Just needed to vent a bit and hope for some real advice from folks in the same boat. Our kid is in a decent private school, annual fees are about 1.2 lakh. That's already painful but we manage. On top of that:
* Tuition – 7,000 per month
* Sports – 7,000 per month
So it's roughly 14,000 extra every month, almost ₹1.7 lakh a year just for coaching and tuition, more than the school fee itself.
Can't cut any of them – any alternatives?
Sorry, that's a steep amount for tuition and sports! Maybe try online AI tutors.
7K for tuition... OMG! I pay just 1K for tuition and 2K for classical dance in UKG. School fee is kind of the same.
Which standard is your kid in?
Wow, 1.2 L school fee! My parents were really lucky. Is this a tier‑1 school?
Wow, that's a lot! May I ask what percentage of your household income this represents?
Thanks, this reminds me to pull out every time.
Is there alternative?
Yes, plenty of them – cheaper private schools, government schools, homeschooling, tuition plus private exams. There are tons of options. You make it sound like someone is forcing you to spend at gunpoint, but that's not the case. You can start cutting costs from tomorrow if you really want to, though you probably have reasons (or excuses) ready.
It's like complaining about iPhone prices and asking for alternatives. Sure, you could buy a 10K phone or a 5K phone, but you want an iPhone. Same idea.
You don't have to stay crushed by expenses if you don't want to, but you'll need to decide whether what you're getting is worth the weight you're carrying.
Having a kid feels like a luxury these days. I'd rather not have one and would prefer to donate the money to foster‑care homes.
Glorious time to be child‑free.
I'm 23 now. Back in 10th grade, 2019, my private school in a Mumbai suburb charged 35K plus 20K for a cram school. 1.2 L is just crazy – that's Cathedral and Johns level fees. I doubt even Bombay Scottish is that expensive now.