Potential starting family money woes

Bouncybubbles

Hi everyone

To cut a long story short there is quite a high chance I may be pregnant. We have recently moved and have relatively high outgoings. I am a seconded mature student at uni (paid full wage by nhs to be at uni for 3 years). Myself and partner both earn roughly 21k a year however I have the ability to bank so get extra income for whatever we need/want. I also receive student loans of £735 every 4 months. Now this sounds quite a lot of money however we do both have car finance, loan, cc mortgage etc. now if I am in the family way I have to take a year out of uni (no option it's so you can rejoin at the same place following year). Now obviously as I'm an employee the nhs will pay me a % of my wage for 6 months and my partner gets a £500 lump sum from his private life insurance through work. However I did a recent benefits calculator to see if we could qualify for any help during this year and it said we qualified for nothing also I have no idea how much the nhs would pay me in regards to maternity spread over a year. Any help would be massively appreciated sorry for the exceptionally large post!

jtr2803

So, you 'might' be pregnant?

Why not save yourself a HUGE amount of worry and actually do a test first? Then you can start considering all the what ifs rather than speculating.

SavingPennies_2

1. As above obviously.


2 I would add, as a working student myself, I would be questioning the need for a student loan when you are on a full working wage. I know its a low interest rate but why give yourself the extra burden of debt? Student loans are to make up for a lack of income not to supplement one. If I were you I wouldn't bother and just reassess your finances so you can make savings elsewhere to make up for the loss.

theoretica

When would the baby be born and how much work are you finding the course? I knew people who managed to continue studying without taking maternity leave from university. Not something you need to do, obviously, but another option to consider. I assume you may only just be pregnant so if you have terms would get the summer vacation at a good time.

Bouncybubbles

Hi thank you all for your replies. I have done several tests all cheapies off eBay and all negative. However it may be too early to be positive yet. Although it did get me thinking about what would happen if I were hence the random thread. I had the student loans to pay off a credit card that was costing me a lot to repay. Daft I know but we all make mistakes. Assuming I am expecting baby would be due early August roughly, I am studying nursing and we have to do placement hours hence why I could not take a lot of time out to have leave etc. as for the summer hols I can see that being a good plan but then out of curiosity how do you go on about bonding/breastfeeding etc if you are at uni full time? Sorry if I sound abit daft but this is totally new territory for myself

pickledonionspaceraider

Chill out. You can get tests these days that can tell you within days - go get one....and breathe

Wilma33

Bouncybubbles wrote: »

However I did a recent benefits calculator to see if we could qualify for any help during this year and it said we qualified for nothing

On the figures quoted it sounds like you would get child benefit.


What makes you think you are pregnant? If the tests are negative then I would forget about it for a few weeks and test again then.

Bouncybubbles

Without going into to much detail 5 days late lots of signs/symptoms of Aunt Flo but to no avail. Also perhaps not using the most reliable protective methods possible. I typed in our wages and incomings and it said we qualified for nothing at all how much is child benefits? Thankyou

Gleeful

Bouncybubbles wrote: »

Hi thank you all for your replies. I have done several tests all cheapies off eBay and all negative. However it may be too early to be positive yet. Although it did get me thinking about what would happen if I were hence the random thread. I had the student loans to pay off a credit card that was costing me a lot to repay. Daft I know but we all make mistakes. Assuming I am expecting baby would be due early August roughly, I am studying nursing and we have to do placement hours hence why I could not take a lot of time out to have leave etc. as for the summer hols I can see that being a good plan but then out of curiosity how do you go on about bonding/breastfeeding etc if you are at uni full time? Sorry if I sound abit daft but this is totally new territory for myself

Even at a very early stage you should see a faint line even on cheapie tests. Go and buy one of the First Response ones to put your mind at rest but it sounds to me like you aren't pregnant.

Bouncybubbles

I do hope not gleeful as had hoped tobe abit more financially stable and finished uni prior to starting a family

Gleeful

Bouncybubbles wrote: »

I do hope not gleeful as had hoped tobe abit more financially stable and finished uni prior to starting a family

In the time you've taken to post this thread, you could have gone and bought a First Response test, so go and do it!

Come back with the results.