[chuckles]

read this blog today and just wonddered whether anyone has any other money saving tips for childcare/nurseries in the current situation? (apart from all moving to Seville that is !!)

WITH FULL-TIME teaching jobs, Gareth and Moira Allen have no choice but to send their two young sons, aged one and three, to a creche near their home. The couple are luckier than most, however, and their comparatively family-friendly working hours give them a significant degree of flexibility when it comes to drop-offs and pick-ups.

Their good fortune doesn’t end there, not by a long shot. While most working parents of pre-school children in this country are spending upwards of €800 a month for every child they have in daycare, the Allens are paying less than a quarter of that amount.

And what’s the secret to their low-cost childcare?


Emigration.

Five years ago they moved from Dublin to Seville, where both their children were born. While virtually everything is markedly cheaper in their adopted country, even when considerably lower wages are factored in, it is the savings they have made in childcare that really stand out. Their monthly creche bill per child is €265, to which the Andalucian government contributes €100, reducing their total childcare outlay to just €330 every month. Had they stayed in Dublin, they would be paying nearly €2,000 a month. :D :D :D