Childcare costs forcing us into debt.

hanes

Hammyman wrote: »

Really? Just how much is the rent and the car finance? Your joint take home pay is over £2100 a month plus child benefit of about £120. So you've got going on towards £2300 a month NOT including child tax credits.

You must have some serious debt issues if paying £70 a week childcare out of over £2100 a month take home pay plus child benefit and any tax credits is meaning you're struggling.

Even if your rent was £1000 a month, after paying for the childcare it leaves you £700 a month to feed a family of 3 and pay utility bills. I think you need to go on to the Debt Free Wannabee board and get some of that finance sorted out.

i'll just leave it here at this point.

Lady_gaga

OP, I don't think it's the childcare that's forcing you into debt, wouldn't you be worse off if you didn't work? from what I can see you get more than half your childcare paid for and if you had chosen a cheaper day care provider for your child then it wouldn't be as much out of your own pocket every month, but you wanted that nursery as you say it the best going and can't really complain that you have to pay a bit out of your own pocket. I think getting more than half paid is extremely generous.
Looks like it's other areas you need to look at cutting back on, childcare is a very small percentage of your combined salaries...

vroombroom

;)I'll assume the gloating posts were about me, but if I really wanted to gloat I would have told you that in 18 months I'll graduate from uni after paying myself for the last 4 years, I can speak several languages, I bought my first house at 21, that my baby is the most gorgeous creature on this universe and that I can touch my nose with the tip of my tongue.

But I didn't;) I was just giving you an example that people on a lesser wage than you, with no CTC/childcare vouchers etc, can manage it. I totally get where you are coming from about the good nursery place and if it came to the point where we were struggling to pay for my son to go, I would get rid of my car, use our savings, cancel Sky etc in order to keep him there. Its the best nursery in the city I live with x

There has been some good advice given on here and I think doing a SOA is the best way to go. Even if you don't want to put your debts on there just put your general ones - eg, gas/leccy, insurance, haircuts/entertainment and maybe we can help you lower them x

puddy

hanes wrote: »

thank you. i dont believe people actually listen. would just prefer to thrown down what they pay and how much they like to gloat.

its not really productive to my question and i find it immature to do so.
we had no idea of child care costs at the time we took certain contracts out. were naive in the amount of help we would get based it on 70% towards. which we didn't actually get.

what im asking is if there will be any change to the system. perhaps i've missed something as i have seen it on news feeds a lot lately.

but never mind i'll just stop reading all the gloating posts. and stick to the ones based on fact.

in answer to your question - i doubt it. if anything this government are determined to claw back benefits and entitlements as much as they can. plus whatever knock on effects this climate is having on others may also affect you in that your child minder may put her prices up or whatever

so, despite how the other posts have been worded, it is best to plan ahead and start looking at the whole budget now and post an SOA on that section for others to support you

most people know by now that the cheapest way to get some services is to get contracted in for a million years but that comes with its downside of being charged to leave - they know this on the debt free board so dont worry

ALIBOBSY

hanes wrote: »

We have cut down on everything. trouble is with Sky you are locked into a 12month contract. 9 months left IIRC. we are'nt takeway people. but still we have weeks where we are left without money for food. i did a budget planner and we are left with £81 per week. yet at the moment this has not been fruitful.
i think the world is mad. lol

Is te £81 a week after all other bills are paid. If tis is just to cover food and basic household stuff like cleaning suff toothpaste deoderant then it is easily doable. 6 of us live on less than that.

Perhaps you don't want to post a SOA on here but do one for yourself and go back through the last couple of months bank statements to see where all themoney is going. It is easy to draw out a bit here and there and buy odd bit such as a coffee/sandwich/choc bar at work that soon add up.

good luck-Oh is a contractor and finished his last job on tues so short rations here until he lands another job-interview tommorrow so fingers crossed.

Ali x

skibadee

I think that part of the problem is parents believe they will be entitled to 70% but infact it is UP TO 70%.

Childcare is very expensive. I do not think anything has changed recently....and have not heard of any definite propsed changes.

I work in a childrens day nursery and totally sympathsize with parents.....prices are extortionate, and this is actually causing a decline in childcare places being taken up as parents are finding it financially unrealistic to have 2 full time working parents or even 1 fulltime and one part-time working parent.

karenx

You say you have car finance? Downgrade your cars. Buy cheaper ones where you have no finance to pay. Can give back the car if you are half way through your payments. Who cares if you will lose money or not - you apparently need the money now you so do what you can to get the extra money

Seems you dont want to change any part of your life but want more money to pay for nursey fees which you arent willing to change to a cheaper nursery so you have no other options

SuziQ

When my children were small, there was no CTC or help with childcare- we really had to think about whether we could afford my first two. I was pretty well paid as a Health Visitor, and my husband was self employed heating engineer, but we couldn't afford a nursery and found an excellent childminder instead. They thrived with her, plus she was much more flexible and would look after them if they had sniffles etc. which nurseries often can't. When they were older,she would take them to toddler groups and later to nursery and school-it was ideal, but much cheaper than any nursery around here (the south east.) It's harsh, but if you want more expensive child care then you have to pay towards it. Without knowing where you live, yours sounds a pretty good income.

melly1980

hanes wrote: »

well yay for you. but please dont assume we are living outside our means..

well you are.

The reasons for this might be valid, pnly you know but the baseline facts are that you are living beyond your means because you can afford to pay for what you need to pay for. Its the definition of living beyond your means, that isnt the same as saying that you live an outragous lifestyle.

sandraroffey

i am astounded at the prices people pay for child minders!!!!!

my daughter has two boys and some weeks they go to the minder for half an hour before school and up to an hour after.

in august, my daughters bill was £268 and the minder hadnt had them for a single day!!!!!!!!! my daughter had been off work (holiday) and the minder had been on holiday!!!

minders are self employed: surely as a self employed person you dont get holiday pay???

or maybe i am out of touch with how minders operate these days.