Help wth planning to start a family

MrsTinks

If your OH earns £35k then you won't get much in the way of tax credits etc - you will get £20 a week child benefit though regardless of your income.
Check your maternity policy at work and see how much you would get and then sit down with some spreadsheets and work out how much you need for bills for 12 months, how much for food and then add 10-20% to the total - that is how much you need to find - subtract £80 a month for child benefit and then whatever you get as maternity pay (be it statutory or enhanced by your employer) and the figure you're left with is the minimum you will need to have put by to manage for 12 months with your small one. I would personally put a little more by - I'm looking to return in Feb after 8 months of ML and it's going to be tight because there is always something else popping up you'd forgotten about

teacherandmum

check out www.tesfaq.co.uk for lots of info about maternity pay for teachers

you will get £20 a week child benefit - not means tested

you won't get much on working tax credits if your earnings are as descibed

childminders with us are £4.50 an hour, not including snacks or lunch

nursery is £30 a day including snacks and dinner (open 8.15am - 5.30pm)

there is no reason you won't 'get by' on oh wages, you might have to cut back a bit but this website will help with that

start saving a little bit each month from now on so you can treat yourself without having to ask oh all the time i.e i used to go and have my legs waxed, buy a new eyeshadow etc

there is never a 'perfect' time financially to have a baby, just start ttc when you feel reaady. you will learn to cope with whatever money you have coming in.
and don't start trying to predict when the best time for ml is for a teacher. A collegue of mine (I';m a teacher too), was only ttc when the baby due date would have been in Aug. sept or oct becaue 'that would be best for maternity pay' and 'they'd be the oldest in their year group'!!!!! !!!!!!!

good luck, start ttc now - it may take longer (or shorter!) than you think

MrsTinks

Don't start TTC until you're REALLY ready! We started trying thinking that like everyone we knew we were looking at at least 8 months to concieve... guess what? first try... Don't get me wrong we love the little ankle biter moer than life it self BUT don't start trying unless you're both ready to have a small person in 9 months time The little swimmers might be stronger than you anticipate!

kate1979

As a teacher you'll get 6 weeks full pay, something like 13 weeks 90% pay then about another 13 weeks 50% pay + Statutary Maternity Pay followed by 3 months unpaid should you decide to take this

This isn't quite right I think; as a teacher my maternity pay this year was 4 weeks full pay, 2 weeks at 90%, 12 weeks at statutory + 50% of salary and then 21 weeks at statutory. The remainder of the year is then indeed unpaid.

Our salaries are similar to yours, though the other way around, and we get child tax credits but not working tax credits - there should be anumber I think to phone when you get your child benefit info which is sent out automatically when you register your child.

We tried to save as much as possible from my salary and my maternity pay and have managed to get through the year with only one dip into the savings so it can be done! You'll get loads of clothes and things as presents and look out for 2nd hand equipment. My DS hasn't really been too expensive in his first year (though I can see that changing!).

There are lots of free activities to do with little ones, like Rhymetime and walks, and cheap ones like playgroup. I've probably spent less this year than the ones before!

Good luck with ttc,
Kate xx

teacherandmum

theres a new grant too worth £190. i think everyone is entitled to it and you get it at 20/25 weeks? it wasn't available when i had dd so not that sure!!

remember prescriptions and dental treatment are free too when you're pregnant and for 12 months post pregnancy

also do you have a health policy that pays out when you see the dentist, optician etc? i pay into WHA and got a lump sum of £120 when i had dd. think you have to be in the scheme 12 months before they pay out a maternity payment.

HRV

As the last poster said I dont think that those maternity pay rates that another poster gave are correct- I think some LEAs offer more than others- what the last poster says is what I have been going on.

Me and my OH ( i am a teacher) are on virtually the same wages as you and we are planning a baby soon and we pay £458 a month out to his ex for his 2 DDs- as well as a mortgage etc.

I am pretty sure on the wages you described you will get nothing more than child benefit which everyone gets

HRV

I don't know with regards to childcare, but I think where I am it is about £35-40 a day? Although, as we would need childcare from 7:30 to 17:30, I bet we would struggle to find anyone to do those hours once we come to that point and the cost would be extortionate![/QUOTE]


??? As a teacher I will need longer hours than this- I get to work for 7.30 and often don't leave till 5.30 or 6. There are nurserys out there that do this I am sure.

teacherandmum

??? As a teacher I will need longer hours than this- I get to work for 7.30 and often don't leave till 5.30 or 6. There are nurserys out there that do this I am sure.[/QUOTE]

do you have a child? wow, if you do and still manage to work these hours!
seriously though, most people i know get to school about 15 mins b4 the school day starts and leave fairly soon afterwards as to spend some time with their kids.
if you don't leave til 6pm, thats only half an hour earlier than my child goes to bed!!!

HRV

I have 2 step daughters who spend lots of time with us, so not my own but I do all the mummy things when they are with us- we are planning our own soon and I will have to continue to work these hours- this is what many teachers do!!! I will have to do this to keep up with the workload and financially I have no choice.

May be secondary teachers can do the hours you suggest but there is no way in a school like mine you could

HRV

I will have to find a nursery or minder that is often from 7.30 till 6- we have 2 teachers at my school with preschool children who work full time and do similar hours to me-