers
This amount stays at $1,386.36. LG no longer needs diapers.
Food
We haven't purchased anything because LG wants something specifically. On second thought, I guess we have. A new grocery store opened up nearby and they have a fancy baked goods section. LG picks and chooses cakes. From the red envelopes she receives from her birthday, I give her a portion of that to spend how she likes. She likes to spend her money on toys and cakes. When she's out of money, she's trying to convince us to buy the things she makes out of Lego (for example) to earn more money. Anyway, as it's her money, I don't know if I should count these snacks in the total or not. Maybe for the next update. Anyway, we purchased a birthday cake for LG again, that's something we bought specifically for her. Just like last year. The total for the food category increases $35.00 to $96.76.
Kitchenware
We purchased nothing in this category. This total remains at $251.55.
Clothing
Now that we have limited options for second hand, we do get some from Wifey's friends from time to time, we needed to purchase more clothing for LG. Socks, pants, shirts, shoes and boots. I try to wait for sales on Old Navy and then sign up for their welcome offer that gives an additional 30% off. For boots, I bought a pair of Bogs that were on clearance and received an additional 10% off for signing up with a newsletter. I don't remember the retailer. SportChek? Anyway, all these things add up pretty quick. We've increased spending in this category by $313.06 to $1,285.69.
Bed and Bedding
We've purchased nothing new here. LG is sleeping on her loft bed now, so that's a plus. We're still not completely transitioned yet as LG requires one of us to sleep with her on her twin bed. Wifey bites the bullet as I'm bigger than her. Hopefully, LG will be okay to sleep on her own soon. Total spending in this category is still at $2,498.44.
This six month update also coincides with the lockdowns that have been happening worldwide for the past ten months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It doesn't look like it'll get better soon with the talk of vaccine shortages and new variants popping up. Apparently, one vaccine isn't effective against one of the variants? The 1918 pandemic lasted about three years, so it wouldn't be surprising if this took as long.
Diapers
This amount stays at $1,386.36. LG no longer needs diapers.
Food
We haven't purchased anything because LG wants something specifically. On second thought, I guess we have. A new grocery store opened up nearby and they have a fancy baked goods section. LG picks and chooses cakes. From the red envelopes she receives from her birthday, I give her a portion of that to spend how she likes. She likes to spend her money on toys and cakes. When she's out of money, she's trying to convince us to buy the things she makes out of Lego (for example) to earn more money. Anyway, as it's her money, I don't know if I should count these snacks in the total or not. Maybe for the next update. Anyway, we purchased a birthday cake for LG again, that's something we bought specifically for her. Just like last year. The total for the food category increases $35.00 to $96.76.
Kitchenware
We purchased nothing in this category. This total remains at $251.55.
Clothing
Now that we have limited options for second hand, we do get some from Wifey's friends from time to time, we needed to purchase more clothing for LG. Socks, pants, shirts, shoes and boots. I try to wait for sales on Old Navy and then sign up for their welcome offer that gives an additional 30% off. For boots, I bought a pair of Bogs that were on clearance and received an additional 10% off for signing up with a newsletter. I don't remember the retailer. SportChek? Anyway, all these things add up pretty quick. We've increased spending in this category by $313.06 to $1,285.69.
Bed and Bedding
We've purchased nothing new here. LG is sleeping on her loft bed now, so that's a plus. We're still not completely transitioned yet as LG requires one of us to sleep with her on her twin bed. Wifey bites the bullet as I'm bigger than her. Hopefully, LG will be okay to sleep on her own soon. Total spending in this category is still at $2,498.44.
Clothing and Bedding (from China)
This total remains unchanged at $283.72.
Gear
No new gear purchased. The category total remains at $1,430.99.
Health and Safety
With the pandemic raging on and school around the corner, we bought a lot of face masks for LG. Some local (not great quality) as Old Navy's stock was very delayed. We ordered masks in May and didn't receive them until July. However, when things started to open up again, there were more face masks available. We got a couple from the Disney Store during those two months they were allowed to open. LG also fell and scraped her elbow during the summer. The scrape was pretty bad, so we needed to purchase supplies for LG. Huge bandages, non-stick gauze, medical tape, etc. Luckily, there was no infection. Just some scarring, but with a wound that size... yikes. All these expenses increased this category's total to $681.62.
Toys and Books
We try to not spend any money here, but we always seem to be getting more somehow. Books I don't have any issue with. However, seemingly, we always get toys at Dollarama. Now I try not to take her there, but with nothing else to do and nowhere else to go... Luckily with the latest stay-at-home lockdown, we have a better explanation for why we cannot go to Dollarama. She knows the virus is bad, but she still doesn't quite grasp the concept. Or maybe she does and just really likes Dollarama regardless. Anyway, in addition to that, we got more stuff for her birthday. Her grandparents (in-laws) wanted to give her individual gifts for her birthday as well, that meant more spending. Our total here just climbs $334.71 to $1,761.07.
Experiences
Finally, we have experiences. Due to the pandemic, the aquarium has been closed. They extended the membership benefits by 6 months. They may do it again. They may close down. At this point, it's hard to say. LG wanted a pink guitar. Rather than purchase a cheap toy, I opted to purchase a real (pink) ukulele. LG loves it, but doesn't really know what to do with it. I guess we'll need to let her play around with it. We also bought pink ice skates in anticipation of doing winter activities. With the lockdown and restrictions, we haven't been able to book a time at one of the public rinks. Hopefully, these skates don't get too small next year... assuming the restrictions are lifted next year. This category goes increased to $877.43.
I'll summarize everything again.
- $1,386.36 for diapers (cloth and disposables), inserts, and wipes
- $96.76 for food
- $251.55 for kitchenware
- $1,285.69 for clothing (Canada)
- $2,498.44 for bed and bedding (Canada)
- $283.72 for clothing and bedding (from China)
- $1,430.99 for gear (strollers, car seats, playpen, etc.)
- $681.62 for health and safety
- $1,761.07 for toys and books
- $877.43 for experiences
Grand total: $10,553.63
The past six months, we spent $943.07.
I was correct last time in that we'd spend less. However, it's still higher than what we were spending previously. I expect to be spending more money on toys. LG likes Lego, and although it is expensive, it's something that we can get a lot of use out of and it's relatively easy to store. Some of the smaller toys she gets from Dollarama, she doesn't play much so they sit in storage or in her toy boxes. For clothing, I expect we'll need more in the coming year. Underwear and socks in particular. By the time the pandemic ends, I'm sure we'll be going out and finding more stuff to do with LG.
The past six months, we spent $943.07.
I was correct last time in that we'd spend less. However, it's still higher than what we were spending previously. I expect to be spending more money on toys. LG likes Lego, and although it is expensive, it's something that we can get a lot of use out of and it's relatively easy to store. Some of the smaller toys she gets from Dollarama, she doesn't play much so they sit in storage or in her toy boxes. For clothing, I expect we'll need more in the coming year. Underwear and socks in particular. By the time the pandemic ends, I'm sure we'll be going out and finding more stuff to do with LG.
Again, this doesn't count things like laundry detergent. Now that water and hydro is covered by the condo fees, there's really no need to break it down either. Not that it was something I ever did. It also doesn't include the RESP contributions. That was also maxed out for 2021. So far BG's RESP account is sitting at over $20,000. The pandemic drop in stocks in March 2020 has recovered and then some.
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