First baby on the way and so very confused

QuackQuackOops

jordanchaos wrote: »

First time on the forum so thanks for your help.
It's a bit complex so I'll keep it as clear as I can - My girlfriend has had to finish (self employed) work and go on maternity leave as its a job that needs heavy lifting and she is currently 6 1/2 months pregnant. we have applied for maternity pay but as of this week she will have no fuurther income - I get paid £18k a year but we live in a very expensive town so our rent is £895 (1 & 1/2 bed flat) as you can imagine my wage only just covers that and travel to work and council tax,, we have a huge overdraft and loan payments (as we were just getting our finances straight when she fell pregnant) is there any help available at all to me? and where would I go to get it? is it best to just go to the CAB? - we would leave the flat and move back with our parents or even a cheaper place but we cant get out of the contract/ afford to move. we save money every way we can, seems like we live of asda smartprice...

So many families have to live on Asda smartprice (or the equivalent) for 20 odd years after having children. Not uncommon at all.

QuackQuackOops

jordanchaos wrote: »

This will be the first month I wont be able to afford my rent... how can that be good for the child. I dont drink, I dont smoke, I dont gamble, go out or ANYTHING I shop at asda using the smartprice range, I dont have a car, what more can I do? I could stop eating I guess? I could work illegally, but when? I already have two jobs and my partner cant work because she gives birth in a few weeks!

You do what other people do. You move to a cheaper area.

When I first left home and started a family, I couldnt afford to carry on living where I grew up, which was a nice place. I had to move out of the area.
You start at the bottom of the ladder and work up. You cant say "But I want to stay where I am, someone must help me".

If you have children you have sacrifices to make becasue you cant afford to have what you have always had.

dawn_rose

hiya firstly im not sure how all this cat fighting over how child related benefits helps the poster. Give up please.

With 18000 you prob wont recieve housing related benefit or council tax benefit.
Once the baby arrives you should be able to recieve child tax credit and child benefit. if you put your figures in the turn to us checker there usually pretty accurate.
speak to the cab re your loans.
keep your eye open for cheaper properties and in mean time keep saving qwhat ever you can towards moving make it your goal.
write down all your out goings and see what you can shave off here and there.

Is there a reason you cant get mat allowance? can you reapply?
good luck and i wish your mrs a happy healthy pregnancy.

jordanchaos

dawn_rose wrote: »

hiya firstly im not sure how all this cat fighting over how child related benefits helps the poster. Give up please.

Dawn,

THANK YOU.
Just to reiterate (4th time now.) we WILL move house when our contract is up in 4 months...(if we cancel before we will forfeit our deposit and wont be able to afford to moved) why didnt we sort this out sooner? because we both worked two jobs to make ends meet, because its our first child and because we have never claimed anything, Ive been in work since I left school, (15 years of solid tax and NI, 2 redundancies - total time out of work 2 weeks, total benefits claimed £0) ditto my partner.
I have been able to gleam some very useful advice from this. But my general impression of MSE isn't great, I wanted help not a telling off.
Thanks given to those that truly helped and you really did.
Jordan