To wonder what you do when you earn too much to qualify for any benefits

[stangel]

But outgoings don’t add up?

Giving serious thought to having a child: monthly income is £2400. Bit mortgage and nursery fees wipe out £2000 of that leaving £400 for bills, food and petrol.

It doesn’t add up, does it?

OP surely you will receive maintenance from the father? Or are you looking at having a baby completely on your own?

The key is to get through the 3 years until free childcare kicks in. A lot of single working mums do it through a combination of saving up beforehand and getting into debt that they pay off afterwards. Then they live as frugally as possible for those 3 years. You might have to remortgage your house.

My point was that 45k is a lot of money and most people could manage fine on it. Most people manage on a lot less
Well yes OP could sell her house hoping to make a bit of a profit, apply for jobs in cheap places and hope to one quickly that pays over £40k so that she does end up better off than where she is currently and then find accommodation.

She might also wait to build some new friendship with people who could help if needed.

Problem is: OP is saying she doesn't have much time left of her fertility and a bit of a drastic move if on the end, she never fell pregnant.

I

We have a similar income and get on okay. We get childcare vouchers that save us £100 a month on childcare. It souds like your mortgage is the problem. Can you reduce your mortgage at all to less than £800 a month? Nursery fees are around £900 a month for us.

Even if was paying 7k a year mortgage and earning 7k more like lots of people I know, we would still be managing the same as we are now, which is perfectly fine.

Well you wouldn’t be fine.

If you wasn’t £7k more you’d have to pay tax on that. Which you’re not really paying much at the moment.

So then less your now £7k mortgage payments you’re actually worse off.

Fuck knows why someone with zero housing or childcare costs has come on to tell the Op how easy it is. Smacks of not being altogether able to understand other people’s situations.

Sorry yes, looking at having a baby completely alone!

*if you earned

Sorry yes, looking at having a baby completely alone!
No family to help with childcare at all? How flexible is your job? Raising a child alone whilst holding a job ft with responsibilities and high demands is very tough.

Sorry to be brutal, but if that’s your figures, then no you can’t afgkrd to have a child alone. Why on earth would you plan that?

We earn 26k between us. Tax credits told us we were 2000 over the threshold. We had tax credits for dds first year, then they decided they overpaid us and took them away untill she turned five and we got ten pound a week for a year and it was stopped.
We've always worked opposite shifts. Both full time since dd was 6 (I was p/t up to this) using holiday clubs when we had to.
The sacrifices were only seeing each other on a weekend. No real holidays. Very few treats.
The plusses were dh saw dds first few steps, heard her first words. Watched her grow up. Did the morning school run.
It's doable but you have to be inventive.

Save, buy cheaper food, walk not drive.
You can't have children if you are expecting the state to pay for them.

Right, how much is the mortgage and how much would the childcare be? Could you go to 4 days a week? Do any local childcare providers offer term time only?

DH and I have a combined income of 2650 a month, and receive around 140 Universal credit on top of that. No childcare costs, rent is 675 and we live in the East of England. We're not well off by any means, but we are OK. It's doable.

Also, DH salary is £35,850 and he takes home £2250 a month, what deductions are you paying that mean you only take home slightly more than someone on 10k less than you?

@NameChanger22 you have no housing costs at all, OP can't go back in time and change that. If you add her £1000 mortgage to your figure her take home isn't much more than you live on, but you have two parents to do it and don't have to pay for any childcare because you don't work, that's not an option for OP because there's no one else to bring in even £13k a year. So she will have to work and as a lone parent will then incur childcare costs, so when you take her £2400a month and minus childcare and housing (things you don't pay for) she'd be left with £400 a month, for things you claim you live on £1000 a month for by living frugally. How frugal does she have to be to find another £600a month from your budget? By no it's easy to attack and day £45k is a lot of money, when because of circumstances she's actually worse off than you.

I'm part time now I've had my first DC, our joint income is £45k, we pay some childcare + don't qualify for benefits (except child benefit which everyone gets). It can be done but is by no means a flashy lifestyle. However it's only for a few years, then I'll go back full time + eventually childcare fees will disappear too.

I'm sure £45k would work if you can do some financial juggling. Your mortgage seems really high for a start. Ours is only £550 so that's a £450 saving right there. Can you refinance or downsize? We use a childminder for 2 days a week which was about a tenner a day cheaper than nursery. If you went part time would you qualify for some help then? Not sure what the thresholds are for tax credits. Apart from essential bills, everything else is cut right back - takeaways/meals out/nights out/clothes/holidays. Just keep reminding myself its not forever + DC is totally worth it

Extend the mortgage, save like buggery

£45k is a perfectly reasonable salary outside of London. Higher than the national average.

Littlepicker lol 😂 what thread are you on I want to read it I think you've posted on the wrong one!

Yes- could you extend the length of your mortgage?
Save for 18 months, then go for it?

If one of you were to give up work then would you qualify for help?

There's one very important thing to remember about 'benefits', and that it is all UC now.

You can get taxfree childcare, but this idea that one person quits or goes part-time and gets tax credits, they do not exist for new claims anymore.

They are gone.

So you have to plan accordingly because that ship has long sailed.

Why wouldn't you claim if you only earned £13k? Even if you genuinely could live without it now you could put some money aside for your children's future, university, driving lessons etc

Because now it's all UC so the likelihood of being able to put aside for driving lessons is a bit ludicrous as this point. It can be a right PITA to claim and often times after you make the UC claim, the HMRC says, 'Oh, and we overpaid you tax credits' and you wind up in debt as well.

If you add her £1000 mortgage to your figure her take home isn't much more than you live on, but you have two parents to do it and don't have to pay for any childcare because you don't work.

Jasper - I don't think you read my post properly. I am a single parent. 13k is my only income, I do work, I've always worked, no benefits, no maintenance, no family to help out.

She isn't worse off than me, don't make me laugh.

The OP wanted to know how to manage on her income. I gave lots of helpful suggestions. They involve some sacrifice, i.e. cheaper accommodation and cheaper childcare. They don't have to cost £2k.

Perfectly - You probably could survive on 13k if you paid your mortgage off and had no debts

£1020 a month. You said your childcare is £300? Mine is more but pretending it’s the same, that leaves £720 for the month.

My council tax is £120. Gas and electric £80. Water £40. TV licence £13. Car insurance £40. Home insurance £20. Mobiles £20. Petrol £200.

That leaves me less than £200 a month to feed and clothe 5 people. Not to mention any kind of extras/treats/school trips. Or one off costs like MOTs and boiler service.

Nope, not doable.

And if you enforce that kind of lifestyle on your family unnecessarily, more fool you.

I don’t for one minute believe you’re raising a family on £13k with no struggles, even with no housing costs.