Nursery fees of £1846 per month, will we be better off with childcare vouchers?

baza52

laurenjs88 wrote: »

Yup we have to pay the nursery 52 weeks. DD1 is £190.22 per week as she is now on the toddler rate. DD2 will be on the baby rate untill she turns 2 which is more expensive, They have also recently raised their prices. No discounts offered for second children anymore. Prices will drop slightly in the Jan after DD1 turns 3.

OH doesnt have the option for childcare vouchers through work, though I will see if thats something his boss would look into for us nearer the time.

I don't trust childminders after the first person i left DD1 with & will never use one again. The nursery DD1 is in is the best in the area, and is therefore the most expensive. The other nurseries have terrible ofsted reports and the prices only vary by about 5p per hour! Even looking closer to work the nurseries are of worse standard and more expensive as your getting into the city.

The nursery also follows through to the 3rd best primary school in the county.

I am a terrible stay at home mum, being a single mum i ended up suicidal being trapped at home with DD1.

The only other comprimise to this I can see is to attempt to reduce my working hours when i return to work but still sacrfice my salary to the max.

We dont have £1000 a month to spare but i'll do whatever I have to give my girls
the best start in their education. Looks like I may need to get a second job too!

I will try a negotiate with the nursery, paying them over £8 an hour is alot! It wouldnt be so bad if my OH and i earnt more but were both young (me 21, him 26) and are still on rubbish wages.

Thanks for all the calculations and advice, gives us something to mull over...

should have got a dog or cat instead.
Whats the point in being a mum if your not a mum?

sensibly_insane

baza52 wrote: »

should have got a dog or cat instead.
Whats the point in being a mum if your not a mum?

I really don't get it why do some people speak up if they have nothing useful for the op. She has come here for some helpful suggestions. Why don't you guys keep your sermons with you and spare her.

laurenjs88

baza52 wrote: »

should have got a dog or cat instead.
Whats the point in being a mum if your not a mum?

I am a mum and a good one thanks. I don't think you can end up pregnant with a cat or a dog from being assulted.

Thank to all the replied, ive been messing about with the fee's and I can get the childcare costs down to £348.55pw once DD1 is getting her free 15hours & goes onto to cheaper pre-school rate. In Jan 2011

Then also if i can battle out a 10% discount for DD2 I can get the fees down to £326.92pw

Which is starting to look better, but I still think its going to be better to cut down my hours, If I do around 20 hours a week during the day DD1's fees will almost be null, I get a break & some income & DD2 gets time at nursery too without it costing us too much, which will keep everyone happy! and should in return decrease the amount of money we get off the state anyway just to make other people happy

alwaysskint96

lovetowinacar wrote: »

I cant agree more I can never understand a parent who states they are "stuck at home with the kids" like it is the most dreadful thing to happen - no one has to have children if they don't want them! Flexibility with partner is the way to go and how it was done before all the childcare benefits were paid - people worked in jobs to work around their families and didn't expect others or the tax system to pick the bill up for their chosen high fee childcare - cut your cloth according to your means springs to mind - why should everyone else pay for your children to have very expensive childcare??

Does anyone actually expect to pay for their own lifestyle choices anymore??:eek:

c

Maybe if nursery fees werent so extorciantly expensive there wouldnt be such an issue

Honestly people are never happy, if the OP had been single then she would be expected to work, yet because she has a partner people suggest she stays at home

And I am one of those people who cannot cope sat indoors with small kids- my 3, now 19 15 and 6 have all survived. Amd TBH worse than being indoors are the rounds of toddler groups etc- they just used to drive me loopy if i went to them while on maternity leave

sensibly_insane

laurenjs88 wrote: »

I get a break & some income & DD2 gets time at nursery too without it costing us too much, which will keep everyone happy! and should in return decrease the amount of money we get off the state anyway just to make other people happy

Just one unsolicited advice, do what you consider the best for your kids and yourselves. Forget about the moaners who keep whinging about the state money, state money spent on kids is its best use- at least better than spending on the corrupt politicians.