10 Ways Day Care Can Actually Save you Money

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The decision whether or not to send your children to daycare or to stay home with them is often not one that parents get to make. For many families, there is no decision. If both parents do not work – or a single parent does not work – there is not enough money to care for a family. The decision is one removed from many households and the thought of sending children to daycare is very difficult for some. For others, the choice to stay home or work is personal; and some parents choose to work because they love their careers and don’t want to stay home. Sending kids to daycare in this situation is easy. However, it’s not easy for all parents and some days are worse than others. It might just help you to realize that you can save a bit of money by sending your kids to daycare, even if the fee you pay each week or every month makes it seem otherwise. Read on to find out 10 different ways sending your kids to daycare saves you money.

Save Money on Groceries

Groceries are expensive, and buying them for kids who are home all day long and want to snack and graze throughout the day can be expensive. Trust me; it’s far easier for me to shop for my kids who are at school all day long than it is to shop for them during the summer when it seems no amount of food is enough to keep them happy.

Save Money on Electricity

When the kids are not home all day long opening and closing doors, turning lights on and off and watching television or playing on the internet, you save money on your utilities. It might not seem like much, but having 8 hours a day free of all this makes a pretty significant difference in your finances.

Save Money on Therapy

We aren’t saying your therapy; but maybe we are. Therapy happens, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. We aren’t even talking about professional help, either, we could be talking about retail therapy and other expensive ways you unwind after long, busy days home with the kids. If they are in daycare, you’re more apt to want to spend quality time with them afterward than want to escape the craziness of having them home.

Save Money on Extracurricular Activities

If you are home with your kids all day long, you know what I’m talking about. You have to keep them entertained. This means finding things to do and sometimes that’s an expensive feat. Even if it’s just a trip to the ice cream shop or the local museum and lunch, these things really add up. It might add up to a bit more than daycare if you aren’t careful, too.

Save Money on Babysitters

When your kids are not in daycare, you probably utilize your babysitter on a regular basis. You might call her so that you can go to the store or make a trip out to run errands or just go to the doctor. Babysitters might not seem to cost as much as daycare, but the truth is that daycare is a lot less expensive than a babysitter. If you pay $150 a week for daycare for a toddler, that’s 40 hours a week. That would be about 10-15 hours for a regular babysitter. The deal is a good one.

Save Money on your Taxes

Qualifying families get a tax break on their income tax returns if they send their kids to daycare. This childcare tax credit is one that allows you to lower your tax liability thanks to the fact that you’re paying for daycare. The break isn’t much, but it is better than nothing and it’s almost a reward for being a working parent whose children are being cared for outside the home.

Save Money by Working

If you work, you make money. This allows you to save money because you’re making more. Some parents say that it seems all their money goes to daycare when they work but if that’s the case, you might as well just stay home and care for your own kids instead of making this a wash.

Save Money on Education

Your kids will get an education in daycare. It might not seem like it with as much as they play, but kids who go to daycare are taught many things are often a bit ahead when it comes to their education. Be warned, however, that this does not apply to all daycares. If you’re going to send your kids to daycare, try one that’s an educationally based program so that your children reap these invaluable benefits.

Earn Money by Working from Home

If you work from home, sending your kids to daycare pays. Every second you are distracted from work matters. Additionally, you can get more done in a few hours without interruption than you can all day long with the kids home. This allows you to get your work done quickly so that you can go get your children and come home to spend time with them. Sometimes this is much better because it makes the time you do spend with them quality time.

It’s an Investment in the Future

According to medical and educational surveys that tracked children who were in daycare in the 1970s from all walks of life, there is a big payout NOW for those who went to expensive daycares when they were children. What does this mean? This means the more you pay now, the less you will pay later. The studies prove that kids who go to expensive daycares have fewer learning disabilities, repeat fewer grades, have higher grades and are more likely to obtain scholarships and other important financial benefits as they grow older. The benefits of paying for daycare today will pay off in the long run provided you choose a good school that has an educational basis. Pay now, save later; that is the motto behind this theory.

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

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