To wonder what’s the point when I’m left with this after bills?

[ReLOa]

In a stressful job and single parent to nursery age child. I have 570 left after all bills and childcare and petrol, excluding food. What is the actual point in this?! We can’t do much at weekends and holidays are out of the question. I’m supposedly in a highly paid job (earn 70k) and I feel like giving up. Just been paid and looking ahead at the month I’ve already had to turn down some things like an adventure park day with friends as it was 28 pounds entry and a 35 mile round trip. I feel like I’m failing yet not sure what more I can possibly do?!

Claim cb op and pay the 1% penalty for every £50 you earn over 60k, you will lose 20% of its yearly value but you will still be 80% of it better off 😀. Hope I've been able to help.
I'm including some links to support aswell

https://www.gov.uk/sign-in-childcare-account

https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working

It would seem your entitled to 15 free hours at least at the moment.

None of that means it isn't worth working though, you have to look at the bigger picture which is understandably hard during the childcare years. Childcare cost is the major sticking point.

That's pretty low these days tbh.

We are in the south west, not London, but ours is £1200 for a 3 bed fairly ordinary semi.

What's life on benefits got to do with it? Is OP responsible for you not being able to work?

She's litterally paying those benefits, she really doesn't deserve the lecture on how "lucky she is" luck had nothing to do with it. It was all her, she worked her way up and she's helping a hell of alot of people along the way. She's every right to feel aggrieved at struggle alone with a small child. It shouldn't be that she's left to struggle because she's a woman and successful.

It’s certainly more than mine! 😆

I thought she maybe in London, it's really not worth it these days. Yes you get the equity held in the house but this poor woman will be past retirement by the time she's paid for it. What can she possibly get out of the held value? I'd rather move and have a bigger better house for less money. Will you be paying yours until retirement aswell?

570 left after bills and food..

I'd fucking dream of having that much.
I'm lucky if I have £50

It's the fact that she will be paying so much and paying it to retirement that makes me think she's in the London area.

Surely you have over £300 left after food for just you and a pre school child?

I’d save for a couple of months and then get a membership for a localish kids adventure or zoo place. Then you’ve got somewhere fun to always go.

Do you have a big car payment too?
Things will get easier once nursery is done but you could probably cut back some bits and shop more cheaply.

Did you forget about the lights heating car council tax tv licence water bill mobile phone? Soon goes down lol

Well said! The OP is paying over £20k of her annual salary to HMRC. I know people earning £12k a year who are not because of benefits top-ups. They don’t even need to take advantage of the 85% childcare discount because they don’t have an incentive to work more than 16 hours a week.

Their just misguided they are losing out, for some unknown reason the same error does the rounds. They only lose 55p for every extra £ they earn they would be so much better off working more and so would the country lol 😆

While I agree that the OP has every reason to feel stressed, exhausted and disappointed at seemingly having little reward for her hard work...
of course luck has a lot to do with it — everyone has different circumstances and a lot of those are outside our control; also, plenty of people on benefits (all the people I know on benefits, in fact) have worked incredibly hard against very difficult odds to survive.
Please don't hurl your prejudices and judgements at others, even in kind defence of the OP.

Certainly does! 😆

No one is throwing abuses or prejudices to people who can't work. I dont think its wrong to simply tell people the truth she is paying a huge part of her salary to help others, how does this show prejudice? .However If I were you I would go back and take a look at the abuses prejudices this op has had to endure. It's not luck at all, she's taken the time required and put In the hard work needed for an above average salary, it's cruel to even suggest that was mere luck.

No that's what she has left to buy food and fuel. God knows what the poor woman will do if she has car repairs or house repair issues.

Oh.

In the op it says:
"I have 570 left after all bills and childcare and petrol, excluding food"

So 570 left after all bills but has to buy food from that.

But has an income of £4200 a month.

It's an unpopular opinion on here I think, but..

If you're making bad choices on how to spend your money, you're not.poor, you're not broke, you're not struggling... You're choosing to spend your money poorly.

Gah, it’s so tough, OP. Like PPs have said, nursery isn’t forever and it will get so much easier when you’re out the other side. Keep hanging on in there and it’ll be over before you know it.

To the poster who are saying ‘how do you only have £570 left’, average pension contributions and student loan would take around £650 off the £4200, add in some commuting, insurances, car costs, water/gas/electric/council tax/broadband/mobile. Yeah. I easily see there only being £125 or so left a week after nursery fees and mortgage.

She may have student loans to pay back. We have no idea what her fuel bills are; DH does 100-mile round trip for work and it costs him £70 a week. If she’s had to make a claim on house or car insurance, those premiums will be costly. My house insurance is £38 a month with no claims and was the cheapest by a mile. If she’s sensible, she’s also got life insurance to covet the balance of the mortgage.

There are more things to fork out for than just gas, electric, water and CT.

No that's what she has left to buy food and fuel.

I thought it was just food, fuel as well would definitely not be much. To be honest we can't really know much OP has to spend without a whole breakdown of outgoings. I hope things improve for her soon.

Her take home won’t be £4200 if she’s (very likely) making pension contributions and student loan repayments. More like £3.8K, still not much when you have a nursery age child to support and no financial help from anyone.

We do £90 a week for a family of 5 but we plan meals and prep absolutely everything

Well I don't agree, you shouldn't have to be on a salary like hers, and left buying mere essentials. If you don't agree that's fine but it's wrong, that if you do well your penalised. It's especially wrong that she's not supported more as a single mother. If she were a couple she would be so much better of there would be double the tax allowance.

I think that would help her alot, probably make her life a bit less stressful aswell. She came here for help and support and very few people offered that, some like you have though I do hope she comes back and wasn't scared off by the nasty comments

Do you only buy your food from waitrose? £570 really is plenty if there is just the two of you. And if it's not just two of you why is there not a contribution?