Pregnancy and living costs!

Nefandy39

Hi all, first post here

My partner and I have just found out I'm 7 weeks pregnant and I'm desperately worried about how we will afford life in general. At the moment, he works full time and brings in approximately £800 net PCM; I also work full-time and bring home £1,192 net. Our rent is £700 PCM for a three bed house (he has two young children from a previous relationship that stay every weekend), and our council tax is £141 PCM. Taking into account all our other outgoings (including £250 a month for all food/drink/toiletries) we are left with about a £70 float. With this in mind, it seems maternity leave is put the window for me as the SMP amount wouldn't come close to helping us with our living costs. But affording child care is doubtful too unless anyone is willing to do it for us full-time within our £70 PCM leftover float!!

I've done the 'Entitled To' benefits checker and it seems I won't be entitled to anything. Is this right?? Really scared that we'll be facing the New Year homeless with a newborn. Very stressed and tearful

Any advice/experience appreciated. Thank you x

double_mummy

so where is the other 600ish quid going?

go to the DFW page and post an SOA they will be able to help

Gigglepig

Hi there, pregnancy can be an emotional time even without financial worries. Good news is you have many months left to save up. If you post your detailed budget on MSE people can help you cut spending.

If rent is the biggest cost perhaps consider moving to a smaller cheaper flat, your oh's kids can share a bedroom and baby be in with you. Some times moving can help reduce commuting costs, and downsizing from a 3 bed house to a 2 bed flat can reduce bills too.

That being said, it does sound like your oh might not afford to provide for a 3rd child. How does he feel about having another one? I hope you have his full support. Best of luck.

RAS

Suggest you need to start with a Statement of Affairs.

And then revise this having checked out www.turn2us.org.uk for the different scenarios; between leaving work and the baby being born, after the baby is born and you are at home and once you return to work.

Childcare becomes cheaper when little one reaches 2 and at the age of three there is free child care provision.

Given your salaries, it may well be better for you to return to work and your partner to stay at home for a year or two.

You can model both working, one working , one working full-time and one part-time to see how it works out.

For LHA purposes however, bear in mind that you will not be granted the extra bedrooms for his children; just a 2 bedroom rate for a couple with one child.

Horseunderwater

You would get child benefit every 4 weeks. What is your joint gross income / month for this year? If it is over £26k total then you would not get child tax credits, but you might get child care help for upto 70% of £175 for one child. Or if either employer does childcare vouchers scheme that is another way.

BigAunty

The benefits forum will be able to double check your benefit entitlement findings.

Download the MSE budget planner to populate it with accurate info, then go through the website to identify where to slash each and every expense and how to up your income.

Perhaps the main issue is the expense of the rental property as housing benefit calculations will not take into account visiting children so at the moment (or any child support payments), you'd only qualify for the 1 bedroom rate presently if your income was low enough, then 2 bedrooms when the baby is born. I assume that the rent is way higher than the Local Housing Allowance available for a 1 or 2 bed?

Buzzybee90

I agree the main issue is your rent, its unaffordable if one of you lost your jobs. Can you downsize?

freebiequennie

RAS wrote: »

Suggest you need to start with a Statement of Affairs.

And then revise this having checked out www.turn2us.org.uk for the different scenarios; between leaving work and the baby being born, after the baby is born and you are at home and once you return to work.

Childcare becomes cheaper when little one reaches 2 and at the age of three there is free child care provision.

Given your salaries, it may well be better for you to return to work and your partner to stay at home for a year or two.

You can model both working, one working , one working full-time and one part-time to see how it works out.

For LHA purposes however, bear in mind that you will not be granted the extra bedrooms for his children; just a 2 bedroom rate for a couple with one child.

Childcare doesn't get cheaper at 2 unless you qualify for neg funded place which are limited and are referred for by professionals n only 12hrs a wk.

Childcare at 3yrs does not become free it's 15hrs a wk term time only n if only send child for those sessions yes it's free if child goes full time how nurseries deduct that funded amount varies.

For 4 days a wk childcare 2 nursery n 2 childminder we were paying£650/mth that wad with a nhs 10% discount at nursery now we have some funded hrs in term time it's £525 a mth but back to full amount in holidays. (Nursery full time is £900/mth n childminder full time£650/mth) costs vary from childcare provider n area u live also.

You can apply for childcare vouchers which are salary sacrifice so are deducuted from wages before tax n u can have£243 a mth n husband can claim from day baby is born n build up a stash n u from day u return to work.

Crabapple

BigAunty wrote: »

Perhaps the main issue is the expense of the rental property as housing benefit calculations will not take into account visiting children so at the moment (or any child support payments), you'd only qualify for the 1 bedroom rate presently if your income was low enough, then 2 bedrooms when the baby is born. I assume that the rent is way higher than the Local Housing Allowance available for a 1 or 2 bed?

I thought that the extra bedroom for a child is only from age 1 as before then they are expected to be in with the parents.

freebiequennie wrote: »

Childcare doesn't get cheaper at 2 unless you qualify for neg funded place which are limited and are referred for by professionals n only 12hrs a wk.

It does... the staff to child ratios are slightly higher so it usually makes a tiny difference. It was a whole £2 a day when my daughter turned 2, but I guess every £ helps!

I think the OP should go back and check the figures - look at what your employer offers whether it is over and above smp, check whether you would get tax credits if only one of you was working. And there would be child benefit.

You have a good while to look at your expenditure and see where you can cut back and save a little towards some maternity leave.

monty-doggy

I was worried as I found out in feb I was expecting and I'm the main earner, my oh has three kids who stay every weekend so my fears were the same as you.
Have you tried the benefits checker as if you are not returning to work or with you getting a part time job? If hubby earns £800 PCM you will be entitled to tax credits, child benefit and possibly housing and council tax benefit. Maybe some income support.
To avoid child are costs can you get an evening job so he can be home with the baby?
I'm looking at doing that just 16 hours a week to top our income up.
You don't have to spend a fortune on baby stuff we've bought a lot second hand and it's like new, babies grow out of things so quickly.
I'm also saving money being home and cooking proper meals rather than living on ready meals etc. I've changed my shopping habits too, I now use aldi for most of my shopping.
I've cancelled all non essential bills like Netflix and changed all of our insurance policies via comparison sites to get them cheaper.

I never thought I'd be able to afford it but it looks like with careful planning, we will manage just fine

Also is your oh paying more child maintenance than he needs to? This will go down when you have your baby, google child maintenance options and there is a calculator on there.
Good luck with your pregnancy.

haras_nosirrah

I understand how you are feeling. In our house I earn double my husbands salary. I had to go back part time when my son was 6 weeks old as we couldn't afford the mortgage otherwise. We are lucky that grandparents do 1 day childcare each a week and hubby does the third day so we don't have to pay for it but there are tough choices to make.