*Change of plan - and maybe some good news!*

Spendless

Snaggles wrote: »

New SOA:

Income

Stu - £978
Jo - ?
Tax credits - £110
Child benefit - £120

Total £1208

Snaggles are you sure you've got your tax credits right? £110 a month on a monthly income of only £978 looks quite low to me. You can check figures here

https://www.entitledto.co.uk

Snaggles

Thanks Spendless - I've just based it on what we are getting now - it might be more if I tell them I'm no longer working. I tried to use the entitled to site to check, but it really confused me! I was trying to do it with 2 kids running riot though, so I will have another look after they have gone to bed and see what it says.

I think I would get slightly more if Ryan qualifies for DLA too, but I don't know yet if he will or not. I'm part way through filling the DLA forms in at the moment, so I will do some more of that today.

Gemmzie

He should do Snags now you have an official diagnosis. The only thing I can see varying is if he gets lower or middle care. It's quite an extra chunk of CTC for disability.

in_debt_again_but_dealing_with_it

Hi Snaggles
Hope you don't mind I just had a look at entitled to and to my reckoning if you weren't working you should get approx £78.84 p/w approx £341 p/m with just Stu's salary. I tend to ignore the years they ask and use the results page to get a rough idea.

Snaggles

Thanks guys - IDA, I had no idea you could just skip straight to the results page! :doh:

That's a LOT of tax credits...wow...at least I know we wont have to run debts back up if I do lose my job and can't find something straight away.

You know, if i go back on the hours they want me to, and end up paying for childcare, I think I would be worse off than if I don't go back at all! How crazy.

Gemmzie

That's usually the way it is, especially with a child with a disability - it's one thing that CTC have got right.

Snaggles

Really? Well, that's something to think about.

I hadn't really thought about not working at all. I think I'd rather work a few hours a week, just to get me out of the house and to have a bit of adult company sometimes, even if it means I'm pretty much working for nothing. But it's good to know I could cope financially if I did have to stop working. I'd just assumed it was just an extra couple of quid that you would get.

I'm really worried what would happen if Ryan went to a childminders/holiday club, because he had a huge meltdown and hit me (a lot...and rather hard ) the other day, and I'm sure it was down to his routine being disturbed.

I'm pretty much set on the idea of either working evenings and weekends, or term time only now.

That's been really helpful, thanks.

jacs76

that is the reason i don't work snaggles i 'get' nearly as much as i would if i worked part time then there would be childcare which is a mega problem as dan does not like changes in routine etc (i'm dreading next weeks half term!)
saying that though dh does have a good income so if we didnt have the dla etc we would only be entitled to the £10 or whatever it is but currently we get £28 a week. then theres carer's allowance which is currently £48.65 a week. i feel that i have been lucky that it has enabled me to be there 24/7 for dan since the day he was born but i want to work but its just not worth it at the moment. rock and a hard place!

barnaby-bear

Snaggles wrote: »

Really? Well, that's something to think about.

I hadn't really thought about not working at all. I think I'd rather work a few hours a week, just to get me out of the house and to have a bit of adult company sometimes, even if it means I'm pretty much working for nothing. But it's good to know I could cope financially if I did have to stop working. I'd just assumed it was just an extra couple of quid that you would get.

I'm really worried what would happen if Ryan went to a childminders/holiday club, because he had a huge meltdown and hit me (a lot...and rather hard ) the other day, and I'm sure it was down to his routine being disturbed.

I'm pretty much set on the idea of either working evenings and weekends, or term time only now.

That's been really helpful, thanks.

I think there's a lot of scope in any job move to choose smartly and keep options open. Just general rules like:
Work in shop? Go for a big national with a career structure, team leaders, supervisor roles, sharesave, discounts etc... the corner shop' is usually a non-starter because the bosses kids will always be 'more qualified'
Childcare? Get into the council run schemes with the opportunites to progress to manager/surestart advisor/public sector benefits...
Admin? Go for for the job with the training, recognised packages - SAGE whatever, or the public sector with the fringe benefits and opportunities to move sideways etc...

Your current job is financial services most people are innumerate or happily volunteer themselves as such "can't do maths" so can you exploit that?

Just some very vague thoughts.... Sounds like the enforced move for the Snaggle-Husband has worked out better than before, more money etc, opportunity for the C1... food for thought

Snaggles

Hi BB

You're absolutely spot on with all of that. I also find big companies easier to work for, because they tend to have fixed 'rules', and I work much better and feel less anxious when I know exactly where I stand. I'm not a jobsworth - I will break the rules when needed, but I like to know what the rule is first, and then CHOOSE to break it, if that makes sense!

And yes, I do think a lot of positives have come out of this situation. I feel less stressed now than I have done for ages, despite all the upheaval.