Does the cost of raising kids keep you awake at night too?

We love them to bits of course but unless your surname is Trump, raising children is very expensive. In fact, according to a new survey from LV, it now costs £210k from 0 to 21 (including childcare and uni fees). If you have more than one child, that’s… well, an awful lot of money. According to the survey, 78% of us are now feeling the pinch and making cutbacks to raise our families. The impact of the loss of child benefit is also starting to take its toll. Among my mum friends, I can’t think of anyone right now who hasn’t had more than one sleepless night worrying about nursery fees, paying for extras like school trips or even school uniform, or how they’re going to afford to send their kids to college. My top tip would be to join KidStart, so at least you earn money for your kids every time you shop, and to start saving for their future (especially uni) as soon as you can. But of course that’s not always easy, particularly if you’re on a tight budget with little to spare. So does the cost of raising kids keep you awake at night, too? Are children a luxury? And how are you saving for your kids? I’d love to hear your views. written by Liz Jarvis