'Having Kids is a Waste of Money' - and lots of it

According to research by LV=, the cost of raising a child until their 21st birthday is now almost £211,000, compared to £140,398 back in 2003 when the firm first looked into the subject.

Here’s how LV= has broken down those costs, which was put together with the help of the Centre of Economic and Business Research:

Expenditure	Total cost in 2010	Total cost in 2009	Total cost in 2003 (first year of report)
Childcare & Babysitting	£67,430	£65,699	£39,613
Education	£55,660	£52,881	£32,593
Food	£18,518	£17,490	£14,918
Clothing	£15,683	£14,035	£11,360
Holidays	£14,052	£13,207	£11,458
Hobbies & Toys	£10,565	£10,780	£8,861
Leisure and Recreation	£8,147	£7,772	£6,366
Pocket Money	£4,543	£4,338	£3,386
Furniture	£2,798	£2,770	£2,074
Personal care	£1,164	£1,107	£925
Other (includes driving lessons, first car, birthday and Christmas presents)	£12,287	£11,731	£8,845
TOTAL	£210,848	£201,809	£140,398

Love Money have the full details...