Different folks may define "expensive" in different ways, but I don't think that parenting a young child should be expensive. I think that most of the folks in this discussion (except HK) have young kids.
Almost all children cost you more once they reach middle school age. Those expenses can include academics, sports, music, etc. Maybe we should say no to some of the activities as it takes a toll on the bank account, but the kids benefit from the various activities in a number of ways.
Kids can be expensive, but I think you can find plenty of free or low cost resources for young kids. Online stuff, the library, local university programs open to the public, school subsidized summer programs, etc. - we have done all of these with our kids and they enjoyed them. You will need to search around a bit though, as the free or low cost programs don't have the marketing that the costly ones have. Good luck.
