bignoseduglyguy

Cost of child outstrips UK house value

According to the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society, at today's prices, the cost of getting my four offspring through to their respective 21st birthdays will be £561,592 ($956,344). Their reported research give the breakdown as follows:

• Year 1-5 £46,695
• Year 6-11 £31,000
• Year 12-18 £33,747
• Year 19-21 £30,000

Now I know why my salary is gone half way through the month.

Seriously though, I find this kind of research and this kind of reporting lazy and half-hearted because the story doesn't qualify the figures it reports. To make it stand up they need to explain how the figures were arrived at, something that even the source press release doesn't entirely do. Sadly this omission is then compounded by statements like "UK households spend the most in Europe on raising a child – 30% more than France and 26% more than Sweden" without pointing out the vast differences in state provision, taxation and social security that exists between the countries mentioned. For a more broad spectrum of opinions, check out the comments in the lower half of the BBC report.