Special repayment, saving or consumption?

Now I have to ask something dumb: How do you handle it with children? How can you pay off so much without significantly restricting yourselves? For us, it's already 500€ per month for daycare/food, then (a special case for us) maintenance payments of almost 600€. Then the kids' sports equipment with also 100€ monthly. Then a swimming course with 90€ here, holiday care with 260€ there, etc. Birthdays and Christmas not even included yet. And we buy everything we can second-hand. What’s left over basically flows immediately into house and garden. We currently don’t save anything at all. Early repayment after 6 years zero (but we were honest with ourselves and expected nothing). We don’t earn badly now. We have a household net income of 5k€. Our rate for all loans is 2000€.

So 500 for daycare is, for example, already a lot. For us, it’s less for two children combined. The 600€ maintenance, calculated as savings rate, would already be 7200€ that you could repay early, Then, we don’t have a swimming course, but swimming is learned during joint swimming pool visits. I also have to say 100€ for sports is a lot; how many children do you have? It’s always a difference whether 1 or 3 or whatever. But you don’t have to repay early. If you prefer to offer the children more or go on vacation or buy grandma a new couch or whatever, that’s completely legitimate. You don’t have to feel bad.

Now I have to ask a silly question: How do you manage with children? How can you pay off so much without significantly restricting yourselves?

Our rate for all loans is 2000€.

We have only one child, skipped expensive extras and unnecessary square meters during construction, and consciously decided on a significantly lower rate.
If you spread all the special repayments over the previous roughly 100 months, we would also only be at about 1800€ monthly rate. Of course, the last 2-3 years significantly more.

What always has to be emphasized, however, is that salaries naturally increase over time, while the loan as a major expense remains constant, making it considerably easier to make special repayments or save money.
I think that some who may have built young now and still have some salary jumps ahead will laugh about their rate in a few years. If salaries keep up roughly with inflation rates, borrowers are well off. 2022 will certainly be difficult, but in the long term, such real wage losses with almost full employment will hardly occur.

Then we simply don’t have a swimming course, but swimming is learned during joint visits to the swimming pool.

I think the swimming course for 90€ referred to the total cost, not per month. In the municipal facility, the course costs just a little more than the regular admission for the same number of sessions. In the meantime, you can go shopping.

First of all, treated ourselves to eBikes (14k) and air conditioning (11.5k) :) Next year, a car (36k), although we have already saved the money before the baby ;)

I think the swimming course for €90 referred to the total cost, not per month. In the municipal facility, the course costs only slightly more than the regular admission for the same number of sessions. In the meantime, you can go shopping.

Yes, that's how I understood it too. But does a family then never go swimming? I don't know the swimming course thing from my siblings and me either, and I've often wondered whether people prefer to pay double or just don't go to the pool themselves, or how most people handle it. We simply went to the pool quite often, but as family time, and swimming was practiced on the side.

Next year car (36k) although we have already saved the money before the baby ;)

Spoiler alert: Babies are the cheapest children you can have and no, you don’t need a new car for them. On the contrary, toddlers are very good at making new cars look old. Better drive your car for another 6-7 years or buy something for half the price.