Not paying for childcare this autumn as bills go up

[Essenceandvibes]

I've just had an epiphany.....I absolutely won't be paying a penny for childcare this autumn as bills increase and I won't be made to feel guilty about it either. I can work from home and watch my baby and pick up my 10 year old from school without the assistance of anyone else and if my employer has an issue with it, he can pay an extra £2000 per month post tax to cover the cost of full time help.

Our bills are going to be about £800 a month just electricity and gas alone for our detached 4 bed house, this isn't even thinking about the increase of petrol or groceries.

The mortgage has also gone up a few hundred quid too....childcare and commuting is now a luxury not necessity and I really hope every parent joins me in asking for employers like it or lump it

Shameful the government have let everything get this far, the knock on effects will be huge

I feel sorry for a lot of people because I know I can switch jobs tomorrow and the pay increase I'd get would offset everything coming this autumn even if I did suck it up and pay for full time childcare

Right now everyone could move jobs. It’s a very tight labour market and you aren’t so special. Yeah, ok, this attitude might work for now but let’s speak again at the end of the recession and see how you are getting on.

I was reading comments about the Liverpool fans booing thr national anthem (not on here) and a lot of them were saying something to the effect of "we've all been screwed by the elite class why do Liverpool think they have it worse?!?" They fucking don't! They just aren't stupid enough to then cheer for its fucking theme tune.

Honestly it's so depressing.

Which is so sad.

im at the end of my nursery journey (thank god - fees for 2 were a killer) but nursery’s are crazy busy here.

the one my kids are at is over subscribed. Others are closing because of staffing. Two closed in lockdown and didn’t reopen.

allegedly it’s now the “thing” to put your name down before you even get pregnant. Which I think is ridiculous. But lack of staff means lack of nurseries.

allegedly it’s now the “thing” to put your name down before you even get pregnant.

The nursery DD1 attended recommended I reserved a place for DD2 when I was 16 weeks pregnant as I'd be returning to work in the May and they were already fully booked up until the April.

I don’t know how many times I can explain to you that giving people cash for having kids is entirely different from taking people’s cash away because they’re not having kids. I have no issue with the former (other than it’s environmental suicide) but the latter is draconian.

I also am fully aware that government treats people badly - I’m gay and disabled. I’m not saying that this would be the first example of state cruelty.

I reserved ds spot while pregnant. Which is fine in my view. Baby on the way. But to take a spot even if not pregnant? A friend mentioned that she had reserved a spot at the dc nursery the other day.

I did the “oh yes have you got something to tell me?” Look. She said no. They hadn’t started trying yet. But hopefully they’ll be ok and will have a place at nursery. Insane.

@Essenceandvibes I like your sass! And you should 100% do it.

I stopped with childcare at the start of the pandemic and haven't used it since. I juggle school drop off/collection, after school chaos and dinner time (dh is in the office 3 days a week) and I just make it work.

My DC hated childcare so I originally did it for them, but your reasons are absolutely valid!

Good luck, you can do this 💪

Your employer has the option of sacking you - hope you realise that .

Most people simply can't believe what some will get away with if they are good at their job and lead to some level of success for the company.

We've even seen it in the macro with Boris Johnson. How much stuff had to be thrown at him before they finally changed their minds? He got away with what he got away with because he was very successful at getting them into power.

I'm personally not in that position right now (though I have used a threat of leaving before to effectively get a promotion in the past) but I do know 1 or 2 people who could get away with far more than most people could ever imagine because ultimately they make the company a shed load of money.

In the end if your good at what you do, alot of other things can get pushed under the carpet.

@Essenceandvibes

These “stoopid, stoopid bills”. Gosh can someone please help the OP find her dummy? She’s getting hysterical now.

OP, I'm totally with you. If you are able to do your job from home and can manage without childcare, then go for it!

We need to start thinking about ourselves and put our own priorities first for once. Plenty of companies don't think twice about making people redundant, or ask you to abosrb the tasks of others when they are sick/sacked/other, they don't care.

My employer every year says "we are tens of thousands underspent this year, spend so we don't lose our budget!" and each year, I'm literally pissing £80k up a tree in about 2 weeks to make sure we carry on getting funded, after we have already hit target. How about giving me that so I can pay my bills, the company clearly has the funds.

I'm in a fortunate position where I am performing exceptionally in a full time role and it only takes me 25 hours a week. No I'm not offering my time to gain more experience, responsibility, training resulting in no additional compensation.

Instead, I'm looking for a part time wfh job, hopefully supplementing an additional £30k a year.

You will lose your job. And also, those on your team who do not have childcare concerns will become resentful if you are allowed to WFH whilst minding a baby and a 10 year old. Something will give and it will be work.

I do get it but I worked in the office/on the road 5 days a week earning a low salary and had to use childcare.

I don't know how many times I have to explain its the same thing.

Say they take 7 off both of you to put in the pot. They then give 4 back to the woman who's pregnant. What's the difference between that and simply taking 7 from you and 3 from her?

I get it's pyschologically different, that's why they call it a tax credit instead of just charging you a higher rate. Apparently it works too.

...and watch a great many nurseries close, with the nursery staff losing their jobs so unable to pay their own bills.

Then wonder why there's not enough available childcare places when your employer gets fed up of you not devoting your paid working hours to actually working and demands that you return to the office or lose your job.

I ran a business from home for years with toddlers on the knee. Its perfectly doable, very hard to prove “gross misconduct” at the best of times

I feel sorry for a lot of people because I know I can switch jobs tomorrow and the pay increase I'd get would offset everything coming this autumn even if I did suck it up and pay for full time childcare ok so you've decided to not be very productive at work and refuse to go into the office and screw everyone that effects (Inc your kid) because you could get a payrise tomorrow to afford the cost of living rise AND childcare, but you just cba. Got you.

@PEDRO12

I do know of colleagues who have done it in the charity sector but that was mainly low productivity in general as opposed to climbing to a position of seniority. Did know a guy who also did Uber driving on his contracted hours 🤦‍♀️.

Even if you could get away with it I don’t count that level of stimulation acceptable for any child of mine. Although of course that does depend on how much work you are currently doing so a lot of variables there.

Right now everyone could move jobs. It’s a very tight labour market and you aren’t so special.

Yep. I'm getting messages almost daily on LinkedIn from private companies (I'm NHS but a specialist highly skilled area that's not easily replaceable). I've been offered up to 15-20k more to go private.

Actually....I think the country is soon to reach a crisis when the weather gets colder. Many people were using food banks and working full time (wrong...because if you work a full time job and you cant afford rent, food and heating...there is something badly wrong) like teachers and nurses....EU countries are helping their citizens cope with the costs...this government are just putting people like Sunak out there to tell everyone we are all having to deal with it...easy for a billionaire to say. A revolution round the corner...especially as we are now short of all the workers the EU provided....salaries have been held in check for the longest period in living memory....this country is about to implode.

Umm the PM cannot make that decision 😂😂

Check your contract, ours states childcare should be in place - it will allow temporary emergencies (sickness etc) During covid it was exceptional circumstances.

I get that it will be tough, our renewal for mortgage has just come in (ouch) and sadly lots of us will be in the same boat with increase of utilities and impact on things like food prices etc. We don’t have much wiggle room ( we did but that’s quickly running out)