What % of your income from work do you spend because of work?

[verdantverdure]

AIBU to ask you what percentage of your income from working you spend because you are working?

A younger family member has asked me to cast an eye over her sums and it looks to me like she can't afford to go back to work after maternity leave.

Once you add up nursery and the commute, she's already running at a loss even before she buys new work clothes to fit her post pregnancy figure and current norms at her workplace.

Not including convenience foods such as pre chopped veg or a bought in lasagne etc so she can get dinner on the table soon after she gets home, or takeaways for the nights she's too shattered to do that.

A cleaner do her weekends can be family time not housework time?

Treats to cheer her up because life is a bit of a grind?

Stuff like hair, make up and nails so she looks "groomed" at work?

What about you?

What percentage of your income from working do you spend because you are working?

True - though she also says that the commute and childcare are more than relative earns.

15 hours free childcare for 3 and 4-year-olds - many space out the kids till this kicks in as it helps - but then covering school holidays with multiple children can get pricy and depending on area difficult as well.

I had a friends who tried most combinations of working/not working/reduce working they all have downsides there's no perfect solution.

There is very limited help

Money saving expert Help with childcare costs

At the moment, around 5% of my salary to include my cost of wrap around care. We’ll have to pay nursery fees again soon and if it was to include full time nursery (which it won’t) plus after school care, my half of the cost will be around 25% but most likely, 20% or less. Other expenses like hair, grooming, food, etc will still be incurred even without working so it’s pointless counting it as cost of working.

How much is the nursery costing? £3500 per month sounds extreme to me. My little one is with childminder from 8-5.30 it costs £60 per day, which works out at £45 per day when you factor in tax free childcare and unpaid holidays... So would be just under £1000 per month if I was full time.

The commuting cost.. not much you can do about that but that cost was there before children anyway so assuming it was taking into consideration when thinking about where to live / work etc...

Around 1%

OP has two children. Average nursery costs are around 14-15k a year per child in the U.K.

@eirlaw yes, childcare is completely legitimate! It's all these 'hidden' costs 🙄.

But unless you have a very small age gap you only pay for both for a short period of time. If at all.

I've never had the luxury of most of the things you have listed such as pre chopped veg and a cleaner. However due to working for just above minimum wage it actually cost me to work. Whilst I did go back part time, as it wasn't worth it finically to go back full time, it did mean I kept my job (NHS) and the associated benefits such as sick pay and pension. It also ensured I had maternity pay for dc 2 and helped keep me sane. I think you need to look at the long term picture.

Yes, to be sure.

And to have Two nursery fees, without any free hours, must be a very small age gap. Which everyone knows is unaffordable .

There's a very legitimate argument to have about the cost of childcare in the UK and the impact on working parents, particularly mothers.

But this particular circumstances don't make sense

Exactly! Unless they are twins or triplets they are unlikely to be in nursery under 3 for much time concurrently.

Even at 15k per year times 2 kids plus £500 commute that £1000 less than the 4k quoted..

Plus nursery isn't the only option...

bizarre thread / even if she personally makes a loss what's the partners income? Do the overall bills work because babies become school age children very soon and generally childcare costs go down and salaries go up - sahm costs never add up

and wtf is a blow dry bar

With childcare (though I earn more than DH) I’d say about 40%
I’m very fortunate

I think a blow dry bar is those "pampering" places that offer fizz, blow dries and nail varnish. I have seen one in my City. Every time I have walked by there is 1 or at maximum 2 women being "pampered" by a few staff. It looks like the kind of thing hen dos or brides might do.

I would cost the household money and my partner would be fine with it because he knows how important working is to my mental health and independence. I'm more than an income to him and I help him to work in a job that pays more than my own and has a longer commute.

However if the joint household income is insufficient then that's different.

And you can save on nursery for your oldest when you are on maternity leave with your youngest.

When I went back to work after my 3rd childcare cost me £1500 a month. I earned £1550. Now, 12 years later I earn closer to £4500 a month (all figures post tax) so the cost of not going back, long term was much more than going back in terms of earning potential.

@VikingsandDragons you can register for chid benefit and then tick the box not to receive it. You will still get the NI credits

@Ilikepinacoladass

Nursery costs are £81 per day for the first child with a 5% discount for the second.

So that's £3159 a month

Plus two hours of childcare are needed in the morning and one and a half at night.

So that's a further £875 a month.

Train season ticket is £534

£4568 a month

Minus £333 tax free childcare.

£4235 per month on commute and childcare.

Are we missing something? Getting it wrong somehow?

@verdantverdure

Wby is this a we question?

It's not your money. Or your kids

Im sure your relative was well aware of nursery and commute fees prior to deciding to have 2 kids very close in age

If her oh can afford to cover a 4k loss then theyre doing OK either way.

The reasons why she'd be better of going back to work and taking the short term hit have been explained multiple times

She'll be leaving the house at 6am and returning after 6pm so kinda...

What age are the children? I assume the double nursery fees (without the 30 free hours after they turn 3) won't be for long, if at all?

How many children are there, from what I gather it sounds like 2 in nursery and 1 in school?

Is that nearly £44 per day, every day of the week on after / before school club?? Any local mum's they could team up with for some pick up, drop offs?

Have a look for some local childminders maybe, most round here are about £60 per day, and take unpaid holiday which brings it down another 5% roughly.

And like many people have said before, why are all these costs only coming off her salary. How about the dad goes part time or becomes a stay at home parent instead, why is it only her job in question?

Personally I think going part time if possible may be the best solution.

What hours will her dp/dh be out of the house? Can't he chop a carrot?

I was surprised how little I saved when I switched to working from home (very part time). The extra expenses (and I do all those things you mention) feel like they are work related but they are just "busy life" related and I do all those regardless.

But once the baby is older and you want money for a school age child to go to clubs etc - that's when the fact you worked is helpful...