Daycare costs, may be expensive and it may seem like you’ll never lower your costs, but there are options to help you lower your daycare costs. A paycheck is an immediate necessity and for many single moms your paychecks barely cover the cost of daycare. But what happens when you put in your full week of work and, after you pay the day care provider you find out there is no money left?
It doesn’t make any difference how old your children are, unless they are old enough to be left alone while you work you have to find dependable daycare for your child to keep your job. Even if the kids go to school full time, someone has to be available to care for the kids on the days when classes are not in session because of holidays, teacher training or school breaks. On top of that, school children pass around colds and other illnesses that keep them out of school.
If you don’t have any money left after you pay for your daycare, consider how you use your daycare, there could be ways to lower your daycare costs. You could be adding to the bill considerably without even realizing it. Here are a couple items to help you lower daycare costs
Location
You pay for most daycare at an hourly rate. That means that you are paying for more hours than you actually work. Look for a daycare center that is close to your place of employment so that you are not paying for commute time in addition to your work hours.
If a daycare provider can’t be found near your place of employment, at least make sure the location is close to the route you take everyday. This will also cut down on the gas you use on your daily trip, leaving more money in your pocket on payday.
Errands
Single moms find it’s a lot quicker to run errands immediately after work while the child is in daycare. After a long day of work it’s so much easier doing the shopping and having the car serviced without having the kids in tow. By the end of the week the time spent running those errands can really add up.
Pay attention to the additional time spent running errands after work. Multiply the hours by the per hour rate you’re paying for day care and decide if the luxury is worth the price. If it takes 2 hours to buy the groceries, that’s two hours of added day care expense that you really don’t need to pay for.