I feel pretty sorted at the moment, by house is finished, I have a permanent job, and I have now been married for over two years.  I feel like the next step is to have for us to have children.  I must admit the idea is growing on me more and more.

My wife on the other hand, although she likes the idea, isn’t overly keen on the whole birth process and I can understand that, its not exactly a pleasant idea, and from the limited exposure I have had to birth (TV sitcoms) it looks excruciating. 

The problem as usual comes down to money, I want to be in the position where I can comfortably bring up a child and contribute significantly to their future, whether that means University or wedding expenses.  I know from experience and reading savings news that the average cost of a wedding these days is £11,000, and that isn’t the kind of money you can save up in a short period of time. 

I would like to start a savings account ready for the eventuality of having a child but I am not really sure what the best options for this are yet.  I know that if you have a child the government has a trust fund scheme which is tailored towards saving for when a person reaches 18 years of age, but you cannot open one of these until your baby is born. 

My money is having to be spread further than I would like already with all of my outgoings and with money being constantly features on the news it’s hard not to get bogged down with it all.  I had a letter sent from my bank about investment in a SIPP (pension) which made me panic.  I know you have to consider these things but at 25 can’t I live a little first.  I don’t even know if I will be in this country by the time I am 40 as my wife is always talking about moving to France then as an expatriate I would want to do my banking and savings online so it is all in English and I don’t get caught out with any jargon I don’t understand.