An Australian study has been released this week which indicates the cost of raising children has gone up by 50% since 2007. The study included all income groups across Australia and concluded that the cost of raising two children to the age of 21 is sitting at $800,000.
Ben Phillips, one of the researchers involved explained, “It is incredibly expensive, and the main drivers of this are the big ticket items such as food and transport and recreation.”
The following is an excerpt from ABC online published today :
“Food continues to take a big chunk of the family budget, with the report revealing low-income families now spend $89,000 on food for two children from birth to the age of 24.
‘It’s extremely expensive and I think part of that expense is the practicalities of life, and that is that teenage boys eat so much for a start.’
Jane Campbell, mother
Transport costs have also snowballed in recent years, accounting for about 20 per cent of family income.
“We’re looking at bigger cars, more cars, airfares,” Mr. Phillips said.
“There’s higher petrol costs for things like driving the children to soccer on the weekend.”
1 Million Women are here to offer a new mantra which is guaranteed to bring down the cost of living, “LESS IS MORE”.
Unfortunately, we have become a society obsessed with consumption and falling back onto easy habits. As Mr. Philips explains in the excerpt, people are constantly looking for bigger things – even when there are other, more economically viable options available.
We thought today we could share with you some of our most popular family and home budget tips, that also help to reduce your carbon footprint.
Australians waste over 4 million tonnes of food a year, or nearly 180kg per person.
KNOW YOUR DATES: Use-by’ is a food safety guide and literally means don’t eat after the end of the ‘use-by date’, but ‘best before’ is a quality guide and you may still eat after the ‘best before date’ (as long as the item is not damaged, deteriorated or perished).
PLAN YOUR MEALS: Taking a bit of time to plan your meals and your shopping trips is one of the most effective ways to avoid waste and save money. Always check the fridge and food cupboard and make a list before heading out for a big shop.
VEGGIE DAYS: You can save money, be healthy and reduce impact on the environment by having at least one no-meat day a week. There are lots of great vegetarian recipes you can add to your home-cooking repertoire.
ITSY BITSY RECIPES: Develop your own cuisine tricks for using up the bits and pieces of perishable foods that accumulate in our fridges, a splash of yoghurt here, a piece of cheese there, the last few slices of ham, that last bit of salsa in the jar – it’s all delicious if used not wasted.
DRIVING SMARTER: Save up to $400 a year
Check out this fabulous clip from Wendy Machin, President of NRMA Motoring & Services and a fabulous 1 Million Women Ambassador.
Working together we can bring down these costs that are hurting Australian families AND reduce our carbon footprint. You can can keep track of your savings and progress by logging onto the 1 Million Women website.
Together we can make difference.
We are daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers getting on with practical climate action to live better for us and the planet. Join the movement at www.1millionwomen.com.au
1 Million Women 
great tips , easy to do with good satifaction. I now only purchase what we need now and have found our food bill has come down considerably
tanks for all this “Less is more information” 1MW are doing an amazing job .keep up the inspiring work. Pam