To wonder how I can afford to go back to work?

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DH earns £1600 a month.

Outgoings:

Phone bills: £50 a month

Groceries: £200 a month

Water bill: £250 every 3 months

Train fares: £550 a month (cheapest rate)

Paying back loan: £120 a month

Rent: £925 a month (cheapest in area)

It just all seems impossible and each month we struggle.

I'm on ML, due to go back in 9 weeks time. I don't earn enough to cover my train fare to the job, let alone childcare for our DC.

DH can't change jobs and move to a job closer to us and not London because he kept losing jobs at one point and can't leave this one otherwise it'll be a terrible career move and will look awful on the CV. He has to stick it out for at least a good year.

What do I do?

Go back or stay at home?

Childcare is a fortune here too.

DH refuses to consider moving to a cheaper area of the country. He won't do it, that's that. Although this area is far from 'nice', it's just close(ish) to London so more expensive for what it is.

How would you feel about doing childminding? Then you can work, keep your DC with you and not have the travel costs. It's not a quick fix obviously but could work?

edwin I'm a medical secretary, no experience with that but would consider it if need be. No idea how I'd go about it though, don't you need to be qualified ?

You do a course. Paediatric first aid, health and safety etc, get a police check, have your home assessed and then they either register or don’t register you. It’s not expensive although in my area takes up to a year to get registered. It’s seems a stupidly slow process for no obvious reason.

I think you'd have to take some courses, and the registration/approval process is (quite rightly), stringent. Plus of course you need to enjoy looking after small children. I've not done it myself but know a few mum's who have for the exact reasons you describe.

Stay home. I did. It's all one pot, as you say, as the money that would come out of the pot for me to go back (childcare x 2, running a second car etc) was only just replaced by the money I was bringing in.

What does your husband do? 24k seems a very low salary for London when the travel costs are so high. Move?

I wonder if they'd approve my home. It's w very small house but it does have a big garden... although that's only useful in summertimes!

SEsofty I also have the same question.

Sassy he's on about £26k. He works in the property sector

You're not going to survive on your DH's wages alone I wouldn't think. Do you mean that your transport costs are £500 a month. That sounds massive. And then childcare on top of that. It's just not feasible. I think the only way round it is to rent somewhere a bit cheaper and work evenings or weekends and your DH can do the childcare.

Those are pretty low wages to be struggling along commuting into London on.

Look on your local council website. On ours there is a section on registering as a childminder.

Your current salary is 21k yet you only take home £1,300? Surely that can’t be right.
Def look at getting job nearer to home. You will earn less but even 10k less will be less of a difference than train fare. Minimum wage is what, around 14k? So not a huge difference than your take home.

Can you go part time eg 2 or 3 days a week. . Your child are costs will be lower and a greater percentage pretty much all your earnings would be in the tax free personal allowance so would actually make you better off whilst keeping your hand in.

My friend has just cut her days to 2 from 3 as the third day was actually costing her due to childcare costs and the fact it took her over the tax allowance. 2 days and it's worth her while.

you spend more in a month on your phone than I spend in a year. Maybe you could cut that back a bit

Blank Thing is, if you earn less than £50 a day and childcare is the same amount or more, how does that leave you any better off at all?

great I would love to but the contract is there for another year so cannot

£900+ a week I think you mean childcare is this per month.

This is a dilemma for so many people - you can't afford to go to work and you can't afford not to. Like someone said, your outgoings seem high in some places (phone and water). Maybe you could check your bills and see if you could save on any, changing supplier or tariff. You said your husband needs to stick with his job for at least a year, but maybe after that he could look for something in a cheaper part of the country? Is working from home an option for you at all, to save even 1 day a week commuting costs? Its really hard, but luckily nursery is only for a few years, and it gets easier once they get the free hours at 3.

Wild Yes you're right, I did correct what I said though

Childminding, you can do online courses, check with your Local Authority what they accept in terms of qualifications. I would start the ofsted / CRB checks process at the same time as any course, speeds things up, PM me if you want.

But you won’t be earning same as childcare, you’ll be earning more, not much more granted.
What was your plan before you had DC?

How old is he? Property sector is quite diverse? You may not want to move but I think you need to really for your family. Honestly I’m impressed you manage with just the two of you, let alone with children too!

The ideal would be to work 2/3 days a week in a similar job but locally.

Thing is, you don't get many part time positions in my role/similar roles.

And I can't just rock up to a new job, and then ask for reduced hours.

My current employer may allow it but that won't be worth it due to it being in London

He's 25