Help! Pregnancy throwing out all debt-free plans!!

gonzo127

one other thing to look out for is check on freecycle and those types of website for any free baby essentials such as cot beds, push chairs etc

melamoo

congrats, also breastfeeding will save you at least £7 a week, doesnt sound much but every little helps

poppy_f1

congrats :0
but think of you have 7/8 months to work out a plan for when you are on maternity leave, also remember that your employment expenses such as travel wont be paidout when yuor off so that can be saved or paid towards something else

think you should do a pre maternity and post maternity SOA and see where savings can be made

metalgal

i just had a baby in august last year. You would actually be surprised how flexible some companies can be if you explain the situation. One company i owed money to has agreed to freeze the debt until i return to work and get a full time wage again. If you phone the companies explain that you will be going on leave and they may be able to reduce your payments for a while. If you have a repayment mortgage, then while you are off work they can reduce it to interest only. This means that you will add a couple of months on to the mortgage term, but one of the easiest ways to save on maternity. When you know when you will be leaving work phone up about 6 weeks before hand and see what can be done.

Also you you were in a newish job. Are you entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay? If not you may be entitled to maternity allowance for nine months, currently £123 a week. Maternity allowance can actually make you better off as it is a non-taxable benefit so does not count towards tax credit entitlement.

VicB

Congrats on the pregnancy Flossiejo - great news!

Cheeky I know, but can you explain more about the mystery shopping you do - what company? And how much do you do to get £200 p/m?

I'm interested in earning extra cash but work full time, I used to use mystery shoppers in my previous job so have an idea how it works!

Thanks

yellowduck_2

no advice, but many congratulations, you may find your employer is flexible. One of my friends found out she was pregnant shortly after starting a new job. They have been great to her, she has just gone back for two days a week and it suits her and her baby well. Hope things go well for you.

barbiedoll

Congratulations on the baby news! I'm a maternity worker and I just wanted to let you know that when you book in for your maternity care with your midwife, make sure that you pick up all the free books that they have. They are full of money-off vouchers for nappies and stuff and you should join all the "baby clubs" that companies like Cow&Gate have too. They sometimes send you freebies! There is also a really good info book called "The Parents Guide to Money" which details all the benefits to which you may be entitled. And go to the NCT (national childbirth trust) website. They have "nearly new" sales where you can pick up all sorts of great baby stuff. It is all in really good condition and you can get a bargain, especially with things like baby baths and cribs, which are really expensive when bought new. Good luck with the court case and with your financial situation, you have come to the right place for help.

flossiejo

VicB wrote: »

Congrats on the pregnancy Flossiejo - great news!

Cheeky I know, but can you explain more about the mystery shopping you do - what company? And how much do you do to get £200 p/m?

I'm interested in earning extra cash but work full time, I used to use mystery shoppers in my previous job so have an idea how it works!

Thanks

My Mystery Shopping assignments average about £11 per job - so you can easily work out how many I'll need to do to get to the figure of £200pcm. For Jan I've turned over £165 having done 14 with 3 more over the weekend.
I'm registered with 12 companies and active with 7 - the other 5 don't give me very regular work, or it's always during office hours.

To be honest, it's sheer effort and using as many evenings and weekends as I possibly can that get me to the value I'm at - plus I'm helped by a very understanding boyf (though he has had some new shoes, DS games and free pub meals out of some of my M/Shops lol)

lap1970

Congratulations - just to say I have been doing my own DMP but following advice from National Debtline and have just had my 3rd baby since starting this and haven't had any problems adjusting what I could afford to pay whilst on maternity leave. Have saved money by breastfeeding and not weaning until 6 months and using real nappies. I also have one of the notorius "Together" Mortgages from Northern Rock which has been good for me because I have taken the maternity payment breaks for 6 months each time which has also helped.