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

You couldn't make any adjustments for her, eg flexible working?

Also crap like this that pushes employers to reinstate full time office presence and thus piss off the entire team.

Well maybe they should have used common sense?

The OP clearly meant trolling as in she’s starting to take the piss because of some of the responses, not that she’s an actual troll. Not surprised at them deleting her comments/banning a poster just because people were reporting because they didn’t agree with her

@FrankLampardsBrokenHand

Yes that does happen. I know my ex boss demanded everyone back in all the time as in his words a few members of the team went completely feral so the best thing to do was just ban everyone from WFH.

Do you have a source for that statement?

@FrankLampardsBrokenHand Yes, this worries me too. WFH is extremely helpful to me in managing my disabilities and working life was much harder and less productive when I was having to go in every single day.

Perhaps you'd be better off giving up work completely and focus on looking after your DC and saving money?

To be fair, I think the OP was a dick but I think anyone reporting her was a dick too.

God are you my supervisor? He’s wangling to WFH as much as he can now to save money on fuel.
All very well but that luxury is not extended to us minions in the team. All it means is he makes himself unavailable (probably playing with his kid rather than working).
He overstretched himself by taking out a huge mortgage and bought a nearly new Mercedes last year when prices were low. its biting him on the arse now and we are picking up the pieces.
Whole team is demotivated and bitter but it’s the old boys club and he gets away with it.

I was hired for my brain not my time. HODs words not mine

So they're being doubly shortchanged. Poor bastards.

This is exactly what I took from OP’s comment too, but then it was mentioned earlier in this thread that some posters struggle with nuance.

😂

How about trying to reduce household bills? The company we're with for gas & electric have reduced our direct debit to what it was last year. We did this by using our woodburner more in the winter, making sure nothing was on unless it has to be, reducing things like the temperature on the washing machine. I have become a bit obsessed with not leaving the lights on!
Or maybe lessen the hours your child spends at nursery?
I think it'll be hard to manage looking after a child if you're working to be honest sounds near impossible

Where has gods gift to retail psychology gone? 🤦‍♀️ 🤔

As someone who had to work from home in 2020 with a 14 month old I can tell you it's impossible, draining and will probably break you trying to do it! We had zero choice but was very glad when DS was allowed back to nursery. I would work well into the night just to get my hours and work done it was impossible.

YoU may think its a cheaper solution but reality of it is very different!

I haven’t read the full thread -
I’ve only read OP’s posts, and OP….. I love your attitude!!!!

I love trail blazers!!!

You’re being massively unreasonable. You’re paid to perform your duties, which we all know will be impossible whilst moonlighting as your own childminder.

You're being unfair to your child, who deserves dedicated care and you’re morally bankrupt and breaching the contract you’ve signed with your employer.

It isn’t your employer’s fault you can’t afford adequate childcare.

Your case would fall on my desk and you’ve got no leg to stand on if they fire you.

She had a couple of hours work to do

@girlmom21

Ahh I see. She will only be gone an hour or two then.

😂

I don’t agree with this idea that people should be forced to downgrade. 3 bed houses to rent where I live are £1100 at least, way above what op is paying for her mortgage. People who can’t get on the property ladder because they didn’t have handouts from parents or the easiest start to their working life are stuck paying over the odds for ever increasing rent with effectively no pay rise to combat the rising cost of rent, bills and food.

But they’re the problem?

People bought houses when they had good income and didn’t foresee the government refusing to deal with the rising cost of living leaving them unable to pay childcare costs for eg and are now desperate to find solutions.. but they’re the problem?

It’s not “you should live within your means”. People like OP did. Circumstances out of their control changed. It should never be a race to the bottom to prop up those who couldn’t care less about protecting their citizens.

Why are some people so accepting of pathetic scraps from their government? Why are some people so determined to force others to live worse lives rather than protest for better treatment?

I’m with you OP.

After the energy increase in October I'm literally going to have £50 in my bank account after bills, rent and childcare has been paid, and that's with my mum having my twins 2 days per week to help me out

I don't understand why more people don't want to do anything about this, it's ridiculous!

(Oh and before anyone starts, I've already cut down on everything I can, short of being homeless and starving my whole family, there's nothing else to cut)

I genuinely believe anyone with twins (or other multiples) should only have to pay for one lot of childcare and the other should be free.

We always talk about having children without budgeting but nobody budgets for twins and triplets

This is weird. Is OP a troll? Is FinneusMum her sockpuppet?

I agree, I don't know what people expect me to do in this situation at all

But so many people in this thread just seem so heartless