Advice for expecting, 18yo parents?

D123456789

You don’t “need” a crazy amount of kit when you have a baby, or a big car. Wishing you and your future family all the best 😊. It looks like you have some great support with accommodation and childcare. 

Exodi

Wowzers £25k in savings, when I was 18 I was up to my eyeballs in payday loans and earning less than £1k a month.

If you saved this then you should be the one giving us advice. If this is a gift from relatives that you can now access at 18, you've probably heard it a million times but I'd encourage you to be sensible with it and appreciate just how much it is - many 18 year olds go on a mad spending spree with takeaways every night and designer gear with it gone before they can blink. £25k is a lot of money, more than the vast majority of people have in savings and would take years and years to replenish.

Another thing I'd add (I don't personally have children but all my sisters do) - careful of being sucked in by branding. My sisters kind of lost it a bit, one spent over £500 on a pushchair, the other regularly shows me various designer shoes she bought her baby (you know, for the baby that can't walk).

Jude57

Slinky said:

Regarding council tax, I don't think that will apply if all adults in the property are students.

Student Exemption only applies to full-time students. I take the OP saying they're both distance learning, plus his earnings and mention of seeking a second job to mean that their courses are part-time. In any event, they, as residents of a property, need to register for Council Tax then apply for any relevant exemptions. On their stated income, I don't think they'd qualify for Council Tax Reduction but each Council has their own scheme so I can't say definitively.

ChooseLife

Congratulations to you both on the pregnancy.  I think personally that you're in a very good position with a good income for being so young.  Much more fortunate than a lot of other young people who may find themselves in your situation.  I was only 18 when I got pregnant and was doing my A levels at the time. Was living with my boyfriend and he was only on a low income. We literally had nothing, but family helped us out the best they could and we survived.  That was 26 years ago and I wouldn't change things for the world.  Yes, we struggled financially, but we could always pay our bills and put food on the table. My daughter never wanted for anything.  I'm proud to have a beautiful daughter who we gave a great upbringing in a loving home.  We only had the one child and she is my pride and joy.  There is never a right time to have a child and you never know what lies ahead.  I split with my daughter's dad when she was 5 and I met someone else.  We married and were unable to have a child together.  So she is a blessing.  Don't look at the negatives and count yourselves very lucky.  I wish you both the best of luck.

SadieO

You're doing the right thing by thinking about this as much as you can before the baby arrives, and you sound like you've got a really sensible attitude to spending and saving. That will stand you in good stead! 

Don't buy too much baby stuff before they are here. You might end up not needing all of it, or needing diffferent stuff than you thought you would. Get as much as you can for free or low cost - check out Facebook Marketplace, any local groups for parents (real life or online - these will be good for support and advice as well as potentially avenues to get second hand stuff!), charity shops and groups on social media such as your town name and "zero waste" or "buy nothing". It's amazing what people give away! And babies grow so quickly that often second hand things are really good quality as they don't get that much use before they are grown out of. Big charity shops are also great for furniture and appliances if you will be needing those. 

If you are not used to cooking for yourself, start learning! Check out Jack Monroe - great for budget recipes. Learn a few recipes, it's so much cheaper than buying convenience food. Also there's no shame in having a few frozen pizzas or ready meals in the freezer (especially if you get them when they are on offer!) When you are tired from looking after the baby, the house, working and studying the temptation to get a takeaway will be huge but they are one of the biggest money pits around! Having something easy you can bung in the oven, or a repertoire of easy meals (nowt wrong with beans and cheese on toast!) will help you avoid that temptation. You can get a ton of food from the supermarket for the price of one takeaway. If you're feeling super organised, before the baby comes, make some big batches of things like soup, stew, chili, curry etc for the freezer then you have your own supply of ready meals! If your parents usually cook for you I am sure they would help you to learn a few recipes. And if you already cook for yourself you are already ahead of the game!

Lots of people say you should cancel things like netflix if you are on a budget however I disagree. Obviously don't pay for ones you don't use, but the amount of entertainment you get for a few quid a month is good value for money in my opinion. Plus, realsitically, you aren't going to be going out much so it's nice and cheap to just relax with a film at home. 

Good luck and best wishes!