Shop Well for Less

[EveshamMum]

So DH and I were discussing trying for a second baby and came to the conclusion that we just can’t afford it.

I was watching Shop Well For Less as it was in my home town and they had a family of 10 living off one wage in a detached 4 bed house who had a £4,500 foreign holiday every year. His job wasn’t anything fancy.

Am I missing something? I just don’t understand how anyone could afford 8 children without a foreign holiday every year on a normal wage. If there’s some secret to it can you let me know as I’d love another child.

Maybe they inherited the house or a sum of money that supplements their incomes?

@herculepoirot2 I’m that case I’ve got no hope!

It depends on what the one wage is!

If the children were born before the benefit changes they would be entitled to a high level of tax credits, assuming their income makes them eligible.

Parts of that programme were nonsense. They projected everything forward, eg saving on car insurance and driving lessons for all 8 children, saving on buying stuff for university...the youngest of whom was 20 MONTHS old. It will take them a good 20 years to realise the savings suggested!

The Radford family (those with 20+ kids) claimed to not claim any benefits. Whether that's true or not I don't know.

Comparison is the thief of joy. Instead of spending time and energy thinking about what they have, redirect it to thinking about what you can do to improve your own circs.

Job - both of you working ft?
Childcare - ends or reduces after 3yo so can you try after that when the bill reduces
General Outgoings - can you reduce these any further?
Mortgage - can you over pay a bit now to buy yourselves a little breathing space in a few years and try then?

We’ll struggle to have another, too, OP. It’s life, isn’t it? 🤷🏻‍♀️

They didn't mention the mortgage so I assumed it was paid off. (Inheritance I should think.)
That would make it possible to have 8.

We also couldn't work out how they all lived on one wage. I presumed inheritance from deceased parents. The cost of feeding / clothing them all must be huge, especially when you factor in only buying expensive brands.

A lot of what they had was either second hand (the dolls for example) or from TK Maxx (kitchen stuff they went on about).
It's not expensive to clothe children close together in age, they share clothes.
The biggest expense would be childcare, but I think she was a SAHM.

@NoBaggyPants I heard them say that too, I was a bit

We’re on the cheapest tariff for everything, mortgage is really low, shop at Lidl, we both work ft. We’re not lucky enough to have help from family so childcare is £££ and even when we get the free hours the nursery work it in such a way that you’re still paying quite a bit.

I shudder to think of the cost they have for a meal out or a trip to the cinema with 8 kids