ネイティブの英文で英語表現を覚えよう！029　子どもを持つコストについて

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単語リスト
What is the real cost of kids?
回答者１

単語リスト

キーワード	発音記号	意味
will likely want to	/wɪl ˈlaɪkli wɒnt tuː/	おそらく～したがるだろう
It’s also worth noting that	/ɪts ˈɔːlsoʊ wɜːrθ ˈnoʊtɪŋ ðæt/	～ということも注目に値する
would likely have to	/wʊd ˈlaɪkli hæv tuː/	おそらく～しなければならないだろう
childminders	/ˈtʃaɪldmaɪndərz/	ベビーシッター、託児所の先生
the general consensus is that	/ðə ˈdʒenrəl kənˈsensəs ɪz ðæt/	一般的な意見としては～である
to an extent	/tuː ən ɪkˈstent/	ある程度まで、いくぶん
full time	/fʊl taɪm/	フルタイムの、常勤の
in the SE	/ɪn ðə ˌes ˈiː/	(the South East of England) 南東部で (主に英国)
This will go on for	/ðɪs wɪl ɡoʊ ɒn fɔːr/	これは～の間続くでしょう
car seats	/kɑːr siːts/	チャイルドシート
breastfeed	/ˈbrestfiːd/	母乳で育てる
frugal	/ˈfruːɡəl/	倹約な、質素な
charity shop	/ˈtʃærəti ʃɒp/	チャリティーショップ（寄付された物を売って慈善活動の資金にする店）
if I could	/ɪf aɪ kʊd/	もし私ができれば
handed down	/ˈhændɪd daʊn/	譲り渡された
when you never used to	/wen juː ˈnevər juːst tuː/	以前は決して～しなかったのに
got by fine	/ɡɒt baɪ faɪn/	問題なくやっていけた
until kids came along	/ʌnˈtɪl kɪdz keɪm əˈlɒŋ/	子供たちが生まれるまでは
somewhere nicer with better schools	/ˈsʌmwer ˈnaɪsər wɪð ˈbetər skuːlz/	より良い学校がある、もっと良い場所
shopping around for	/ˈʃɒpɪŋ əˈraʊnd fɔːr/	～を探し回る、比較検討する
get paranoid about	/ɡet ˈpærənɔɪd əˈbaʊt/	～について神経質になる、過度に心配する
you would have if single	/juː wʊd hæv ɪf ˈsɪŋɡəl/	もし独身ならそうしただろう
boot space	/buːt speɪs/	（車の）トランクのスペース

What is the real cost of kids?

We are currently talking about having kids but are worried about the costs. We currently manage to save maybe £300 a month, which will likely increase to around £700, but we moved into our house last September and we’re still getting things done. We also will likely want to move house in 5 or so years. Is it realistic to think we can save enough to slightly upgrade our house then? We are currently also relatively early in our careers and should be looking to continue to see salary increases, but it’s hard to know how much our salaries will have increased in 5 years. I just wanted to get an idea of how much it costs people. It’s also worth noting that we have zero family help, so would likely have to be paying for nursery and childminders when they are young as we both need to be able to continue our careers.

Edit: Thanks all, the general consensus is that childcare is really expensive, but having kids is worth the financial hardships.

回答者１

Some costs will be unavoidable and other will depend on both of you to an extent.

Childcare is pretty much unavoidable unless you’ve parents who will look after them full time. This is very expensive in the SE. £1400 for one child for four days a week where we are. This will go on for 3ish years.

Then there are the car seats, the upgrades to car seats because you bought a cheap one and got so frustrated with it, the shoes, the clothes, the nappies, the formula if your wife isn’t able to breastfeed, the baby feeding seats, the toddlers table, the mats, the sleeping bags, the rain coats, the warmer coats, blah blah blah.

I am frugal. I would pick all this up at the charity shop if I could but my wife won’t have it. We do get a lot handed down but every week several new amazon parcels arrive for the kids. I’ve stopped asking what they are and just try not to be annoyed.

Oh, and the fact that you need a car in the first place when you never used to. We got by fine without a car until kids came along. Then we didn’t want to live in our dodgy London urban area as they started growing up, wanted to live somewhere nicer with better schools. So once we moved, we needed a car. Then you start shopping around for a car and get paranoid about breaking down with children so end up spending a lot more than you would have if single. And the extra boot space for kids stuff.

Then onto the house. Without kids, we could live anywhere. With children, suddenly schools are very, very important, as is the neighbourhood. So now we own a house that is very expensive. Our mortgage is £2300pm. Our council tax is double what we previously paid. As are energy bills.

I haven’t actually worked out the total cost but I can say everything considered, it isn’t just childcare that costs, it is the hidden costs.

Children are very, very, very expensive.