My DS is not even born yet (3 weeks to go!) But being the person that I am, I'm starting to worry about childcare costs.
We have no help whatsoever (all family lives 8+ hrs away) they'd be happy to help but it would be for 4 weeks at a time, which might mean getting two completely childcare providers in a year to make it as affordable as possible.
My job doesn't pay that much (£18k) there's a possibility of WFH which would also help with commuting/childcare costs. There's substantial growth built into it (I'll be able to customise my role as soon as I get back from ML). I'd have the responsibilities of an Operations Manager /Business Developer (LatAm/ PT/ES/IT) in this case and they'll also let me have whatever title I want, which as an investment for a future career is amazing. Even locally with the not so great wages we have here I should be making double that amount, but I don't think I should ask for a pay rise until I've been in my new role for at least 6 months. I used to be something similar for a big travel oriented .com when I used to live in London so I do have the needed experience for what they want me to do.
My DH has a job with a similar pay than mine but double the commuting costs. We're thinking it might make sense for him to go part time to reduce his own expenses as well as our general childcare bill. His job has some potential payrises but not of the same magnitude as mine (it was actually his idea that maybe he should go PT).
Doing the maths it looks like we'd be left with pennies of disposable income regardless if he works FT or PT.
I also have an income from a trust in my name but it's based on renting said property. So as much as I'd like to rely on those £750 a month I know that if it were to became vacant we wouldn't have any money left, so we're treating that money as savings/luxuries. I also tutor from home so I bring an extra £100 a month but if my class gets cancelled I don't get paid so not the most reliable of incomes.
We also only spend £400 a month in groceries/going out for a family of 4 with a dog and a cat.
Any suggestions of how we can stretch our money any further? I know I'll eventually get a payrise, but I have no idea how much I'll get and when.