really need some help/advice!

RAS

Only_me

How are you doing?

There are things that you can do.

RAS

immoral_angeluk

Have you sent off for your child benefit??

sammy115

Only me, RING THE CHILD TAX CREDIT HELPLINE, when i applied over the telephone they told me there and then that I was due money and the money was in my bank the following week.

Also ask them about the sure start grant which is £500 - if you are entitled to the highest CTC you will get this. You should also start looking at other benefits as discussed.

I think you need to call them and tell them the severity of the situation, I have found them to be extremely professional and helpful, although i did find I had to ring them 3 times before getting a definitive answer. Keep trying!

chevalier

If you were a finance broker before, does that mean you don't have a job to go back to? If not is brokering something you could do from home (ie set yourself up as a sole trader).

There is a mystery shopping thread on this forum, which has the links to all sorts of sites that offer this. They don't take much time, and wouldn't be difficult to do with a small baby in tow.

There are also loads of survey sites that you can sign up to that pay in money or in points (towards vouchers), which might help a bit.

best of luck
chev

DawnW

you would need to get specialist advice on this, as I am no expert, but if you have a repayment mortgage, would the lender let you go onto interest only for a short while? And if you did this, would that free up some more money for paying your debts? Is this something it might be worth finding out about?

raq

Hi there

Think there are tones of people on here who have felt the same as yourself. When I opened up to my husband about the additional debt our 3rd baby was only 2 1/2 months old. I was crying all the time because of the pressure. I should have been enjoying this bundle of joy. Eventually I broke down crying and told him everything. We are now working on it and the bEst advice I can give you , don't get me wrong money worries is always the top one in a relationship and getting by but also please enjoy the baby as they grow up so quickly and am sure you will be going back to work, so ENJOY PLEASE.

Just read all the threads and there is a lot of good advice for you and the family . This is an excellent site so please keep us informed on how you are doing.

Catch up with you again

Ytaya

only_me wrote: »

We cannot feed our baby "proper" food as she is only just over a month old, so she needs formula. We cannot claim milk tokens either as you have to be earning less than £12,000 and my partner earn £12,500!

Is there any reason why you can't breastfeed? It'll save you a fortune in baby formula! If you have trouble with it, there are organisations that offer advice and support for breastfeeding mums (but I can't remember any off the top of my head right now, Google a bit).

adjoce

Not an expert on benefits but when I had my little one my midwife told me that if you have a baby under 1year old and are recieving working tax credits then you should be having a higher rate (I think its only about £10), you should then be entitled to a sure start grant for £500,but you have to claim it within 12weeks of baby being born. You can get an application form for this from your local DSS office, if you get it now you can get your midwife to sign it for you (to confirm you've had baby), you can then apply for it as soon as you wtc comes through, they can sometimes take ages to sort a claim but if its all signed you can apply straight away.

I know £500 doesn't sound alot when kids cost so much these days but I missed out with my first baby because I didn't know about deadline for applications, I don't want you to miss out.

chunky79

I would def ring WFTC, they are really good when you speak to them over the phone. Also they will tell you your entitlement, you may be able to claim the sure start grant once WFTC comes through so tell them that you need to know what your entitlement will be as you only have until the baby reaches 11 weeks old. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Bfsl1/BenefitsAndFinancialSupport/DG_10018854 this link has all the information you need on the grant.