Newly Wed? What Next? The Costs To Follow

So much is involved in planning your big day.  It can take years of planning and be a pretty pricey affair.  Venues need to be booked, of course, you’ll need a dress, a suit for the groom, flowers, an engagement ring followed by wedding rings, a cake and loads more.  Although this can be done on a budget most prefer to splash out on their special day.

After the confetti has settled and the honeymoon period is over there are other costs to consider, from starting a family, moving to a new larger home, upgrading your car, the list goes on.

Starting A Family

In many cases following a wedding and maybe a few years to enjoy each others company, the next big step is starting a family.  Having a family isn’t cheap there are numerous costs that you will discover after the little one has entered the world.  To begin with you will need a new necessities such as nursery furniture, clothes, toys, a pram, nappies.  Combined these alone can cost thousands of pounds within the first year alone.  There are numerous classes you can attend during the first year of baby’s life including sensory or swimming classes which will add additional costs.

Our choice in how we feed our new baby can also add to the outgoings.  If you breastfeed, you may need additional equipment such as a breast pump and bottles, nursing bras, breast pads etc costing around £200 the first year.  Choose to bottle feed instead and the cost for that year will be far more with the need for bottles, sterilising equipment, milk powder.  I used to pay approx £10 per pack of powdered milk.  This would last about 2 weeks making the overall cost for the initial year over £1000, ouch!

If you plan to return to work, who will look after your little one?  Not all can afford to stay at home and raise their children and we don’t all have the luxury of having parents that can help even part-time each week.  You need to factor in the cost of childcare.  In some cases you’ll be going to work to pay for childcare.  Weigh up whether the wage you will be bringing in is worth your time.  In London the cost of childcare can be extortionate.  I know numerous people that have very little money left over after the paying for a nursery or childminder.

Another consideration is schooling.  It may feel like a long way away when you first have your baby but take it from someone that has three children it’s not long before the time comes or you to pick which schools you wish to send them too.  Local schools are oversubscribed so you may not be given any of your choices.  Choosing to go private?  Whether that’s your first choice or you are forced to due to the local council school selection you are given, private schools are not cheap and prices vary from around £9500 to approx. £13,000 per year and that’s just at primary level.

As children get older they begin to start asking for items they see on tv, items they’ve seen in magazines and those that their friends own.  Whether it’s the latest toys, a prada bag, a new smartphone, a car the costs increase as they get older.  As your brood grows so will the cost of birthday’s, Christmas’ and holidays.  At the moment we are hoping to book a holiday for the five of us and it’s looking at costing around £3000.

Upgrading Your Home

You may consider moving into a larger home after getting married or as the size of your family size increases.  A larger home is, of course, a great investment but will also incur extra costs should you decide to make the move.

Moving house itself isn’t cheap.  According to Compare My Move, the estimated cost of moving to a new house in 2018 in the UK is £8,885.  This is based on the average UK property price which is currently at £226, 071.  It takes into consideration stamp duty at £2,021 and estate agent expenses at £3,391.  If you include general moving costs the total can add up to £1,236.66.  Moving in London will increases these costs considerably.

On the flip side when selling your home there are hidden costs to consider such as ensuring you have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which can cost between £60 and £120.  It can cost-effective to get a professional survey of your new property before you buy it to check the condition first.  The survey can cost from £400 to over £1,000 depending which you choose.

Buying A New Car

After moving house and starting a family, a car may be next on the list to accommodate your changing needs.  How much you spend depends on you budget but a good car isn’t going to be cheap.  You also need to take into consideration the running costs of your new set of wheels.  This will cost a considerable amount more in the UK then any other countries.

The top ten family cars cost between £8,000 and £14,000 according to What Car.  A new car family-friendly can set you back between £16,995 and £29,495.

Not Sure How Much To Spend?

MoneyUnder30 advise that for those looking for a cheap run around to get from A to B should allow around 10-15% of their annual income.  Those wanting something a bit safer and more reliable should allow between 20 and 25% of their annual income.  If the car is to serve multiple purposes ie. a lifestyle item not just a form of transport one might consider a 50% spend of their annual income on a car.

You might need to press the pause button temporarily on strict saving after your wedding as you can see there will be times when you need to dip into savings.  Married life might be expensive with starting a family, moving to a new house and buying a bigger car but for the most part – it’s worth it!

What costs would you advise newlyweds to be aware of?

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This is a collaborative post.

This Post Has 22 Comments

  1. Sarah Bailey

    I can’t imagine all the thing that come after getting married, I mean the marriage itself seems expensive enough to me haha! That said Ash and I already live together and have a car so I guess we’ve done somethings the wrong way around.

    1. admin

      It can be depending on how you do the wedding. It doesn’t really matter which way around you do this. Sounds like you are already working your way through the list.

  2. Danielle

    Wow, and I thought toddlers were expensive. I never knew that private schools cost so much. I think we will home school if we can’t get our daughter in to a good school.

    1. admin

      I did consider homeschooling. It’s really hard work and the kids don’t get the same social interaction which is a shame. They can benefit in different ways though.

  3. Rhian Westbury

    Me and my partner don’t have plans to have kids so that’s one expense and I think we’re going to do the whole house thing first but I am worried about how expensive it’s going to be x

  4. Alex Gladwin

    We’ve had 2 boys, a new car and am currently renovating our home into our dream home, it is very costly! Haha. But so worth it. It’s so nice to enjoy it after saving for so long. x

  5. Anosa

    There is so much to consider after getting married, isn’t there? It can get so expensive!

    1. admin

      It sure can. Most don’t even think about costs until they suddenly creep up on them.

  6. Yeah Lifestyle

    These are great ideas, I wish I had read this 10 years ago when I just got married, you don’t think about all these until it suddenly pops up. Its great that you are giving the newly weds some notice.

  7. Nisha

    I have not even given much thought about the finances before or even after marriage. this was eye-opening. thank you for sharing your views

  8. bryanna skye

    so many great tips all in one place- there’s just soo much to figure out it’s crazy haha

    1. admin

      Thanks Bryanna.

      There are a lot of things to consider.

  9. Emma

    Holidays are scary expensive when you have a big family aren’t they?

    1. admin

      They sure are. I won’t compromise though, if we can’t afford it we don’t go.

  10. Jenni

    There is so much to consider and so many expenses. I know childcare is a huge one for myself and my friends

    1. admin

      It can be quite expensive if you don’t have help.

  11. Helen Costello

    Wait until the kids reach twelve and above – The cost of family holidays for families of 5 goes through the roof! From reading your post, I now realise why I feel so skint!

    1. admin

      OMG noooo, don’t say that. I dread to think of what the costs will be later 🙂

  12. Emily Leary

    Some interesting thoughts about expenditure after the wedding and honeymoon! I guess one of the good things is that we don’t have to splash out on these things all at once!

    1. admin

      That’s true. It does make it easier to cope with although with some the costs are large.

  13. Leslie Hernandez

    Being an adult is expensive already lol… Me and hubby haven’t gotten married but we have lived together for a long time. Maybe will get married in the future. Right now were focused on our careers and we do have a Co-op apartment, car, and a new puppy named Teddy. No kids yet possibly in the near future. Money is needed in life it’s just how things work but I don’t worry about it because it takes away from seeing the joys of life and the memories and moments in it. Married or single we still have costs and expenses.

    1. admin

      Ahhhh bet Teddy is adorable. That’ll be your baby for now, they’re a handful. That’s very true there are costs both ways x

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