Soon to be mummy, is £300 a realistic disposable income?

choccybuttons

Kayalana99 wrote: »

J/w is this only whilst you are on mat leave or are you not planning to go back to work?

I noticed you said you had £800 but would drop to £300.

have you caulcated in any benifits you will recieve?

I think you will be fine for *now* because newborns are pretty cheap week to week, people will buy you alot of clothes etc but once they hit about 6months and weaning begins thats when the money really starts to go...you'd be looking at an extra £15-20 on your food bill a week (or we did at least with jars if you made your own you could proballly do it on a tenner)

As others as have said though you manage with what you've got!

Disagree with weaning thing. Actually my food bill went down as I started making proper homemade meals and giving the baby a bit.

Kayalana99

choccybuttons wrote: »

Disagree with weaning thing. Actually my food bill went down as I started making proper homemade meals and giving the baby a bit.

Sorry dont wanna argue but dont see how that is realistic

Dont see how its possible for food bill to actally go down as your still needing the same amount of milk within reason? So whatever you buy for the weaning stage is on top of a normal shop..

msb5262

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Sorry dont wanna argue but dont see how that is realistic

Dont see how its possible for food bill to actally go down as your still needing the same amount of milk within reason? So whatever you buy for the weaning stage is on top of a normal shop..

I think the key is in the phrase "I started making proper homemade meals"...this is almost always cheaper than any alternative for family food! And if you're giving the baby some of what you're making, there is no need to buy anything for the weaning stage.

choccybuttons

Because I changed the way I shopped and cooked. Fresh veg and meat is cheaper than the ready made stuff or takeaways we had been buying. I started cooking from scratch. Ds1 started on veg being purred so very cheap and with ds2 I went more baby led - he fed himself soft cooked veg to start with then just had someof whatever we had ie spag bol, risotto ect.

pigpen

I didn't get any gifts of clothes when mine arrived so don't intend to rely on that! Mine just wore sleepsuits for the first few months, clothes seemed pointless, it isn't like they care. Plus going through several changes a day made sleepsuits much more practical.

Mine were fed our food from day one too improving our overall diet and we used cloth nappies with most of them.

I am also very lazy and breastfed all mine so no milk costs at all.. give it a go, if you don't want to continue at least you can smugly say you tried and hated it or whatever.

Car boot sales are the best places to buy baby stuff, clothes etc.. a £10 and you can get a massive pile of stuff.. ebay is so expensive by comparison especially when you factor in the newly increased postage extortion.

EmmaHerts

I bought vests and sleep suits from Sainsburys and Asda- they have brilliant prices. I have noticed that some people spend a fortune on clothes for their babies, but you don't need to.

teaandcupcakesplease

maghater wrote: »

Congratulations. Yes you will manage, because you don't have any option. Baby = total life change, so what are priorities and cannot do without now, will all change. Take it from me it will not be the money you miss, it will be the sleep. Enjoy

Posts like yours really pee me off. no need. its daunting enough being pregnant and worrying about stuff without someone saying its lifechanging, deal with it etc etc.

We are well aware of how life changing things will be we dont need people constantly reminding us in a patronising manner!

maman

maghater wrote: »

Congratulations. Yes you will manage, because you don't have any option. Baby = total life change, so what are priorities and cannot do without now, will all change. Take it from me it will not be the money you miss, it will be the sleep. Enjoy

I disagree with this completely. You and your DH will still be in an adult relationship. You'll still have friends and want to socialise. I think it's a huge mistake to let babies take over your life. Of course, you'll need to make some changes but you'll still be the same person.

pigpen wrote: »

I spend what I have to and keep the rest in the bank until something crops up.. like my kitchen ceiling caving in due to a leaky pipe for example.

This is excellent advice. If I were you I'd frequent these boards regularly (especially OS) and make it a project to spend as little as possible (including on food and other bills). Save all the rest and you'll easily afford your friend's wedding, nights out with friends etc. Don't get into the habit of mooching around shops and buying stuff you don't need for baby or yourself.

So to answer your original question, yes, £300 is plenty.

sassyblue

teaandcupcakesplease wrote: »

Posts like yours really pee me off. no need. its daunting enough being pregnant and worrying about stuff without someone saying its lifechanging, deal with it etc etc.

We are well aware of how life changing things will be we dont need people constantly reminding us in a patronising manner!

I didn't think it was patronising. We all worry but it isn't helpful and can be a waste of energy. Isn't it a better mindframe to think well we've got to manage and look at ways of doing so?

OP, it sounds perfectly do-able, you've already had some good advice, there's plenty of good money saving ideas on the oldstyle board too.

Regards your friends wedding, is it an option to fly with a cheap airline and stay in self catering accomodation?

Good luck and enjoy your bundle, they really do grow too fast.

neverdespairgirl

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Dont see how its possible for food bill to actally go down as your still needing the same amount of milk within reason? So whatever you buy for the weaning stage is on top of a normal shop..

Not if you breastfeed, then you just need extra food for the nursing mother.